Greeneville,
Tennessee
September 4, 1864
September 4, 1864
The Williams home where Gen. Morgan
had spent his last night alive
From the Knoxville (Tenn.) Whig.
Published: October 2, 1864
Rebels and rebel sympathizers here are charging that
the killing of the great Kentucky horse-thief was an act of
cold-blooded murder, and that he was killed after he surrendered. The
facts are that he broke out of his bed, without coat or pants, and was
running at the time he was shot, making his way out of Mrs. Williams'
yard, and trying to fire back at his pursuers. Members of his staff,
captured at the time boasted that he had too much pluck to surrender
when ordered, and this we will move in due time, and even more than
this. One thing is certain -- Morgan is now in a prison that he can't
bribe out of! Since the above was set in type, the following documents
have come to hand:
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES FORCES, BULL's GAP,
Tenn., Sept. 9, 1864.
REV. W.G. Brownlow: The General Commanding directs
me to forward to you for publication the inclosed correspondence
relative to the killing of the late Gen. John H. Morgan.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
O.C. French,
Lieut. and A.A.A.G. on Gen. Gillem's Staff.
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES FORCES, BULL's GAP,
Tenn., Sept. 3, 1864.
SIR: It has been stated that Gen. John H. Morgan,
late of the Confederate army, was killed by our forces, in Greenville,
Tenn., after he had surrendered, and in direct violation of the rules of
war. You will confer a personal favor upon myself, and be doing an act
of justice to this command, by stating what you know to be the facts
connected with the killing of the General.
I am, Captain, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
O.C. French,
Lieut. and A.A.A.G., Gen. Gillem's Staff.
To J.T. Rogers, Captain and A.A.A.G., late Gen. Morgan's Staff.
HEADQUARTERS FORCES EAST TENNESSEE, Sept. 5.
LIEUTENANT: In answer to your communication relative to the surrender
and killing of the late Gen. John H. Morgan, I must say that I was with
Gen. Morgan. When he left Mrs. Williams' he handed me one of his
pistols, and said that he wished me to aid him in making his escape. I
told him it was almost useless as we were entirely surrounded. He
replied saying, that we must do it if possible. We were concealed in a
clump of bushes, when a soldier road up to the fence, wearing a brown
jean jacket; we naturally supposed him to be a Confederate soldier come
out of the bushes. Gen. Morgan stepping at the same time through the
fence, the soldier demanded a surrender, much to our surprise. Capt.
Wilcox, of the Federal army, with some other soldiers, rode up.
I, with Mr. Johnson, hastened towards him, looking
back in the direction of Gen. Morgan. I saw him throwing up his hands,
exclaiming, "O, God!" I saw nothing more of him until he was brought to
the street dead. I am satisfied that Johnson and myself were fired on
after we surrendered, but by men so far from us that it must have been
impossible to know that we were prisoners. I asked Capt. Wilcox to leave
a soldier with me after I had surrendered for my own safety, which he
did. We were possibly fired upon almost from every direction, but from
such a distance that I am satisfied the men did it innocently. I,
however, do not condemn them for firing on me after I surrendered, under
the circumstances. If Gen. Morgan surrendered before being shot I do
not know it. I am, Lieutenant, very respectfully, your obedient servant.
J.T. Rogers,
Captain and A.A.A., late of General Morgan's Staff.
C.C. FRENCH, Lieut. and A.A.G., General Giloman's Staff.
Extract from a letter written September 5th, by C.
Withers, of General Morgan's staff, to Mrs. John H. Morgan, at Abingdon:
Gen. Morgan was killed in the garden of Mrs. Williams, while
endeavoring to escape. He was struck in the centre of the breast, the
hall passing through his heart and coming out under his left arm. Gen.
Gillem, U.S.A., gave Capt. Rogers and myself permission to wash and
dress the body, which we did, with such facilities as were in our power.
C.A. Withers, A.A.G.
Thus it will be seen that Morgan, upon the testimony
of his own friends, was killed in attempting to make his escape, and
after emerging from "a clump of bushes" in the garden. A more infamous
coward never made a noise in this rebellion. Mention is made of the
"brown jean vest" of the Federal soldier, as a part of the Confederate
uniform. All the clothes Morgan had on -- vest, pants and boots -- were
the Federal uniform, and had either been stolen in Kentucky, or taken
from a Federal prisoner after he was captured and murdered. Our Federal
boys did a good job when they killed Morgan, and they are entitled to
the lasting gratitude of every remaining horse and mule in Kentucky and
Tennessee.
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