Morgan's Raiders Author:Dee Alexander Brown In 1861, Morgan's Raiders rode into the Civil War and within months attained almost legendary fame. Officially organized as the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry, C.S.A., they called themselves the "Alligator Horses" and were the farthest ranging unit in the war--riding, skirmishing and fighting full-scale battles in ten states. — Riding the fin... more »est horses in the country, Morgan's men were heroes in the South and outlaws in the North. Captured or imprisoned, they usually escaped--and promptly returned to raiding, recruiting and "borrowing" horses and supplies.
But in 1865, Morgan's Raiders were a shattered regiment of foot soldiers, making their last formation to escort Jefferson Davis on his flight southward from Richmond.
Morgan's Raiders is the story of the men who made the legend: cavalier John Morgan himself; Ellsworth, the reckless telegrapher; Quirk, the scout; Basil Duke, one of the hardiest of all the "alligator horses." There was also St. Leger Grenfell, a mysterious Englishman who explained simply: "If England is not at war, I go elsewhere to find one."« less