ckner to the
north, and there remained for Morgan only an indefinite movement through
the Northern States with the secondary hope of finding aid and sympathy
there. It was likely to be an enterprise of the utmost peril, with
Hobson hotly on his track, and the home-guards rising in his front, but
the dauntless Morgan did not hesitate in his desperate adventure.

The first check was at Corydon, where a force of militia had gathered.
But these were quickly overpowered, the town was forced to yield its
quota of spoil, three hundred fresh horses were seized, and Morgan
adopted a shrewd system of collecting cash contributions from the
well-to-do, demanding one thousand dollars from the owner of each mill
and factory as a condition of saving their property from the flames. It
may be said here that Corydon was the principal place in which any
strong opposition was made by the people, the militia being concentrated
at the large towns, which Morgan took care to avoid, pursuing his way
through the panic-stricken villages and rural districts. There were
other brushes with the home-guards, but none of much importance.

The failure of the original purpose of the movement, and the brisk
pursuit of the Federal cavalry, left Morgan little to hope for but to
get in safety across the Ohio again. In addition to Hobson's cavalry
force, General Judah's division was in active motion to intercept him,
and the whole line of the Ohio swarmed with foes. The position of the
raiders grew daily more desperate, but they rode gallantly on, trusting
the result to destiny and the edge of their good swords.

On swept Morgan and his men; on rushed Hobson and his troopers. But the
former rode on fresh horses; the latter followed on jaded steeds. For
five miles on each side of his line of march Morgan swept the country
clear of horses, leaving his own weary beasts in their stead, while
Hobson's force, finding no remounts, grew steadily less in number from
the exhaustion of his horses. The people, through fear, even fed and
watered the horses of Morgan's men with the greatest promptness, thus
adding to the celerity of his movements.

Some anecdotes of the famous ride may here be fitly given. At one point
on his ride through Indiana Morgan left the line of march with three
hundred and fifty of his men to visit a small town, the main body
marching on. Dashing into the place, he found a body of some three
hundred home-guards, each with a good horse. They wer