xt78gt5fbp9h https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt78gt5fbp9h/data/mets.xml Duke, Basil Wilson, 1838-1916. 1867  books b92e547m8d818672009 English Miami Print. and Pub. Co. : Cincinnati, Ohio Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Morgan, John Hunt, 1825-1864 Confederate States of America. Army. Morgan s Cavalry Division United States --History --Civil War, 1861-1865 --Regimental histories History of Morgan s cavalry. text History of Morgan s cavalry. 1867 2009 true xt78gt5fbp9h section xt78gt5fbp9h 
    
    
    
    
    
    
   III S T O R Y

OF

MORGAN'S CAVALRY.

By BASIL  W. DUKE.

CINCINNATI: MIAMI PKLNTING AND PUBLISHING COMPANY,

CORNER BKDINGER STREET AND MIAMI CANAL. 1 8 6 7. 
    
   TO THE WOMEN OF KENTUCKY,

1'biesds   and    reia t ives of the gallant men whose heroism has become part of the historic heritage of the state,

AND

  * tiu   vMt mmtn at it* JMatfc,

whose   kindness alleviated the hardships which these men so long endured, and for whose sake they were proud to suffer and bleed.

THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. 
    
   I

PREFACE.

rjpHE writer presents to the reading public the narrative of an arduous and adventurous military career, which, commencing at a period hut little subsequent to the outbreak of the late civil war, continued through the four eventful years.

He lias endeavored to make the work a correct and graphic representation of the kind of warfare of which Morgan was the author, and in which his men won so much celebrity. Strict accuracy has been attempted in the description of the military operations of which the book is a record, and it is hoped that the incidents related of personal daring and adventure will be read with some interest.

The author regrets that, for reasons easily understood, the book is far less complete than he desired to make it. The very activity of the service performed by Morgan's Cavalry prevented the preservation of data which would be very valuable, and a full account of many important operations is therefore impossible. Limited space, also, forbids the mention of many brave deeds. If many gallant and deserving men were noticed as they deserve, the book could not be readily finished.

To the friends whose contributions assisted the work, the author returns his warmest thanks.

To Mr. Meade Woodson, to whom he is indebted for the maps which so perfectly illustrate his narrative, he is especially grateful.

He regrets, too, that many of his old comrades have altogether failed to render him aid, confidently expected, and which would have been very valuable. B. VV. D. 
    
   CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

History of Morgan's Cavalry   "Why written   First enlistments   Popularity of Morgan   Misrepresentation of the press   -New uses of cavalry.............. 9

CHAPTER II.

Early life of General Morgan     His qualities as a commander   His personal qualities....................................................................................... 18

CHAPTER III.

Political condition of Kentucky in 1861   Bewilderment of the people   Camp Dick Robinson   First entrance of Confederate troops................................... 31

CHAPTER IV.

Military situation in the West   Advance to Bowlinggreen     Scarcity of arms-Organization of the army   Want of discipline   Qualities which compensated for its absence................................................................................. 57

CHAPTER V.

Morgan leaves Lexington   Roger W. Hanson   Service on Green River   Scouting    Our first skirmish   Narrow escape   Terry's Rangers........................ 88

CHAPTER VI.

Retreat from Bowlinggreen   Evacuation of Nashville   Our Fourth Ohio acquaintances     Scouting near Nashville     Morgan holds Murfreesboro'    Dash on Mitchell     Night attack     Capture of Gallatin   Stampede of our pickets    Promotion of Morgan   Concentration at Corinth................................. 110

CHAPTER VII.

Battle of Shiloh   Death of Sidney Johnston   Result of the battle   Expedition into Tennessee   Cotton burning and telegraphing   Defeat at Lebanon   Expedition to Cave City in Kentucky................................................. 138

CHAPTER VIII.

Reorganization at Chattanooga   First raid into Kentucky   Fight at Tompkins-ville   Capture of Lebanon   -Telegraphic strategy   Morgan master of the situation   Fight atCynthiana   Evado the pursuing troops........................ 109

CHAPTER IX.

Capture of Gallatin   Active service near Nashville     Fights at Gallatin and Cairo   Destruction of the railroad     Sojourn at Hartsville   The videttcs    Kentuckians running from the draft   "The Vidcttc."........................... 208 
   viii

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER X.

