On Sunday, September 4, 1864 a Federal raiding party of cavalry boldly entered Greeneville, Tennessee, where Confederate General John Hunt Morgan was temporarily headquartered as he prepared to attack Knoxville, Tennessee. Confederate sentries fired at the attacking Union cavalry before they were killed, giving Morgan time to attempt to flee. However, Morgan was shot in the back and killed as he attempted to join his forces. By the time of his death, Morgan was in disrepute with the Confederate War Department; by 1864 he led essentially undisciplined troops who often engaged in pillaging; privately Morgan was being investigated by Confederate authorities for banditry, a charge that could have resulted in his removal from command. But the legend of John Hunt Morgan as a fearless Confederate raider would live onward into history.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.