Synopsis

The Battle of Salineville is best known as the northernmost battle of the American Civil War involving the Confederate army, or in this case the cavalry [6][19]. The battle occurred on July 26, 1863 near Salineville in Columbiana County, Ohio, approximately 30 miles south of Youngstown, Ohio and approximately 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [1][3]. Confederate forces were led by Brigadier-General John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864). Union forces were under Brigadier-General James M. Shackelford (July 7, 1827 - September 7, 1909) [1][3][16]. An estimated 3000 men took part in this battle. The Union Army won while suffering zero casualties and inflicting an estimated 364 casualties (including dead, wounded, and captured) on the Confederate side [1][3]. General Morgan was captured nearby that same day. He was imprisoned for a short time before escaping back to the South. Jump to: navigation, search The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America within the United States of America, between twenty-three mostly northern states of the Union and the Confederate States of America, a coalition of eleven southern states that declared their independence and claimed the right... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Salineville is a village located in Columbiana and Jefferson counties in Ohio. ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: The Buckeye State Other U.S. States Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Governor Bob Taft (R) Senators Mike DeWine (R) George Voinovich (R) Official languages None Area 116,096 km² (34th)  - Land 106,154 km²  - Water 10,044 km² (8. ... Youngstown is a city located in Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio, on the Mahoning River, 67 miles southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. ... (This article is about the city. ... Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864) was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War. ...

Leading up to the Battle of Salineville

General Morgan had been leading an army of 2460 men, Morgan’s Raiders, in Kentucky, capturing supplies and sending them southward [8][9][16]. He may have been attempting to distract Union forces from the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, or from Confederate movements south of his own, or maybe he just hoped to create fear in the minds of Union citizens who had thought the war was far away [8]. On July 8, 1863 General Morgan crossed the Ohio River at Brandenburg, Kentucky, and entered Indiana, apparently in violation of his orders [9][14]. After the Battle of Corydon in Indiana [14], Morgan's Raid proceeded eastward into Ohio [4] and was followed by the Union’s 9th Regiment Michigan Volunteer Cavalry [7]. The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the largest battle ever fought in North America, and is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. ... Brandenburg is a city located in Meade County, Kentucky. ... The Battle of Corydon took place July 9, 1863, in Harrison County, Indiana during Morgans Raid in the American Civil War. ... Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan Morgans Raid was a highly publicized incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Northern states of Indiana and Ohio during the American Civil War. ...

Eventually, on July 19, 1863 General Morgan attempted to head south back across the Ohio River into West Virginia at Buffington Island, upriver from Pomeroy in Meigs County, Ohio [4][17][20]. Some of his men made it south across the river. However, Union forces under Brigadier-General Edward H. Hobson (July 11, 1825 - September 14 1901) and General Henry M. Judah (June 12, 1821 - January 14, 1866) captured an estimated 800 – 1200 Confederate troops [10][20]. An additional 52 – 120 Confederate troops were killed or wounded in this, the Battle of Buffington Island [10] near Portland, Ohio [17][20]. James Garfield, Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley, all future U.S. presidents, are believed to have been present at this battle [17][20]. Carl D. Perkins Bridge in Portsmouth, Ohio with Ohio River and Scioto River tributary on right. ... Pomeroy may refer to: Pomeroy, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland Pomeroy, Iowa Pomeroy, Ohio Pomeroy, South Africa Pomeroy, Washington This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Meigs County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ...

General Morgan escaped, but was still in Ohio. He and the remnants of his cavalry again attempted to cross into West Virginia approximately 20 miles northeast at a ford not far from from Belleville, West Virginia [15][20]. A few hundred Confederate troops were able to successfully cross the Ohio River before Union forces again caught up with the remainder [10].

General Morgan, who was still in Ohio with approximately 400 of his men, headed generally northeast, eventually reaching Columbiana County, while still apparently hoping to cross the Ohio River at some point and head back to the South. Along the way to Columbiana County his Confederate cavalry passed through Moorefield, Harrisville, New Athens, Smithfield, New Alexandria, Wintersville, Two Ridge, Richmond, East Springfield, Bergholz, and Monroeville, Ohio [5].

