John Van Meter
The 8th Kentucky Cavalry was formed during the late summer of 1862 and mustered
into Confederate service in September. The regiment became one of General John Hunt Morgan’s handpicked cavalry units.
In
June 1863, Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan left his Tennessee camp on a raid
with nearly 2,500 men, intending to divert the attention of the Union Army of the Ohio from southern forces. On July 8, 1863, Morgan
crossed the Ohio River at Brandenburg, Kentucky and entered Indiana against
orders. He raided, destroyed property, and stole food and horses. After his victory at the Battle of Corydon,
Morgan headed eastward into Ohio where he terrorized its citizens. Pursuing
him, was Union Brigadier General James Shackelford.
Weary and with Union forces closing in, Morgan headed for the Ohio River, searching
for a ford. Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes and his 23rd Ohio troops made a night march and boarded waiting
steamers. He met Morgan’s men at Pomeroy, but when the cavalry raider realized
he was facing Union soldiers rather than local militia, Morgan took flight. On
July 19, 1863, Morgan attempted to cross the Ohio River into West Virginia at
Buffington’s Island. Union forces of Brigadier General E. H. Hobson and Henry M.
Judah captured between 800 and 1,200 of Morgan’s troops. Some three hundred
escaped across the Ohio River.
Most
of the men of the 8th Kentucky were among those captured at Buffington’s Island on July 19, 1863. Pictured here are Privates Jesse Spencer
and John Van Meter. Both had enlisted at Winchester, Kentucky in the fall of
1862
After several days at Indiana’s Camp Morton, they, along with hundreds of Morgan’s Raiders, were imprisoned at Chicago’s Camp Douglas, one of the worst Union prison camps. Captives suffered from malnutrition, disease, torture, and exposure. The guards considered them to be “a breed apart.” Excellent organizers and possessed of leadership skills, they frequently attempted to escape by tunneling, scaling the walls, and disguising themselves as civilians.
After several days at Indiana’s Camp Morton, they, along with hundreds of Morgan’s Raiders, were imprisoned at Chicago’s Camp Douglas, one of the worst Union prison camps. Captives suffered from malnutrition, disease, torture, and exposure. The guards considered them to be “a breed apart.” Excellent organizers and possessed of leadership skills, they frequently attempted to escape by tunneling, scaling the walls, and disguising themselves as civilians.
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Jesse Spencer |
Spencer and Van Meter both were recaptured after escape attempts. They survived Camp Douglas and at war’s end were shipped to Point Lookout, Maryland and then south to City Point, Virginia. Still defiant, many of Morgan’s Raiders refused transportation and walked to their Kentucky homes.
Spencer
and Van Meter’s photos are two of 25 taken by Camp Douglas photographer D. F.
Brandon. They are part of an album originally owned by another 8th
Kentucky prisoner, but today part of the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums' Local History Collection..
For
a civilian account of the events of Morgan’s Raid near Glendale, Ohio, read
9-year-old Katie Huntington’s letter.on an Ohio's Yesterdays post. Click on the link below
https://ohiosyesterdays.blogspot.com/search?q=morgan
https://ohiosyesterdays.blogspot.com/search?q=morgan
