AN UNKNOWN OBJECTIVE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 234, 2 October 1900, Page 2

AN UNKNOWN OBJECTIVE.

\Vht!U Morgan received his chief's peruiissloil to set off oii yet another raid) and this time one bt! such hiagtiltude and nianifold danger, he was, almost iyeslde hliuself with joy. Bragg, so it. wo.uld appear/intended Morgan to cotafiile his' operations to the State of Kentiucky) and not to cross the Ohio RiverVbut it is daubtftil whether the raider froni the vSry first had any intefation of limiting his ranges Although Bragg'd offlera plated at his disposal b. territory oo^ftltliiit isbnaft 85>066 r&aaaro mllesi never*

theless this was not enough for the ambition of Morgan.

Morgan exercised the greatest care in choosing his raiding party. Those destined to follow him oil his greatest of all dashes numbered 2400 all told; these he divided into two brigades, the first led by Colonel Basil Duke, and the second by Colonel Adam Johnson. Only four pieces of artillery yra-e taken, two 12-pound howitzers and two 3-in. Parrotts., At noon on July 2, 1863, Morgan hiid all things ready, and off sot tlie two brigades straight for the Cumberland Kiver. At the very beginning of the raid, great, difficulties were met with. No bridge that could be used spanned the broitd Cumberland, consequently Morgan's men were obliged to scour the banks for logs to make rafts, for canoes and derelict row-boats to lash together—in fact, everything that would float was east upon the face of the waters. The men clambered aboard this driftwood, and across a river raging in full flood they swam their mounts to the northern bank. The Federals were not' slow in discovering the move, but before; a sufficient force could be brought upon the scene Morgan managed to land some 600 of liis men,, and these, delivering a determined charge, scattered the Northerners and saved tho situation. Then began perhaps the most harrying raid of which there is any account' in history. Instantly the Federals divined the purport of the movement. The very name of Morgan was a horror in the North', and telegrums sent in every direction set the' States of Kentucky and Ohio in a ferment. Not v soul could guess Morgan's objective; as a matter of fact, all that. Morgan, hiiuself knew on tho point was that his objective was the very farthest distant foot $c could force his way to before being annihilated. • .'■' - ' CAPTAIN BURBICK. Nothing was too daring for this Confederate general. Consternation - swooped down upon the Northerners in Kentucky. The Federal leaders were beside themselves in their desire to fling a force across the path of Morgan, only they could not ascertain that path. It would require columns to adequately describe tho different moves of the gigantic raid. Sufficient here to say. that Morgan, destroying everything in his path and annihilating such weak forces as were so unfortunate as to 'be successful enough to bestride his path, holding due north, jumped the Green Kiver at Tebb's Bend, passed through Lebanon and Bardstown, nnfl struck the Ohio River at Brandenburg, pushed on; now in the State of Olrlo, to Salem, then zigzagged'to Verhon, then travelling eastward made the long journey to Harrison and Hamilton, and, dodging southward, actually pressed through the suburbs of Cincinhatti, and marching rapidly eastward, reached Chester, near the Ohio, on July 18: His men were now in a rather desperate condition, mechanically keeping their Seats in the saddle, and each time the raiders were called to n halt dozens of the men pitched over : their horses' heads from weariness. Not ■& day of tbc sixteen of the march but they had been called upon to fight, and many of their best had fallen by the way, including General Morgan's brother, who was killed in an assault. The leader thought to,cross ; the Ohio—he had learned of Lee's defeat at 1 Gettysburg—at Buffington Island, but found th<; place strongly held. So still eastward ho plodded on, crossing the Muskinguin at Eagleport, on through Stubenville and northward to close upon New Lisbon. Here, however, the Federals had him. On July 20 he saw deafly that hfc had come to the end'of his tether, He had raidM 1000 miles, fought score's of waspish engagements, and destroyed ten million dollars' worth of Northern stores and property, left each railway he,crossed a ruin for miles, and where • towns and villages stood' was now nothing but ashes. But of the 2400 iuon who set out with lilm only 364 remained. .

When Morgan found that all was over he sent for one of his prisoners, Captain Jas. Burbick, of the Home Guard. When this militiaman was brought forward Morgan quickly bustled him into accepting the raid: ers' surrender on the latter's own terms. Telling Burbick that while capable of doing much more damage, be (Morgan) thought of 'surrendering, he continued: "I would prefer to .surrender to the militia rather than to the liriited States troops. I will surrender .to you if you will agree to respect pri-, yate property and parole the officers and men as soon as we get to Cincinnati." Burbick, uncertain what to do, hesitated: "Give me an answer, yes or no," blurted out Morgan, and poor Burblck said, "l 7es."

There was a great row over the terms of the surrender when the regulars came up, and the Federals ultimately refused to be bound by the woi'd of tlieir bustled Home Guard. Morgan was Imprisoned, effected a daring escape, and died fighting at the head of another raiding party sonle months later. —"Pall -irfali Gazette." '