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Near Ohio River Scenic Byway (Ohio Route 124) south of New Portland Road, on the right when traveling south.
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
On Ohio Route 124, 0.1 miles south of Local Highway 153, on the right when traveling south.
(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
Near Ohio River Scenic Byway (Ohio Route 124) south of New Portland Road, on the right when traveling south.
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
Near Ohio River Scenic Byway (Ohio Route 124) south of New Portland Road, on the right when traveling south.
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
Near Ohio River Scenic Byway (Ohio Route 124) south of New Portland Road, on the right when traveling south.
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 Ohio River Scenic Highway (Route 124) 0.3 miles south of Old Portland Road (County Road 69), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near Ohio River Scenic Byway (Ohio Route 124) south of New Portland Road, on the right when traveling south.
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
Near Ohio River Scenic Highway (Ohio Route 124) south of New Portland Road, on the right when traveling south.
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
Near Ohio River Scenic Byway (Ohio Route 124) south of New Portland Road, on the right when traveling south.
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
On Ohio River Scenic Byway (Ohio Route 124) 0.6 miles north of Barringer Ridge Road (County Road 30) when traveling north.
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
Near Ohio River Scenic Byway (Ohio Route 124) south of New Portland Road, on the right when traveling south.
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
On Ohio River Scenic Byway (Ohio Route 124) at County Road 69, on the right when traveling north on Ohio River Scenic Byway.
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
On Old Portland Road (County Road 153) 0.1 miles south of New Portland Road (County Road 69), on the left when traveling south.
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
Near Ohio River Scenic Byway (Ohio Route 124) south of New Portland Road, on the right when traveling south.
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
On Bald Knob-Stiversville Road (County Road 31) 0.2 miles west of Ohio River Scenic Byway (State Route 124), on the right when traveling east.
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
Near Ohio River Scenic Byway (Ohio Route 124) south of New Portland Road, on the right when traveling south.
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
On Ohio Route 124, 0.1 miles south of Local Highway 153, on the left when traveling north.
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
On Ohio Route 124, 0.1 miles south of Local Highway 153, on the left when traveling north.
(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