Again on the march for Kentucky   Bushwhacking experience   The Confederate army enters the State   Service in front of Covington   Efforts to embarrass the retreat of tho Federal General Morgan   Fight at Augusta   Retreat of the army from Kentucky   Morgan captures Lexington..................... 229

CHAPTER XI.

Morgan's retreat through Southwestern Kentucky   At Gallatin again   Scouting and ambuscades     Driven from Gallatin     A week's fighting around Lebanon   Battle of Hartsville.................................................................. 282

CHAPTER XII.

Docembcr raid into Kentucky   Cspture of Elizabethtown   Fight at the Rolling Fork   Escape from the toils............................................................. 317

CHAPTER XIII.

Service during tho winter of '62 and '63   Cluke's raid into Kentucky   Battle of Milton   Defeat at Snow's Hill...................................................... 344

CHAPTER XIV.

Sorvice in Tennessee, and on the Cumberland in Kentucky   Fight at Greasy Creek   Active scouting   Tho division starts for tho Ohio   Crossing of tho Cumberland in tho face of the enemy     Fights at Columbia, Green River and Lebanon     Crossing tho Ohio   Tho militia objecting     Fight with tho gunboats   March through Indiana and Ohio   Detour around Cincinnati    Defeat at Buffington......................................................................... 388

CHAPTER XV.

Life in prison     Escapo of Morgan from the Ohio Penitentiary     Exchango at Charleston....................................................................................... 463

CHAPTER XVI.

Services of the remnant of Morgan's command while their General was in prison    Reception of General Morgan by tho people of tho South   He is assigned to command in Southwestern Virginia   Fight with Averill   Action at Dublin Depot   Last raid into Kentucky   Capture of Mt. Sterling   Sovero engagement next day   Capturo of Lexington   Success at Cynthiana   Defeat at Cynthiana   Retreat from Kentucky.............................................. 507

CHAPTER XVII.

.Death of Morgan   Grief of his men   Subsequent activo service of his old command   Hard fight at Bull's Gap   A battle by moonlight, and a night-long chase   The Stoneman raid   Disaster at Kingsport   Fighting tho enemy and tho elements     Battle of Marion   Winter quarters at Abingdon   March to Charlotto after Lee's surrender   Escort to Jefferson Davis after Johnston's surrender   The last Council of War   Surrender at Woodstock............. 529 
   HISTORY

OF

MORGAN'S CAVALRY.

CHAPTER I.

In undertaking to write the history of General Morgan's services, and of the command which he created, it is but fair that I shall acknowledge myself influenced, in a great measure, by the feelings of the friend and the follower; that I desire, if I can do so by relating facts, of most of which I am personally cognizant, to perpetuate his fame, and, at the same time, establish the true character of a body of men, who_,recruitcd and inured to war by him, served bravely and faithfully to the close of the great struggle. It may be that credence will be given with hesitation to the statements of one, who thus candidly confesses that personal regard for his chief, and esprit-de-corps mainly induce him to attempt the task I propose to myself. To all works of this nature, nevertheless, the same objection will apply, or the more serious one, that they owe their production to the inspiration of hatred; and those who have witnessed and participated in the events which they describe, must (under this rule), for that very reason, be denied belief.

General Morgan's career during the late war was so remarkable, that it is not surprising that the public, accustomed to the contradictory newspaper versions of his exploits, should be disposed to receive all accounts of it with some incredulity.

(  ) 
   10

HISTORY OF MORGAN'S CAVALRY.

It was so rapid, so crowded with exciting incidents, appealed so strongly to the passions, and elicited so constantly the comments of both sides, that contemporary accounts of his operations were filled with mistakes and exaggerations, and it is natural that some should be expected in any history of his campaigns, although written after the strife is all over.

Convinced, however, that, if properly understood, his reputation will be greater in history than with his contemporaries, and believing that the story of his military life will be a contribution not altogether valueless to that record which the Southern people, in justice to themselves and their dead, must yet publish, I can permit no minor consideration to deter me from furnishing correct, and, I deem, important information, which my relations, personal and official, with General Morgan enabled me to obtain. A correct representation of a certain series of events sometimes leads to a correct understanding of many more, and if the vail which prejudice and deliberate unscrupulous falsification have thrown over some features of the contest be lifted, a truer appreciation may perhaps be had of others of greater moment and interest. I may add that, as no one has been more bitterly assailed, not only while living but even after death, than General Morgan, so no man's memory should be more peculiarly the subject of vindication and protection to his friends.

