Raiders Attack Capital

Confederate Raiders Attack Indiana Capital

Once again, Corydon is attacked!

Story by Bob Perrin

History repeats itself as Corydon Indiana, once again, stands up to Confederate raiders as Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan led his ragtag band of raiders into town disrupting commerce, temporarily taking the Mayor hostage and creating all around mayhem in and around Courthouse Square.

This past Independance Day weekend, a hastily gathered brigade of Union soldiers, home guards and townspeople rallied and gathered at the battlefield (currently being used for a nature center) for an all out battle against the aggressors. Crowds of citizens drove into town to bear witness to one of the shortest (but most spirited) battles of 1863.

A Line in the Sand

As morning broke on a sweltering hot Thursday July 9,1863 scouting parties reported seeing about 2000 Confederate soldiers headed down the Mauckport road in the direction of the Capital.

Under the command of Col.Lewis Jordan, Harrison County Home Guard defenders and townspeople quickly gathered a force of about 450 in defense of their land. and by Noon had formed a defensive line a half a mile across. On the battle lines west, lay Amsterdam road On the east, Laconia road. The Ellsworth Rifles took up positions to the west under the command of Maj. T. McGrain while Capt. G. Lahue's Spencer Guards took up positions along the east.

Morgan's raiders could be seen approaching farmers fields from a mile or more away and the defenders estimated the line of approaching Confederates to be about a mile or more long. Morgan's raiders were a highly trained, experienced, disciplined group of handpicked men and the Corydon defenders, never short on courage, would have to muster all the firepower they could just to hold the raiders off. Maj. McGrains men were equipped with Henry 1860 repeating rifles, a new rifle capable of holding fifteen .44 caliber cartridges.
Piles of log rail fencing were used to construct makeshift barricades. But cover was hard to find in the newly planted cornfields just a foot or so high.

The Moment of Truth

The battle lines now drawn, Maj. Mcgrain's Ellsworth Rifles began firing as soon as the raiders were within firing range. Col. Richard Morgan ( Gen. Morgans brother) along with his advance guard charged the barricades, but the rails were too high for the horses to clear and the defending militia farmers held their ground and managed to keep Morgan's men at bay for around half an hour. Lt. Leland Hathaway of Col. Morgans regiment charged the rail piles again, clearing the rails and toppling them making a path for the raiders to follow. As the breech opened wider Morgans men followed. On the east and west flanks, raiders poured around the home guard defenders. A barrage of artillery fire zoomed over head and still the defenders held their ground.

A White Flag in the Wind

The end came just a few minutes later when Col. Lewis Jordan realized he was severely out-numbered. Col. Jordan called for a retreat and ordered his men across Big Indian Creek towards town. The day would belong to the raiders. The raiders fired two artillery shells into town from a southern hilltop and it was over. Col. Jordan ran a white flag up the flagpole in surrender rather than risk any more lives. The battle had cost Col. Jordan 4 men 12 wounded and 355 captured but later paroled. Gen. Morgan lost 11 men and 40 wounded.

The Spoils of War

Victorious in battle, Morgans raiders headed towards town to collect their spoils of war which included, $690 from the Treasurers office, $600 from two town stores Douglass Denbo & Company and S.J. Wright Co. The raiders also demanded from $700-$1000 each from three local steam mills in exchange for not burning them to the ground. Few townspeople escaped the plundering and many were relieved of cash and valuables as well as horses.

In a letter dated July 30th 1863 to her cousin serving in the Union army at Helena Arkansas, a young girl named Attia Porter recollected:

"On the doubly memorable ninth of July, a visit was paid to the citizens of Corydon and vicinity by Morgan and his herd of horse thieves. We heard Tuesday night that they had crossed the river and disgraced the soil of Indiana with their most unhallowed feet".

" It made Morgan so mad to think a few home guards dared to fight his men. I"m glad they done it just to spite him. However they captured most of the guards and paroled them and killed three of our men. Father was out fighting with his Henry rifle, but they did not get him or his gun. They kidnapped our little negro and kept him three weeks but he got away from them and is now safe at home"

The Battle of Corydon was the only Civil War battle Proudly fought on Indiana soil and it lives in a proud place in every Hoosiers heart.