Glendale in Hamilton County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Glendale

Morgan's Confederates Arrive from Springdale

— John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail —

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, April 25, 2016

1. Morgan's Confederates Arrive from Springdale Marker

Inscription. At 2 am on July 14, 1863, the sound of hooves on Sharon Avenue's cobblestones interrupted the dark morning stillness. While many townspeople slept, those awakened were terrified by what they saw. Peering from their Glendale College dorm windows, some curious girls saw the eerie outlines of "ghost riders" moving eastward and scurried back to hide under their bedcovers. No one realized that the ghosts were Morgan's Raiders wearing stolen veils to protect them from the dust.

The Battle That Never Happened
While planning his raid, Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan determined that the Glendale railroad crossing was among the most likely places where his men could meet disaster. Union Major General Ambrose Burnside, however, had been fooled by Morgan's feints towards Cincinnati and Hamilton. Not a single Union soldier waited at the railroad. In fact, thirty minutes before Morgan's scouts arrived, a train had passed through Glendale carrying Union troops to reinforce Major F.M. Keith's garrison at Hamilton.

George Ellsworth, Morgan's telegrapher, sent deceptive messages from the Glendale depot to enemy headquarters. The electronic warfare added to Burnside's confusion.

Erected 2013 by the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Ohio History Connection, and the Ohio Civil War Trail Commission. (Marker Number 3.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

. In addition, it is included in the John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail in Ohio series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 14, 1863.

Location. 39° 16.277′ N, 84° 27.561′ W. Marker is in Glendale, Ohio, in Hamilton County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Greenville Avenue and Village Square. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 34 Village Square, Cincinnati OH 45246, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Village of Glendale (within shouting distance of this marker); First Children's International Summer Village (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Eckstein School (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Cincinnati Hamilton Turnpike (approx. 0.7 miles away); Tucker's Station (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Eliza House (approx. 0.8 miles away); Taken for Granite? (approx. 1.1 miles away); Welcome to the Cotswald Overlook (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Glendale.

More about this marker. The marker is located in the landscaped area within the village green. Because of the bushes, it might be difficult to see from some angles.

Regarding Glendale. This is one of 56 markers placed along the John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail in Ohio, tracing a 557-mile route within the state.

Also see . . . Ohio's new John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail....(Cleveland Plains Dealer, 7/6/2013).

Morgan's Confederates Arrive from Springdale Marker - Wide View image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, April 25, 2016

2. Morgan's Confederates Arrive from Springdale Marker - Wide View

The Glendale depot is in the background.

Provides an overview of the raid and generally describes the heritage trail in Ohio. (Submitted on September 26, 2016.)

Marker Inset 1 image. Click for full size.

April 25, 2016

3. Marker Inset 1

Confederates tore up the Cincinnati, Hamilton, & Dayton railroad tracks near the depot. Little damage was done; the railroad was back in working order later that day.

Marker Inset 2 - George Ellsworth image. Click for full size.

April 25, 2016

4. Marker Inset 2 - George Ellsworth

Morgan's "Wizard of the Telegraph", George "Lightning" Ellsworth would code erroneous messages to Union headquarters to deceive the enemy about the strength and location of Morgan's forces.

Marker Inset 3 - Union Brigadier General James M. Schackelford image. Click for full size.

April 25, 2016

5. Marker Inset 3 - Union Brigadier General James M. Schackelford

"Our Saviors Are Here"
Around noon the same day, Brigadier General Edward H. Hobson's cavalrymen galloped into Glendale. They rested for three hours, awaiting orders. To Union officer James M. Shackelford, "The village itself looked like another Eden." The citizens and female college students lined the streets cheering. "In their hands were trays, baskets, dishes, and pitchers," Shackelford wrote, "all filled with both the substantials and luxuries of life, with which they served the troopers as they passed through, in their saddles. I never saw a lovelier sight."

Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 687 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 26, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.