Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 7.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[261] self to fight, and there burnt the railroad bridge and two other bridges, and left for Versailles, where he robbed the county treasurer of five thousand dollars, all the money he had, and again took his departure, expressing his sincere regret that the county was so very poor.

We arrived at Versailles on the thirteenth, at five o'clock, and found that Morgan, after sacking the town, had sent on a force to Osgood, where they burnt a bridge and captured a telegraph operator, and kept on to Pierceville, burning all the bridges on the road, and starting thence to Milan. They then struck off on the Brookfield road, and after travelling eight miles, turned off toward Wisebergh, where they had a skirmish with the home guards. At New-Ulsas, a small German settlement, they captured a wagon-load of lager beer, which they carried with them to refresh themselves on their way. On the night of the thirteenth, we encamped at Harrison, our horses being thoroughly jaded and worn out, and men being in a condition not much more encouraging than their horses. On that night Morgan nearly surrounded Cincinnati. Starting at three A. M. on the fourteenth, we followed in the wake of Morgan's troops through Springdale and Sharon to Montgomery, where we found he had captured one hundred and fifty good horses. At Miamiville, after turning over the train on the Little Miami Railroad, he burnt fifty new Government wagons. There had been two hundred wagons, but we succeeded in saving one hundred and fifty, together with one thousand mules. We camped that night at nine o'clock at Camp Repose, and started at two A. M. on the fifteenth for Batavia. We were led out of our way by a Methodist preacher, who had undertaken to guide us, and so far succeeded in misleading us, that instead of going by the direct road, which was only six miles, he took us by a roundabout way of fifteen miles. Whether this was intentional or otherwise we did not know, but he seemed very anxious to make his escape, and if hard swearing on the part of our boys will injure any one but the swearer, then is that Methodist preacher cursed for all eternity. Morgan on this day burnt two bridges on White Oak River, and Dick Morgan separated from the main body of the rebels with his regiment four miles from Williamsburgh and went to Georgetown, plundering that town. We encamped that night at Sardinia at eleven o'clock.

On the sixteenth instant, we broke camp at four o'clock in the morning and arrived at Winchester at eight. The rebels had entered the town at two P. M. of the previous day, had robbed the mail, and stolen thirty-five thousand dollars' worth of property and fifty horses. From one firm in this place they stole eleven thousand dollars' worth of property, which was the largest single robbery they effected during the whole of the raid. They tore up all the flags they could find at this place, and amused themselves by ty. ing the fragments to mules' tails and driving them through the streets. At Jacktown they burnt a bridge and went on to Wheat Ridge, where they robbed an old man, who was hardly able to walk from old age and feebleness, of thirty dollars. Here their forces again separated, part going through Mount Olive. Six miles this side of Jackson the citizens blockaded the road, and detained Morgan two hours. With the exception of the fight by the home guards at Corydon, where the rebels were detained four hours, this was the best service rendered by citizens during the whole of the raid. At Jasper the rebels gave the proprietor twenty-five minutes to raise one thousand dollars, or they would burn his mill. He was unable to procure the money and the mill was burnt accordingly. We went into camp at Jasper at two A. M., on the seventeenth, and resumed our journey at eleven, having to swim our horses across the canal. One of our men, a member of company L, Second Ohio, named McGoron, accidentally killed himself with his revolver. Arriving at Piketon we found that the rebels had killed a Mr. McDougal who was busily blockading the road when they came up. The same day they shot a Dr. Burroughs, who had fired on them as they passed by his place. We arrived at Jackson at six o'clock, where we were met with the same story we had heard so often before-robbery, and theft, and pillage, and destruction on every hand. There was one thing we must give the rebels credit for, and that is, that in the matter of thieving they showed the strictest impartiality, robbing the man who “had always been opposed to the war” with the same coolness with which they robbed his more loyal brethren. Indeed, it was with a kind of vindictive pleasure that they stole from those who were so forward in informing them that they had always been “good butternuts.” At this place they destroyed the Jackson Standard printing-office — the only paper that they injured during the whole of the march. The home guards having reason to think it was done at the instigation of a butternut resident of the place, cleaned out the Jackson Express office, a copperhead sheet of the same place.

From this place Morgan had sent up some forces to Berlin, at which place there were three thousand militia posted, under the command of Colonel Runkle. Morgan's men threw one shell in their midst, which acted like a charm on the militia, who instantly became — missing.

We camped that night at Jackson, and started again at three o'clock on the morning of the eighteenth, and followed on by way of Keystone Furnace. We found that they had burnt a bridge over Raccoon Creek, and had captured two boxes of army clothing. At the little town of Linesville, the home guards tore up the bridge and blockaded the road, detaining the rebels another two hours, and doing as good service as the citizens of Jasper. Part of the rebel force had gone down by way of Wilkesville, where they burnt two or three bridges; we went on to Chester, where they had burnt a bridge over Shade Creek, and encamped for the night.

On the nineteenth, the battle of Buffington Island took place, if so slight a skirmish is worthy