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(Cynthiana)

Cynthiana
Also known as: Kellar's Bridge

June 11-12, 1864
Harrison County, KY
Campaign: Morgan's 1864 Raid

Brig. Gen. Stephen Gano Burbridge, USA
Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan, CSA

The Union had a weak infantry brigade bolstered with some Home Guards against Morgan's cavalry brigade, then a strong cavalry division arrived.

Each side lost about 1,000.

Morgan approached Cynthiana with 1,200 men at dawn on June 11, 1864.  Col. Conrad Garis, with the weakened 168th Ohio and some home guard troops (totaling about 400 men) was the Union garrison at Cynthiana.
Morgan divided his men into three columns, surrounded the town and launched an attack at the covered bridge, driving the Union forces back towards the depot and north along the railroad.  As they advanced the Rebels set fire to the town, destroying many buildings and trapping some of the Union troops.  As the fighting and flames spread in Cynthiana, another Union force, about 750 men of the 171st Ohio National Guard under the command of Brig. Gen. Edward Hobson, arrived by train about a mile north of the Cynthiana at Kellar's Bridge.  Morgan swung his men around to face, then outflank Hobson's men, and ended up trapping them in a bend of the Licking River.  Hobson surrendered, reversing the situation a year earlier when Hobson had forced the surrender of half of Morgan's column on his raid into Ohio.  The two victories meant that Morgan had more prisoners than Confederates. 
Morgan camped overnight at Cynthiana, to process the prisoners paroles and rest his men.  Meanwhile other Union forces were still hunting him.  Before dark on the 11th he had word that a strong Union mounted division (over 4,000 men, a combined force of Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan mounted infantry and cavalry) was moving fast towards Cynthiana.  This was Burbridge's main force, then men Morgan had sortied into Kentucky to deflect away from Virginia.  They had been stronger than Morgan's force to begin with, and now were comparatively stronger still, since Morgan had lost men en route.  But Morgan chose to rest his men, doubtless elated with his battlefield success.
Burbridge opened the fighting on the 12th with a dawn attack.  Morgan had been careless of his supplies, and his men were short of ammunition.  He knew about it, but it didn't worry him as it should.  It didn't take long for the Union charge to push the Confederates back, and when units started to run out of ammunition demoralization quickly spread and the retreat turned to panic.  Mounted Confederates tried to escape, while men on foot were rounded up by Federal cavalrymen.  Morgan escaped on a good horse; he had tried to rally his men, but they knew they were beaten.
Morgan's reputation took another pounding after another defeat - and another one that was clearly his fault.  It also showed that Union cavalry was fighting as well as Rebel horsemen, and the days of virtually automatic Confederate cavalry victories was long gone.

Page 16

(Cynthiana)