American Life Histories
Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project
1936-1940

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MORGAN STORY
MORGAN'S MEN AT VIENNA

News reached Vienna, the little village in Scott Co., that Morgan and his men were headed that way. Great excitement reigned in the town. A dozen or more men armed themselves with guns and axes, and rushed to Finley Knobs, to fell trees across the road and block it, thus hoping to turn the Confederates north.

But before many trees had fallen, so many of the soldiers appeared that the small handful of men had to give up without accomplishing anything.

Pete Ringo had a new ax and one of the Confederates forced him to hit it three times, with all his strength on a nearby rock, which of course completely ruined the ax.

On into Vienna the raiders went, where they burned the bridge and depot. Here they tapped the telegraph line and learned that Hobson was in pursuit and also sent a message that "Morgan's men were at Salem", but the telegrapher at Jeffersonville recognized from the click of the instrument that something was wrong. The raiders allowed Pete Ringo, who was station master, to take his private possessions from the depot before they burned it. One large Irish Confederate had to have a little amusement so he forced Lawyer William Marshall to dance on a plank at the point of his gun, and when he did not dance to suit the Irishman, he proceeded to show Marshall how it should be done. So the lawyer got free dancing lessons.

Iris Cook
Dist. 4
Scott County
Ref: Observation of E. A. Gladden, Scottsburg, whose great-grandfather was first settler of Scott County.

Text from: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection