Senecaville

Senecaville. Divine Intervention. In July 1963, intelligence on the position of Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan and his Confederate raiders as they rode across southern Ohio was in constant flux. Conflicting reports initially ordered Union Colonel William Wallace of the 15th Ohio Volunteer Infantry to Greenwood Hill at the crossroads near Senecaville, but later told him to move from this strong position before Morgan arrived. , At 3 a.m. on July 24, Morgan’s men rode into Senecaville. According to local legend, Morgan dismounted and, seeking information about the local roads, knocked on the door of a house owned by a milliner. , The milliner’s wife, watching from a window, remembered the pistol left by her husband, an absent Union soldier. Gun raised, she contemplated shooting the general, but she recalled her own spouse in the South and realized the anguish she would feel if he fell victim to someone like her. That empathy with Morgan’s potential widow bridged any political differences, and she replaced the gun in its drawer. Opening the door, she explained to the general how lucky he was to be alive. Morgan, with surprise, gave thanks to his own wife, home in Tennessee. Surely Mrs. Morgan had been praying for his safety at that exact moment! , Text by Tom Snyder, Illustrations by Bev Kirk.