John Hunt Morgan, American general (d. 1864)
John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864) was an American soldier who served as a Confederate general in the American Civil War of 1861–1865.
In April 1862, Morgan raised the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment (CSA) and fought in the Battle of Shiloh (April 6 to 7, 1862) in Tennessee. He then launched a costly raid in Kentucky, which encouraged Confederate General Braxton Bragg's invasion of that state in August 1862. He also attacked the supply lines of Union General William Rosecrans. In July 1863, he set out on a 1,000-mile (1,600 km) raid into Indiana and Ohio, taking hundreds of prisoners. But after Union gunboats intercepted most of his men, Morgan surrendered at Salineville, Ohio, following the Battle of Salineville. His point of surrender is the northernmost point ever reached by uniformed Confederates. The notorious "Morgan's Raid", carried out against orders, gained no tactical advantage for the Confederacy, while the loss of his regiment proved a serious setback. However, some historians, such as Shelby Foote, argue that the raid and the subsequent distraction of Union forces allowed Bragg's Army to escape middle Tennessee un-harassed.
Morgan escaped from his Union prison but his credibility remained low, and he was restricted to minor operations. He was killed at Greeneville, Tennessee, in September 1864. Morgan was the brother-in-law of Confederate general A. P. Hill.