But there are also other and cogent reasons why this tribute should be rendered him by some one, who,- devoted to the interests of the living chieftain, is sensitive regarding the reputation he has left. The cruel ingratitude which embittered the last days of his life, has made his memory all the dearer to the many who were true and constant in their love and esteem for him, and they feel that he should be justly depicted. The fame which he desired will be accorded him; the reward for which he strove is his already, in the affection of the people by whom he hoped and deserved that the kindest recollections of him should be cherished and the warmest eulogies pronounced. In the glory won in the tremendous and unequal struggle, in the 
   POPULARITY OF MORGAN.

11

pride with which they speak the names of the dead heroes whose martyrdom illustrated it, the Southern people possess treasures of which no conqueror can deprive them.

A man who, like General Morgan, uninfluenced by the public opinion of the State in which he resided, yet surrendered fortune, home and friends to assist the people of the South, when embarked in the desperate and vital strife which their action had provoked, because sharing their blood and their convictions, he thought that they had an imperative claim upon his services; who pledged his all to their cause, and identified his name with every phase of the contest, until his death became an event of the last and most bitter   such a man can never be forgotten by them. It is impossible that the memory of his services can ever fade from their minds.

In the beautiful land for which he fought and died, the traditions which will indicate the spots where he struck her foes, will also preserve his name in undying affection and honor. The men of the generation which knew him can forget him only when they forget the fate from which he strove to save them; his name belongs to the history of the race, and it can not die.

A narrative of the operations of a command composed, in great part, of Kentuckians, must possess some interest for the people of their own State. So general and intense was the interest which Morgan excited among the young men of the State, that he obtained recruits from every county, numbers running every risk to join him, when no other leader could enlist a man. The whole State was represented in his command. Many Kentuckians who had enlisted in regiments from other States procured transfers to his command, and it frequently happened that men, the bulk of whose regiments were in prison, or who had become irregularly detached from them by some of the many accidents of which the volunteer, weary of monotony, is prompt to take advantage, would attach themselves to and serve temporarily with it. Probably every native citizen of Kentucky who will read these lines, will think of some relative 
   12

HISTORY OF MORGAN'S CAVALRY.

or friend who at some time served with Morgan. Men of even the strictest " Union principles," whose loyalty has always been unimpeachable, and whose integrity (as disinterested and as well assured as their patriotism) forbids all suspicion that they were inclined to serve two masters, have had to furnish aid in this way to the rebellion. Frequently after these gentlemen had placed in the Federal army substitutes, white or black, for loyal sons of unmilitary temperaments, other sons, rebellious, and more enterprising, would elect to represent the family in some one of Morgan's regiments. It is not unlikely, then, that a record of these men, written by one who has had every opportunity of learning the true story of every important and interesting event which he did not witness, may be favorably received by the people of Kentucky. The class of readers who will be gratified by an account of such adventures as will be herein related, will readily forgive any lack of embellishment. My practical countrymen prefer the recital of substantial facts, and the description of scenes which their own experience enables them to appreciate, to all the fictions of which the Northern war literature has been so prolific.

The popular taste in Kentucky and the South does not require the fabulous and romantic; less educated and more primitive than that of the North, it rejects even the beautiful, if also incredible, and is more readily satisfied with plain statements, supported by evidence, or intrinsically probable, than witli the most fascinating legend, although illustrated with sketches by special artists.

There rests, too, upon some one identified with this command, the obligation of denying and disproving the frequent and grave charges of crime and outrage which have been preferred against General Morgan and his soldiers. So persistently have these accusations been made, that at one time an avowal of "belonging to Morgan" was thought, even in Kentucky, tantamount to a confession of murder and highway robbery. To this day, doubtless, the same impression prevails in the North, 
   MISREPRESENTATIONS REFUTED.

13

and yot, when it is considered how it was produced, it is surprising that it should or could last so long.

The newspapers are of course responsible for it, as for every other opinion entertained at any time by the Northern public.

