09/09/2026
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2026, AT 7:15 P.M. PT FOR A PRESENTATION ON: “JOHN HUNT MORGAN'S RAID AND THE BATTLE OF BUFFINGTON ISLAND, OHIO,” with Aaron Siever, Owner - Aaron's Civil War Travels LLC!
John Hunt Morgan's 1863 Raid, often called the Great Raid, was one of the most daring Confederate cavalry operations of the Civil War. Beginning on June 11, 1863, Morgan led approximately 2,400 Confederate cavalrymen from Tennessee through Kentucky before crossing the Ohio River into Indiana and Ohio, directly violating General Braxton Bragg's orders to remain south of the river. It was intended to disrupt Union communications, destroy railroads and bridges, divert Federal troops from the campaigns at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, and spread panic among Northern civilians.
For more than six weeks, Morgan's men covered 1,000 miles, capturing supplies, burning bridges, tearing up railroad tracks, cutting telegraph lines, and defeating local militia at places such as the Battle of Corydon, the only Civil War battle fought in Indiana. Although the raid created widespread alarm across the Midwest and forced the Union to commit thousands of soldiers to the pursuit, Morgan found himself increasingly trapped by converging Federal cavalry and gunboats.
The raid ended in disaster when Morgan failed to escape across the Ohio River. After suffering heavy losses at Buffington Island on July 19, he continued east through Ohio until his exhausted command was surrounded near Salineville. Morgan surrendered on July 26, 1863, with most of his remaining force captured. While the raid demonstrated the speed and effectiveness of Confederate cavalry, it failed to achieve its strategic objectives and cost the Confederacy one of its finest mounted commands at a critical point in the war. July 1863 would prove to be an absolutely devastating month for the Confederacy.
——
For more: pasadenacwrt.org
