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Winchester in Adams County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Winchester

Capturing the Daily Stagecoach

— John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail —

 
 
Winchester Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, September 9, 2017
1. Winchester Marker
Inscription. Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan and his raiders galloped into Winchester about 8:30 am on July 15, 1863. The rebels immediately began searching businesses and private residences for firearms, food, horses and anything else that suited their fancy.

In the afternoon, Morgan sent a detachment to intercept the daily stage. The raiders stopped the stagecoach a short distance south of town, commandeered it, and drove it into Winchester, where they delivered the daily mail to Morgan.

Meanwhile, the rugged roads and lack of fresh horses caused the pursuing Union cavalry under Brigadier General Edward Hobson to fall behind the Confederates' fast pace. At Winchester the following morning, Hobson ordered Colonel August V. Kautz and his brigade to lead the pursuit. Kautz's orders were to engage and stall Morgan's Raiders long enough for the rest of Hobson's men to catch up.

Kautz knew the area well, having lived in nearby Georgetown. Kautz's cavalrymen rode nonstop to Jasper, arriving that night only to find the smoldering ruins of the canal bridge and Morgan even farther ahead.

Hometown
General Joseph Darlinton founded Winchester on the Simon Kenton Trace in 1815. He named the village after his hometown in Virginia.

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left: Morgan's Raiders depended on letters and newspapers confiscated from the mail to keep them informed of the Union pursuit.
Bottom left: Gilbert Paul was the driver of the stagecoach waylaid and captured by Morgan's Raiders near Winchester.
Top right: Dr. Abel C. Lewis, Winchester's first resident physician, erected this home on South Street about 1845. Dr. Lewis was an ardent abolitionist and used his home as a station on the Underground Railroad. It is unclear whether any of Morgan's Raiders were aware of this history when they entered the home to demand food.


Text: Stephen Kelley & David L. Mowery
Illustrations: Bev Kirk

 
Erected 2013 by the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Ohio History Connection, and the Ohio Civil War Trail Commission. (Marker Number 13.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RRBridges & ViaductsWar, US Civil. 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 15, 1863.
 
Location. 38° 56.55′ N, 83° 39.033′ W. Marker is in Winchester, Ohio, in Adams County. Marker is at the intersection of East Washington Street and Main Street
Winchester Marker on East Washington Street. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, September 9, 2017
2. Winchester Marker on East Washington Street.
(Ohio Route 136), on the right when traveling west on East Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 19306 OH-136, Winchester OH 45697, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Winchester, Ohio – 1815 / Morgan’s Raid – 1863 (approx. half a mile away); Seaman (approx. 4.2 miles away); Covenanter Church (approx. 4.6 miles away); Logan's Crossing 1796 Directional Marker (approx. 9 miles away); Russell Shaw (approx. 9 miles away); Decatur Community (approx. 9.3 miles away); Historic Decatur / A. N. Marquis and Who’s Who (approx. 9.3 miles away); Byrd Township World War I Memorial (approx. 9.3 miles away).
 
Dr. Abel C. Lewis home at 103 South Street. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, September 9, 2017
3. Dr. Abel C. Lewis home at 103 South Street.
No markings or indications of its former use is apparent on this home.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2017. It was originally submitted on September 12, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 591 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on September 12, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

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Mar. 29, 2024