Williamsburg

Williamsburg. Morgan's First Ohio Campsite. About 4 pm on July 14, 1863, Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan and his raiders stopped in Williamsburg to establish their first campsite in Ohio. Approximately 2,000 cavalrymen remained in the rebel force., Many of the officers spent the night at the corner of Third and Main streets in the tavern owned by John Wesley Kain. The preparation of meals for 127 raiders kept the tavern staff busy. Morgan stayed in Room 9 of the adjoining Kain House Hotel. While there, he went through the Williamsburg mail that his men had confiscated, looking for cash and news of military importance. , Six of Morgan's officers also slept at the Kain House. Other officers remained with their men. The raiders set up camp east of town along Bethel Road between the East Fork bridge and the hill. A few settled down in town, and others did so in the fields and along the roads to Boston and Batavia. , The raiders' well-earned rest ended with a 3 am reveille. The advance riders were on the road by dawn, and the last of Morgan's men were gone by 8 am. , [Photo caption]: Colonel Basil Duke, a Confederate brigade commander, wrote that they felt comparatively safe in Williamsburg, prompting an overnight stay. Morgan and several officers lodged in the hotel, while the remainder camped in the surrounding area. , Text: Rick Crawford , Illustration: Bev Kirk