It will repay any one who will take the trouble to examine the files of these papers printed during the war, if he desires a curious entertainment. Among many willful misrepresentations of Morgan's as well as of other Confederate commands, many statements palpably false, and regarding events of which the writers could not possibly have obtained correct information, will be found under the most astounding captions, proclaiming the commission of " unheard of atrocities" and " guerrilla outrages," accounts of Morgan having impressed horses or taken forage and provisions from Union men; while highly facetious descriptions of house-burning, jewelry snatching, and a thorough sacking of premises are chronicled, without one word of condemnation, under the heading of " frolics of the boys in blue." In thus referring to the manner in which the Northern newspapers mentioned the respective combatants whose deeds their reporters pretended to record, I have no wish to provoke a renewal of the wordy war.

The Southern journals were undoubtedly sufficiently denunciatory, although they did not always seem to consider a bad deed sanctified because done by their friends. Nor have I any intention of denying that inexcusable excesses were committed at various times by men of Morgan's command. I freely admit that we had men in our ranks whose talents and achievements could have commanded respect even among the "Bummers." There were others, too, whose homes had been destroyed and property "confiscated," whose families had been made to "feel the war," who were incited by an unholy spirit of revenge to commit acts as well worth relation, as any of those for which the " weekly " of his native township has duly lauded the most industrious Federal raider, actuated by a legitimate desire of pleasure or gain.   It will not be difficult to prove that such prac- 
   14

HISTORY OF MORGAN'S CAVALRY.

tices met with rebuke from General Morgan and his officers, and that they were not characteristic of his command. There are other impressions about Morgan and " Morgan's men" which I shall endeavor to correct, as, although by no means so serious as those just mentioned, they are not at all just to the reputation of either leader or followers. It is a prevalent opinion that his troops were totally undisciplined and unaccustomed to the instruction and restraint which form the soldier. They were, to be sure, far below the standard of regular troops in these respects, and doubtless they were inferior in many particulars of drill and organization to some carefully-trained bodies of cavalry, Confederate and Federal, which were less constantly and actively engaged in service on the front.

But these essential requisites to efficiency were by no means neglected or in a great degree lacking. The utmost care was exercised in the organization of every regiment to place the best men in office   General Morgan frequently interfering, for that purpose, in a manner warranted neither by the regulations nor the acts of congress. No opportunity was neglected to attain proficiency in the tactics which experience had induced us to adopt, and among officers and men there was a perfect appreciation of the necessity of strict subordination, prompt unquestioning obedience to superiors, and an active, vigilant discharge of all the duties which devolve upon the soldier in the vicinity or presence of the enemy.

I do not hesitate to say that " Morgan's Division," in its best days, would have lost nothing (in points of discipline and instruction) by comparison with any of the fine cavalry commands, which did constant service, of the Confederate army, and the testimony of more than one inspecting officer can be cited to that effect. More credit, too, has been given General Morgan for qualities and ability which constitute a good spy, or successful partisan to lead a handful of men, than for the very decided military talents which he possessed. He is most generally thought to have been in truth, the " Guerrilla Chief," which the 
   NEW USES FOR CAVALRY.

15

Northern press entitled and strove to prove him. It will not be difficult to disabuse the minds of military men (or, indeed, intelligent men of any class) of this impression. It will be only necessary to review his campaigns and give the reasons which induced his movements, to furnish an authentic and thorough statement of facts, and, as far as practicable, an explanation of attendant circumstances, and it will be seen that he had in an eminent degree many of the highest and most necessary qualities of the General.

An even cursory study of Morgan's record will convince the military reader, that the character he bore with those who served with him was deserved.

That while circumspect and neglectful of no precaution to insure success or avert disaster, he was extremely bold in thought and action. That using every means to obtain extensive and accurate information (attempting no enterprise of importance without it), and careful in the consideration of every contingency, he was yet marvelously quick to combine and to revolve, and so rapid and sudden in execution, as frequently to confound both friends and enemies.

And above all, once convinced, he never hesitated to act; he would back his judgment against every hazard, and with every resource at his command.

Whatever merit be allowed or denied General Morgan, he is beyond all question entitled to the credit of having discovered uses for cavalry, or rather mounted infantry, to which that arm was never applied before. While other cavalry officers were adhering to the traditions of former wars, and the systems of the schools, however inapplicable to the demands of their day and the nature of the struggle, he originated and perfected, not only a system of tactics, a method of fighting and handling men in the presence of the enemy, but also a strategy as effective as it was novel.

Totally ignorant of the art of war as learned from the books and in the academies; an imitator in nothing; self taught in all 
   16

HISTORY OF MORGAN'S CAVALRY.

that he knew and did, his success was not more marked than his genius.

