--A correspondent of the Memphis
Appeal, April 31, vouches for the truth of the following:
‘
The heroic young Kentuckian is as full of stratagem as he is of daring.
He disguised himself as a countryman and took a wagon load of meal to
Nashville the other day. Driving straight to the
St. Cloud Hotel, he left his wagon at the door in charge of a trusty follower, and went into the dining-room of the hotel about dinner, where he sat down opposite to
Gen. McCook.
’
"
General McCook, I suppose," said the disguised partisan, bowing across the table.
"You are right, sir," said
McCook, "that is my name."
"Well, Gineral, if there's no secesshers about, I've got something to tell you right here."
Locking around, the
General requested his new acquaintance to proceed with what he had to say.
"Well, Gineral, I live up here close by Burke's mills, right in the midst of a nest of red hot secesshers, and they swear your soldiers shan't, have a peck of meal if they have to starve for it. But, Gineral, I'm all right on the goose, though I don't have much to say about it about home, and so I got a wagon load of meal ground, and I've brung it down here to-day, and it's now out that in the street, and you can have it if you want it."
Gen. McCook was highly delighted — expressed his gratitude to the plain-looking countryman for his kindness, praised his loyalty to "the old flag," &c., &c., and at once ordered the meal to be taken to the commissary of his brigade and paid for in
gold and
silver.
This transaction accomplished, the counterfeit wagoner again repaired to
General McCook's headquarters, where, after requesting a strictly private interview, he told the "Gineral" that if he would send out one hundred and fifty men to such a place, in such a neighborhood in
Davidson county, he would guide them right into that "nest of secesshers and traitors," where they might "bag" large quantity of meal and other "contraband of war," besides a number of the worst rebels that ever assisted in " up" this "glorious Union."
Gen. McCook fell into the snare "as easy as falling off a log," and all the preliminary arrangements were made, and time and place agreed upon, for the one hundred and fifty Federal soldiers to meet their trusty guide.
McCook's detachment of 150 men kept the appointment faithfully, and, of course
Capt. Morgan, no longer disguised, was there to meet them; but, unfortunately for them, he was not alone — he had a sufficient number of well-armed horsemen to capture the whole Yankee force without firing a gun. So he took them quietly, and sent them swif "to the rear," to be exchanged "in due course"--all but one, an officer, whom he released on parole, and bad him return to
Gen. McCook with the compliments of his meal-selling acquaintance, who had the pleasure of meeting him at the
St. Cloud a few days before.
Hurrah for the gallant and heroic
Morgan --the dauntless and sagacious partisan, whose fame is rapidly rounding into proportions which promise to overshadow all the "Marious" of the war.
