AFTER THE RAID and after the Civil War
After the Raid and after the Civil War -- the sequel to the Longest Raid of the Civil War. It answers numerous queries of what happened to large numbers of people mentioned in The Longest Raid. The memory of Morgan’s Raid in the states that were invaded has spawned annual reenactments, auto and bus tours, battlefield preservations and over 1,000 Morgan’s Raid roadway historical and directional markers tracing Morgan’s trail throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. My main focus is on those who did something of great interest beyond the family circle.
Follow the survivors through succeeding generations to see what their descendants accomplished and how they were influenced. They include both the famous and infamous: a U.S. president, governors, lawmen, outlaws, judges, philanthropists, university presidents, ambassadors, Nobel Prize winner (Thomas Hunt Morgan, son of Charlton Hunt Morgan and nephew of Gen. John Hunt Morgan), military generals & admirals, popular entertainers, movie stars and recipients of the Medal of Honor.
Lots of these stories have never been published before. Their accounts could never have been told had their ancestors’ lives ended on bloodied battlefields, perilous rivers, wretched prison camps, or disease-ridden hospitals.
For the most part, the mustered-out Yankees and Rebels returned to their homes to marry, raise children and earn an honest living. Many remained in their hometowns and became respected members of their communities. Some chose to move west to get away or to find greener pastures in the new western states and territories. The next several decades would be the era of the cowboy, the prospector, and the adventurer. The magnetic pull of the developing west would be nurtured by powerful attractions, such as the Klondike gold rush, the Comstock silver strike and the rush to mine other precious metals. The Homestead Act and land grants would be offered to those who would brave Indian attacks, rattlesnakes, droughts, bandits, harsh winters, and the great unknown. Most suffered their lot and felt lucky just to survive. Untold graves marked the trail where dreams died in the dust. A few had far-sighted vision and the determination to achieve greatness.