The creator and organizer of his own little army   with a force which at no time reached four thousand   he killed and wounded nearly as many of the enemy, and captured more than fifteen thousand. The author of the far-reaching " raid," so different from the mere cavalry dash, he accomplished with his handful of men results which would otherwise have required armies and the costly preparations of regular and extensive campaigns.

I shall endeavor to show the intimate connection between his operations and those of the main army in each department whore he served, and the strategic importance of even his apparently rashest and most purposeless raids, when considered with reference to their bearing upon the grand campaigns of the West. When the means at his disposal, the difficulties with which he had to contend, and the results he effected are well understood, it will be conceded that his reputation with the Southern soldiery was not undeserved, and that to rank with the best of the many active and excellent cavalry officers of the West, to have had, confessedly, no equal among them except in Forrest, argues him to have possessed no common ability. The design of this work may in part fail, because of the inability of one so little accustomed to the labors of authorship to present his subject in the manner that it deserves; but the theme is one sure to be interesting and impressive however treated, and materials may, in this way be preserved for abler pens and more extensive works.

The apparent egotism in the constant use of the first person will, I trust, be excused by the explanation that I write of matters and events known almost entirely from personal observation, reports of subordinate officers to myself, or personal knowledge of reports made directly to General Morgan, and that, serving for a considerable period as his second in command, it was necessarily my duty to see to the execution of his plans, and I enjoyed a large share of his confidence. 
   SPIRIT OP THE WORK.

17

For the spirit in which it is written, I have only to say that I have striven to be candid and accurate; to that sort of impartiality which is acquired at the expense of a total divestiture of natural feeling, I can lay no claim.

A Southern man, once a Confederate soldier   always thoroughly Southern in sentiments and feeling, I can, of course, write, only a Southern account of what I saw in the late war,     and as such what is herein written must be received. 2 
   18

history of morgan's cavalry.

CHAPTER II.

John Hunt Morgan was born at Huntsville, Alabama, on the first day of June, 1825. His father, Calvin C. Morganj was a native of Virginia, and a distant relative of Daniel Morgan, tho rebel general of revolutionary fame. In early manhood, Mr, Morgan followed the tide of emigration flowing from Virginia to the West, and commenced life as a merchant in Alabama. In 1823, he married the daughter of John W. Hunt, of Lexington, Kentucky, one of the wealthiest and most successful merchants of the State, and one whose influence did much to de-velope the prosperity of that portion of it in which he resided.

Mr. Morgan is described by all who knew him as a gentleman whom it was impossible to know and not to respect and esteem. His character was at once firm and attractive, but he possessed neither the robust constitution, nor the adventurous and impetuous spirit which characterized other members of his family. He was quiet and studious in his habits, and although fond of the society of his friends, he shunned every species of excitement. "When failing health, and, perhaps, a distaste for mercantile pursuits induced him to relinquish them, he removed with his family to Kentucky (his son John was then four years old), and purchased a farm near Lexington, upon which he lived until a few years before his death.

John II. Morgan was reared in Kentucky, and lived in Lex-ington from his eighteenth year until the fall of 1861, when he joined the Confederate army. There was nothing in his boyhood, of which any record has been preserved, to indicate the distinction he was to win, and neither friends nor enemies can deduce from anecdotes of his youthful life arguments of any value in support of the views which they respectively entertain of his character.   In this respect, also, he displayed his singular 
   morgan's early history.

19

originality of character, and he is about the only instance in modern times (if biographies are to be believed) of a distinguished man who had not, as a boy, some presentiment of his future, and did not conduct himself accordingly.

When nineteen he enlisted for the "Mexican War" and was elected First Lieutenant of Captain Beard's company, in Colonel Marshall's regiment of cavalry. He served in Mexico for eighteen months, but did not, he used to say, see much of "war" during that time. He was, however, at the battle of Buena Vista, in which fight Colonel Marshall's regiment was hotly engaged, and his company, which was ably led, suffered severely. Soon after his return home he married Miss Bruce, of Lexington, a sweet and lovely lady, who, almost from the day of her wedding, was a confirmed and patient invalid and sufferer. Immediately after his marriage, he entered energetically into business   was industrious, enterprising and prosperous, and at the breaking out of the war in 1861, he was conducting in Lexington two successful manufactories. Every speculation and business enterprise in which he engaged succeeded, and he had acquired a very handsome property. This he left, when he went South, to the mercy of his enemies, making no provision whatever for its protection, and apparently caring not at all what became of it. As he left some debts unsettled, his loyal creditors soon disposed of it with the aid of the catch-rebel attachment law.

