Capturing Morgan’s Men soon After Shiloh

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/31/2004

A very rare war-date 1p. legal size folio, ink inscribed, Union soldier’s letter written by Pvt. Isaiah Ripley, Co. E, 51st Ohio Vol. Nashville, May 9, 1862 concerning the appearance of Confederate POWs in Nashville who were part of John H. Morgan’s command that was captured on a raid to claim Kentucky for the South, in part: “…I don’t ask any boot of any hypocrite reble in the city of Nashville…John Morgan…is captain of a rebble jariblaband that has been committing awful depredations to Union men in Tennessee. General Dumont who had his head quarters in the city went out to give him cold potato…Dumont give it to him very hot. Morgan got wounded and one hundred and thirty of his men taken prisoners. They were brought in on the cars about eight o’clock [the] night before last. Long before the train came a great crowd gathered round the depot…they were marched out of the cars and we gave three grones for Old Jeff…this [enraged ?] a great many of the spectators. We told them to put on their spectacles [as] it was a beautiful moon light night…and it presented one of [the] nicest sights imaginable…to hear the blacks a talken would make you laugh. They said Old Abe’s boys went out to hunt [and] they catch heaps of possum so much [that they] have to bring them in on the cars…the women in [Nashville are] very scornful. They thought they would make us knuckle down to them the same as the blacks but they see our steady and unshaken determination. They are beginning to think the Yankees is not so easily scared…”. Disillusioned with organized fighting after the battle of Shiloh, Morgan decided to employ his command as partisan rangers, and on May 2, 1862 set out a raid to help secure Kentucky for the Confederacy. Union troops under the command of Brig. Gen. Ebenezer Dumont caught up to Morgan on May 5, 1862, and during the battle of Lebanon, Tenn., Dumont decimated the Confederate command, capturing huge scores of Rebel prisoners. Ripley’s phonetic spelling has been corrected. Usual folds, else very good.

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