Alexandria, Tennessee, December 21, 1862

Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan inspected his troops on a cold first day of winter, 1862.  Camped near Alexandria, Tennessee, Morgan's force was comprised of well armed cavalrymen, who rode to the inspection full of anticipation and enthusiasm.  Many felt that something big was in store for them, and their often controversial leader gave them a right to be spirited.  His fame as a victorious cavalier was rapidly growing in the south and Confederate officers such as Bragg held him in high regards.

Slipping away from their camps the following day, Morgan led 4000 cheering men northward.  The Kentuckians of this command welcomed the chance to avenge the Union authority of their homeland by destroying the main supply lines between General Rosecrans' Army of the Cumberland in Tennessee and his supply base at Louisville.  "Tonight we are camped on the sacred soil of Kentucky," wrote one of his officers, "and it fills my heart with joy and pride to know that I am once more on my native heather."  Morgan rode northward, capturing Union stores and small garrisons.  A most vital link in the Union supply line was the railroad bridge near Elizabethtown, Kentucky, at Muldraugh's Hill.  Morgan's forces burned the huge bridge, completely halting the flow of Union supplies to Gen. Rosecrans' men.  With his mission accomplished, Morgan returned to Tennessee for a hero's welcome and a warm greeting from his young bride, Martha Ready, who he had married only a week before the campaign had begun.  Safe in their winter camps, Morgan's tired and sanguine troopers toasted the success of their "Christmas Raid".