Brigadier-General John Hunt Morgan made one of the most unique records of the war between the North and South. He was born in Huntsville, Ala., June 1, 1826. When but four years of age, he was carried by his father to the vicinity of Lexington, Ky., where he was brought up on a farm and received a common school education. He was the oldest of six brothers, all of whom, except one, who was too young to bear arms, did military service for the Confederate States. It is said he was a lineal descendant of the celebrated Daniel Morgan of revolutionary fame. In the war with Mexico, young Morgan raised a company of which he was made captain. But peace was made before he had entered upon active service*(see note below). It is stated that upon the disbanding of this company, Morgan indemnified out of his own means every man for the time that he had lost. Soon after the Mexican war he engaged in the manufacture of bagging and jeans for the Southern market. At the commencement of the war he was detained at home by the illness and death of his wife.

     In his official report of these operations made to Gen. E. Kirby Smith, Morgan says that he left Knoxville with 900 men and returned with 1,200, having lost of the number that he carried into Kentucky in killed, wounded and missing about 90. During this raid he had destroyed military stores, railroad bridges and other property to the value of eight or ten million dollars. In this expedition he had greatly mystified the enemy by an instrument hitherto unused in offensive warfare. This was a portable electric battery. It was only necessary to take down the telegraph wire, connect it with his portable battery and head off and answer all messages passing between Louisville and Nashville. On his retreat Morgan took possession of the wires on his route and countermanded all the orders that had been sent to intercept him. In recognition of his great services he was, on the suggestion of General Bragg, commissioned brigadier-general December 11, 1862. His exploits made it necessary to garrison every important town in Kentucky and Southern Ohio and Indiana.

At last, after passing through fifty-two towns, nine in Kentucky, fourteen in Indiana and twenty-nine in Ohio, and having captured nearly 6,000 prisoners and damaged public property to the amount of ten million dollars, Morgan and his men were captured. Some were sent to Camp Morton, Indiana. Morgan and his chief officers were taken to Columbus, Ohio, where they were treated like common felons. But Morgan and six of his officers, with no tools but case knives, cut their way through the solid stone, tunneled underground and made their escape. In 1864 Morgan was again in the field giving his enemies any amount of trouble. On the 4th of September, 1864, at Greeneville, Tenn., he was surrounded by the enemy, and in attempting to escape was shot and instantly killed. Such was the sad fate of this illustrious cavalry leader.