The Battle of Salineville

Morgan's Confederate forces were pursued by General Shackelford commanding cavalry, battery and mounted infantry units from Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, and Ohio, as well as the Steubenville, Ohio, Militia [5]. Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ... The word battery has a number of senses, most of which are discussed in articles cited below. ... Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot with muskets or rifles. ... A militia is a group of citizens organized to provide paramilitary service. ...

By this time General Morgan may have been feeling that his situation was dire. His forces were isolated, were under pursuit and were heading deeper into enemy territory. Eventually, General Morgan’s forces were flanked and cut off by Union forces on July 26, 1863 at Salineville, near Lisbon, Ohio [7]. Approximately 23 - 30 Confederate cavalry died and 200 – 300 were captured during a battle that lasted 1.5 hours [7]. Lisbon is a village located in Columbiana County, Ohio. ...

Remarkably, General Morgan and a small number of his men managed to elude capture a third time [7]. However, at 2:00PM that same day they surrendered to the Union’s Major George W. Rue, of the 9th Kentucky Cavalry, near West Point, Ohio, approximately 8 miles NE from Salineville and approximately 4 miles SE of Lisbon [18]. Major Rue later reported that General Morgan, upon first seeing the Major approaching, surrendered himself to one of his own prisoners, an Ohio Militia man, Captain Burbridge, who then immediately granted parole to Morgan and his fellow officers [18].

Major Rue disregarded that surrender, which he later said was a ruse, and had General Morgan surrender to Union forces instead [18]. Union forces at that time were not inclined to grant paroles, at least not to high-ranking captured Confederate officers in the field. Upon surrendering to Major Rue, General Morgan was imprisoned in Columbus, Ohio. However, he escaped the following November and returned to the South [10]. He died less than a year later in Tennessee [8]. Skyline of downtown Columbus, Ohio, viewed across the Scioto River. ...

During his raid General Morgan had managed to disrupt, if not destroy, numerous bridges and sections of railroad track, and caused Union citizens substantial fear and monetary losses [1][10]. However, the overall value of the raid to the South's war effort has been questioned [10].

Today a marker indicates the location where General Morgan surrendered in Columbiana County, Ohio [19]. On October 19, 1864 thirty Confederate forces raided Saint Albans, Vermont. These Confederates had come south over the Canadian border [6]. Nevertheless, General Morgan’s surrender in Columbiana County, Ohio is considered to be the northern-most point reached by an organized Confederate body of force during the American Civil War [19]. Columbiana County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... St. ...

Books about General Morgan and/or his Raids

The Longest Raid of the Civil War By Lester V. Horwitz

Rebel Raider: The Life of General John Hunt Morgan by James A. Ramage

John Hunt Morgan and His Raiders by Edison H. Thomas

A history of Morgan's Cavalry by Basil Wilson Duke

A complete account of the John Morgan raid through Indiana and Ohio, in July, 1863 by Flora E Simmons

The Most Incredible Prison Escape of the Civil War by W. Fred Conway

External Links

[1] National Park Service: Salineville Battle Summary

[2] National Park Service: Buffington Island Battle Summary

[3] Americancivilwar.com: Battle of Salineville

[4] Map of Morgan's Route

[5] Heidelberg College: Buffington Island Archaeological Project

[6] Civil War Battlefield Travel Destinations

[7] Michigan's 9th Cavalry

[8] Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Morgan's Raid

[9] The Bad Boy of the Civil War - General John Morgan

[10] Ohiohistorycentral.org - Battle of Buffington Island

[11] Cival War Talk: Battle of Salineville

[12] Ohio in the Civil War

[13] General John Hunt Morgan

[14] Battle of Corydon

[15] Summary of General Morgan's Raid by Mr. Frank Barrett of Sebring, Ohio

[16] A Biography of General James M. Shackelford

[17] Meigs County Historical Society

[18] Major Rue's account of General Morgan's surrender

[19] Photograph of the plaque at the location of General Morgan’s surrender.

[20] Efforts to save the Buffington Island Battlefield