When quite a young man he had two or three personal difficulties in Lexington, in one of which he was severely wounded. To those who recollect the tone of society in Kentucky at that day, it will be no matter of astonishment to learn that a young man of spirit became engaged in such affairs. His antagonists, however, became subsequently his warm friends. The stigmas upon General Morgan's social standing, so frequent in the Northern press, need not be noticed. Their falsity was always well known in Kentucky and the South. 
   20

HISTORY OF MORGAN'S ' CAVALRY.

The calumnies, so widely circulated regarding his private life, must be noticed, or the duty of the biographer would be neglected in an important particular. And yet, except to positively deny every thing which touched his integrity as a man and his honor as a gentleman, it would seem that there is nothing for his biographer to do in this respect. The wealth at the disposal of the Federal government attracted into its service all the purchasable villainy of the press   North and South. It was not even necessary for the Government to bid for them   they volunteered to perform, gratis, in the hope of future reward. To undertake a refutation of every slander broached by this gang against a man, so constantly a theme for all tongues and pens, as was Morgan, would be an impossible, even if it were a necessary, task. It is enough to say that he was celebrated, and therefore he was belied. General Morgan was certainly no " saint"     his friends may claim that he had no right to that title and not the slightest pretension to it. While he respected true piety in other men, and, as those who knew him intimately will well remember, evinced on all occasions a profound and unaffected veneration for religion, he did not profess, nor did he regulate his life by religious convictions. Like the great majority of the men of his class   the gentlemen of the South   he lived freely, and the amusements he permitted himself would, doubtless, have shocked a New Englander almos,t as much as the money he spent in obtaining them. Even had the manners of the people among whom he lived have made it politic to conceal carefully every departure from straight-laced morality, he, of all men, would have been the least likely to do so, for he scorned hypocrisy as he did every species of meanness. To sum up, General Morgan, with the virtues, had some of the faults of his Southern blood and country, and he sought so little to extenuate the latter himself, that it may be presumed that he cared not the least whether or no they were recorded.

While no censure can, of course, be directed against those who slandered him, as they did others, for hire   and it would 
   SLANDERS OF THE PRESS.

21

be as absurd in this age and country, to gravely denounce the lie-coiners of the press, as to waste time in impeaching the false witnesses that figure before military commissions   nevertheless, as justice ought to be done to all, it should be remarked that among the respectable people who furtively gave currency to every story to his injury,were some who owed their power to harm him to the generosity of his grandfather, who loved to assist all sorts of merit, but was particularly partial to manual skill.

The qualities in General Morgan, which would have attracted most attention in private life, were an exceeding gentleness of disposition and unbounded generosity. His kindness and goodness of heart were proverbial. His manner, even after he had become accustomed to command, was gentle and kind, and no doubt greatly contributed to acquire him the singular popularity which he enjoyed long before he had made his military reputation. The strong will and energy which he always displayed might not have elicited much notice, had not the circumstances in which the war placed him developed and given them scope for exercise. But his affection for the members of his family and his friends, the generosity which prompted him to consult their wishes at the expense of any sacrifice of his own, his sensitive regard for the feelings of others, even of those in whom he felt least interest, and his rare charity for the failings of the weak, made up a character which, even without an uncommon destiny, would have been illustrious.

His benevolence was so well known in Lexington, that to " go to Captain Morgan" was the first thought of every one who wished to inaugurate a charitable enterprise, and his business house was a rendezvous for all the distressed, and a sort of "intelligence office" for the poor seeking employment. His temper was cheerful and frequently gay; no man more relished pleasantry and mirth in the society of his friends, with whom his manner was free and even at times jovial; but he never himself indulged in personal jests nor familiarities, nor did he 
   22

HISTORY OF MORGAN'S CAVALRY.

permit them from his most intimate associates ; to attempt them with him gave him certain and lasting offense. There was never a more sanguine man ; with him to live was to hope and to dare. Yet while rarely feeling despondency and never despair, he did not deceive himself with false or impossible expectations. He was quick to perceive the real and the practical, and while enterprising in the extreme he was not in the least