The Death And Burial Of Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan

Early on the morning of September 4, 1864 Union cavalry under the command of Brigadier General Alvan C. Gillem entered Greeneville, Tennessee, occupied at the time by Confederate cavalry under the command of Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan. During the ensuing confrontation Brigadier General Morgan was shot through his heart and killed. Almost immediately conflicting stories were spread about the facts concerning the death of General Morgan. Who alerted General Gillem that General Morgan had occupied Greeneville? Who told General Gillem's men where General Morgan was spending the night? Was General Morgan killed after he surrendered? Who actually killed General Morgan? Was General Morgan's body handled with respect? We are going to look at documents and reports made by people present at the time and you, the reader, can determine what the truth is. This will not be an easy task because the accounts vary considerably as to who was present at General Morgan's death, the circumstances of his death and his treatment after death. I will give the Union versions of the events first then the Confederate versions. If a Confederate version is mentioned in a Union version, I will present it immediately after the Union version. General Morgan's public image was damaged when his men robbed two Kentucky banks in June of 1864. General Morgan was also charged in June of 1864 with stealing two Confederate locomotives and trains. We are going to look at the possibility that General Morgan, after being relieved of his command (because of the bank robberies) on August 30, 1864, went to Greeneville, and met his death, while attempting to defeat Brigadier General Gillem and restore General Morgan's public image.