Moorefield

Moorefield. Avoiding Another Fight. , On July 24, 1863, Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan ordered his 500 remaining Confederate raiders to burn the Cambridge Road bridges to the west. This delayed pursuing Union forces long enough to allow four hours for a much-needed stop at Moorefield., The general rested in the Mills Hotel, while his men, refusing to forcibly enter occupied homes, caught catnaps in town yards and at a nearby church. Among the vacant houses the raiders explored was that owned by the Reverend Thomas Crawford. On discovering a sermon in the study, the rebels held a mock worship service as the text was read aloud. A picket's shot from the west warned the Confederates of the approach of Union forces under Brigadier General James Shackelford. Morgan ordered his troops to mount up and quickly ride east., Because scouts reported that a strong militia force occupied Cadiz, the Confederates turned toward New Athens. That town was a Union and abolitionist stronghold, and its citizens were terrified to learn that Morgan was headed their direction. Morgan, however, chose a route through a heavily wooded area north of the village to avoid any engagements with Union or militia forces. While Shackelford's troopers crept into town, the raiders camped that night barely two miles northeast of them., Picture 1 Caption: , While General Morgan slept in the Mills Hotel, his bodyguard reportedly occupied time by reading local newspapers, often a good source of intelligence on the Union pursuers., Picture 2 Caption: , By the time Morgan's raiders entered Harrison County, they had been riding for more than three weeks and had lost many men. Morgan avoided further trouble by taking a route through heavy woods around New Athens.