Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 02 (of 15), American (2)Morris, Charles
History
Historic Tales: The Romance of Reality. Vol. 02 (of 15), American (2)
Morris, Charles
United States -- History
The remainder of the force fled inland, hotly pursued, fighting a
little, burning bridges, and being at length brought to bay, surrounded
by foes, and forced to surrender, except a small party with Morgan
still at their head. Escape for these seemed hopeless. For six days more
they rode onward, in a desperate effort to reach the Ohio at some
unguarded point. They were sharply pursued, and, at length, on Sunday,
July 26, found themselves very hotly pressed. Along one road dashed
Morgan, at the full speed of his mounts. Over a road at right angles
rushed Major Rue, thundering along. It was a sharp burst for the
intersection. Morgan reached it first, and Rue thought he had escaped.
But the major knew the country like a book. His horses were fresh and
Morgan's were jaded. Another tremendous dash was made for the Beaver
Creek road, and this the major reached a little ahead.
It was all up now with the famous raid. Morgan's men were too few to
break through the intercepting force. He made the bluff of sending a
flag with a demand to surrender; but Rue couldn't see it in that light,
and a few minutes afterward Morgan rode up to him, saying, "You have
beat me this time," and expressing himself as gratified that a
Kentuckian was his captor.
A mere fragment of the command remained, the others having been
scattered and picked up at various points, and thus ended the career, in
capture or death, of nearly all the more than four thousand bold raiders
who had crossed the Ohio three weeks before. They had gained fame, but
with captivity as its goal.
Morgan and several of his officers were taken to Columbus, the capital
of Ohio, and were there confined in felon cells in the penitentiary.
Four months afterward the leader and six of his captains escaped and
made their way in safety to the Confederate lines. Here is the story in
outline of how they got free from durance vile.
Two small knives served them for tools, with which they dug through the
floors of their cells, composed of cement and nine inches of brickwork,
and in this way reached an air-chamber below. They had now only to dig
through the soft earth under the foundation walls of the penitentiary
and open a passage into the yard. They had furnished themselves with a
strong rope, made of their bed-clothes, and with this they scaled the
walls. In some way they had procured citizen's clothes, so that those
who afterward saw them had no suspicion.
In the cell Morgan left the following note: "Cell No. 20. November 20,
1863. Commencement, November 4, 1863. Conclusion, November 20, 1863.
Number of hours of labor per day, three. Tools, two small knives. _La
patience est amere, mais son fruit est doux_ [Patience is bitter, but
its fruit is sweet]. By order of my six honorable confederates."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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