Arena District in Columbus in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
General John Hunt Morgan, CSA / Morgan's Escape
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
1. General John Hunt Morgan, CSA Marker (side A)
General John Hunt Morgan, CSA. On this site once stood the Ohio Penitentiary, which was built in 1834 and operated through 1984. Incarcerated here in July 1863 was Confederate General John Hunt Morgan, a cavalry commander known as the "Thunderbolt of the Confederacy," and about 70 of his officers. Morgan's Raiders brought the Civil War to the North with a spectacular raid through Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio in the summer of 1863. The raid ended with Morgan's capture in far eastern Ohio.
Morgan's Escape. Morgan surrendered the remnant of his command on July 26, 1863, near West Point in Columbiana County, the northernmost point reached by any significant force of armed Confederates during the war. He and his officers were sent to the Ohio Penitentiary rather than to a prisoner of war camp because of reports that captured Union officers had received similar treatment. This proved to be to Morgan's advantage: in November 1863, he and six of his officers escaped by tunneling from an air shaft beneath their cells into the prison yard and scaling the walls. Only two escapees were recaptured. Morgan returned to Confederate service and was killed in 1864.
Erected 2000 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, Brig. Gen. Roswell S. Ripley Camp 1535, Sons of
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans/United Confederate Veterans series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1863.
Location. 39° 57.967′ N, 83° 0.416′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in the Arena District. Marker is at the intersection of West Street and Spring Street (U.S. 33), on the right when traveling south on West Street. Marker is near SE corner of McPherson Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbus OH 43215, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Irish in Columbus (within shouting distance of this marker); Working Class Neighborhoods (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Urban Face of the Scioto River (about 600 feet away); William and Hannah Neil (about 800 feet away); John Brickell (about 800 feet away); Big Branch Coal Mines Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Spanish War Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); American Federation of Labor / United Mine Workers of America (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
2. Morgan's Escape Marker (side B)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 17, 2008
3. General John Hunt Morgan, CSA / Morgan's Escape Marker (far right)
Looking north along West Street toward Nationwide Arena.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 2,088 times since then and 213 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 25, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
