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Closing the Net
Frustrated by multiple failed attempts to overtake
Morgan in Kentucky, Major General Ambrose Burnside
dispatched Union Brigadier General Edward Hobson
and 2,500 Union soldiers on July 6 with specific
orders to intercept . . . — — Map (db m108368) HM
(Front side):
On and near this spot, July 19, 1863, occurred what is known as the Battle of Buffington Island between the forces of Gen. John H. Morgan, Confederate leader, who was attempting to cross the river near the middle of the island . . . — — Map (db m35822) HM
After thirty-eight days of raiding for supplies,
damaging bridges and rail lines, and drawing
the pursuit of Union troops, Morgan's men arrived
here on the evening of July 18, 1863. His objective
was to reach the Buffington Island ford . . . — — Map (db m108335) HM
End of the Longest Raid
Under fire from three directions, Morgan and
his troops scrambled for cover by following the
River Road upriver in hopes that they could cross
at another ford. Confederate Colonel Basil Duke
brought up the rear . . . — — Map (db m108395) HM
A Naval River Blockade
As darkness and dense fog set in on July 18,
Morgan's men stopped to rest in the fields near
Portland. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Commander Leroy
Fitch and his tinclad U.S.S. Moose headed upstream
from Pomeroy . . . — — Map (db m108398) HM
On the morning of July 19, 1863, Confederate Brigadier General
John Hunt Morgan learned that the Union redoubt guarding
the ford had been abandoned in the night. Colonel Basil Duke
was ordered to send a force south to try to preserve the . . . — — Map (db m108315) HM
Was it an Inside Job?
Entering the prison gates, the captured Confederate
officers were immediately stripped, washed, shaved,
and taken to their section of the prison. The men
were treated much like the other inmates rather
than . . . — — Map (db m108372) HM
Brigadier General Albert G. Jenkins of Virginia, with 350 Confederate cavalrymen, crossed the Ohio River near this point on September 3, 1862 and advanced to Racine. After occupying the town for a few hours and after seizing a dozen horses, the . . . — — Map (db m143872) HM
Public-spirited Meigs countians whose names are perpetuated below, through their generosity made possible the acquisition of a 1.5 acre tract which is incorporated within this public State Park. The prehistoric Indian Mound, standing on the area so . . . — — Map (db m108400) HM
About one thousand feet southwest of this monument, Major Daniel McCook of the famous "Fighting McCooks" fell mortally wounded in the Battle of Buffington Island, July 19, 1863. — — Map (db m108227) HM
The Battle Site Then and Now
The Battle of Buffington Island did not take place
on the island in the Ohio River. Rather, Confederate
and Union troops fought in this area. Much of
the battlefield has not changed and continues
to be used . . . — — Map (db m108396) HM
While Confederate Colonel Basil Duke attempted to
stop the Union advance up the Ohio River Valley from
the south early on July 19, 1863, Brigadier General
John Hunt Morgan still thought that the path to the
Buffington Island ford was clear. . . . — — Map (db m108291) HM
Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan had
been searching for a place like Buffington Island — a ford
where he could lead his 1,900-man raider force back onto
friendly soil — since crossing into Ohio. This ford, which . . . — — Map (db m108311) HM
Claims Against the Rebels
Morgan's prime objective was striking
fear in the civilian population. Along
the route of the raid, Morgan's men
took horses and provisions, destroyed
property, and pillaged items from
homes and businesses. . . . — — Map (db m108367) HM
Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan and about 1,900 Confederate raiders
arrived in the Ohio River Valley near Portland late in the evening of July 18, 1863.
He established his headquarters in the Middleswart House, which stood on the
rise directly . . . — — Map (db m108295) HM
Union Troops Withdraw
In the early morning of July 19, Union Brigadier
General Henry Judah's forces, dispatched the day
before from Pomeroy, surprised both themselves
and the raiders by virtually running right into
Confederates hidden . . . — — Map (db m108361) HM
Dedicated to the Men and Women of the Portland community who braved the atrocities of the Battle of Buffington Island fought in the Portland bottom lands on July 19, 1863, and to the generosity of these people in feeding and caring for the wounded . . . — — Map (db m35741) HM
(Side A):
Department of the Ohio - Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside
Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Division XXIII Corps - Brig. Gen. Henry M. Judah
5th Indiana Cavalry (2 companies) (Lt. John O'Neil)
11th Kentucky Cavalry (Maj. Milton Graham) . . . — — Map (db m35744) HM