THE LONGEST RAID of the Civil War (hard cover)

The Longest Raid of the Civil War – the story of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan’s Great Raid into Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio, a distance of over 1,000 miles. The purpose of the raid was to divert the attention of Union forces as the Army of Tennessee withdrew from Tullahoma to Chattanooga.

The raid officially began July 2 when General Morgan and 2,500 cavalry crossed the Cumberland River in southern Kentucky and ended upon his surrender July 26 in Columbiana County, Ohio just 70 miles south of Cleveland. It represented the northernmost penetration of any major Confederate force.

 

Unlike other raids, the citizens of Indiana and Ohio submitted claims to their respective states for reimbursement for damages and loses sustained from Rebel and Union troops. In Ohio, there were 4,375 claims. In Indiana, 2,201 claims. No claims in Kentucky because the residents were divided in their loyalties to the Union and Confederacy.

The book follows the Confederate soldiers day-by-day and hour-by-hour as they raided homes, farms and businesses while being pursed by Union cavalry, Federal artillery, local militias and the U.S. Navy. These are little-known and untold stories hidden in attics, old files and personal memories of descendants.

A list of civilians killed in Indiana and Ohio is included in the Appendix as are the future U.S. Presidents who personally fought against Morgan’s Raiders. A list of Union regiments and local militias who fought Morgan is listed. This is the first complete chronicle of Morgan’s Great Raid from its inception to the final moments of surrender.