Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
Morgan discovered at Cynthiana

John Hunt Morgan had many successes as a Confederate raider, but, at Cynthiana, he was one for two.

In the summer of 1862, Col. Morgan launched his first major raid into the Commonwealth. The famed “Thunderbolt of the Confederacy” hoped to disrupt Union army communications and to recruit in his adopted state. After leaving Knoxville, Morgan and his 800 troopers reached Cynthiana on July 17. The Central Kentucky town was strategically located on the Kentucky Central Railroad and the Licking River.

Col. Morgan had met little resistance on this raid, but that changed when he reached Cynthiana. Attempting to cross the Licking River Bridge, Morgan’s raiders encountered nearly 400 enemy soldiers and the Unionist home guard (local militia). These men had positioned themselves across the river in houses and had posted artillery to contest the bridge crossing. When Morgan’s attack commenced, one company braved enemy fire and waded across the river. When these Confederates became pinned down, other rebel troops crossed downstream and outflanked the Unionist defenders, who ultimately surrendered.

Morgan captured more than 300 horses, destroyed Cynthiana’s railroad depot and nearby railroad track, and wrecked a Union camp. Morgan’s success on this raid and his reports exaggerating the state’s Confederate sympathies convinced Confederate commanders to invade Kentucky later in the year. This larger invasion culminated with the October 8, 1862 Battle of Perryville.

Nearly two years later, then Brig. Gen. Morgan again attacked Cynthiana in what proved to be his last Kentucky raid. Morgan’s men advanced into the state from southwestern Virginia. On June 11, 1864, they met resistance from Union soldiers and home guard at Cynthiana. When the Unionists took cover in buildings, the Confederates ignited several of the structures. Union reinforcements arrived by train, but, after a short confrontation, they surrendered. Morgan remained in town.

The next morning, more than 2,000 Union troops led by Gen. Stephen G. Burbridge drove off Morgan’s command. Many Confederates were captured, but Morgan escaped. Less than three months later, he was killed at Greeneville, Tenn.