The Great Raid and West Point

The Great Raid and West Point. The Great Raid. Morgan, approaching the Ohio River, sent Captains Samuel Taylor and Henry Clay Meriweather and 130 men ahead to Brandenburg to secure boats for the crossing. It is unclear when Morgan’s men entered the town of West Point., A Louisville newspaper reported that Morgan’s were in town. Another report by a packet boat helped spread the alarm. The boat was headed for West Point when those aboard saw Confederates the craft quickly reversed course and returned to New Albany. By midnight, alarm bells in Louisville were calling the militia to arms. No one knew how many of Morgan’s men were in West Point. Concern quickly became panic, the citizens fearing that Morgan was at their door. To make matters worse, cannon fire could be heard from Jeffersonville, Indiana. The already frightened populace feared a battle was raging across the river. Fortunately, the cannon fire was only an alarm calling the Indiana Home Guard to action., As quickly as they came, Taylor and Meriweather left West Point. One reason for their rapid departure was Fort Duffield. The fort located on the heights above town was manned at the time and had several pieces of artillery. If Morgan’s men had been bold enough to attack they would have found a warm reception waiting for them., The Federals had no idea where Morgan was or what he was going to do The feint into West Point further confused the situation, giving Morgan more time. Union authorities were forced to send soldiers to West Point to make sure that Morgan did not cross the Salt River and ride for Louisville., It would take Morgan seventeen hours to cross the Ohio River at Brandenburg. The confusion caused by smith and Merriweather's incursion into West Point bought a few more hours, allowing the mounted Confederates to cross the river before the slow moving Federal infantry could stop them., (captions) , West Point is located at the confluence of the Salt and Ohio Rivers. Fort Duffield was built on the heights above the town to protect the approach via the Louisville-Nashville Turnpike., Fort Duffield was constructed in the fall of 1861 using a plan created by Capt. Nathanial Michlar, an engineer with the Union Army of the Ohio., Capt. Samuel B. Taylor, Co. E 10th Kentucky Cavalry, Capt. Henry Clay Merriweather, Co. H 10th Kentucky Cavalry