Deyarmonville

Deyarmonville. A New Union Strategy. , By July 25, 1863, Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan and his Confederate raiders knew that their pursuers were closing in. Major General Ambrose Burnside, directing the Union pursuit from his Cincinnati headquarters, decided to change his strategy., Morgan and his troops continued to hold the advantage as long as they left the countryside in their wake strewn with tired horses and stripped of provisions. Burnside decided to place fresh troops in front of Morgan and sent Major William B. Way, of the 9th Michigan Cavalry, and Major George Rue, of the 9th Kentucky U.S. Cavalry, up the Ohio River. They disembarked at Steubenville and Bellaire, equipped with fresh horses and artillery. Burnside's change in strategy would doom Morgan and his raiders., After leaving Harrison County, the Confederates traveled through Ramsey and into Dillonvale, which was only about six miles from the Ohio River. In Dillonvale, Morgan's scouts reported that a significant Union force occupied the nearest crossing point at Rayland, then called Portland. With his best crossing point again blocked, Morgan turned north to head up Dry Fork in search of another suitable path., [Captions:] , When Morgan's scouts reported the nearest river crossing was blocked by Union troops, the Confederates turned north here in search of another option., General Burnside's new strategy of placing his forces in Morgan's path by using steamboat transport would prove effective. Union troops and their horses were landed at Steubenville. Railroad lines were also used to transport Union men ahead of the raiders.