by Sarah Weingarten
Southern Ohio is the only region in the state to host a Civil War battle. In July 1863,General John Hunt Morgan and his Confederate army raided southern Ohio. And today you can drive along the path that the Confederate army took to their defeat. The total drive is around 550miles, but you don’t need to travel far to visit some of the venture’s most notable spots.
1. Adams County is where Morgan and his men entered Southeast Ohio. They made their way to Locust Grove, then south to the Wickerham Inn where the soldiers slept overnight. It is one of the oldest brick buildings in Adams County and is believed to be haunted. Today Wickerham Inn is private property, but history buffs can still stop by to view the outside.
Although the Confederate troops traveled through Pike and Jackson Counties they stopped in 2. Meigs County near Portland, where the Battle at Buffington Island occurred. It is the only major battle from the Civil War that took place in Ohio. The Union soldiers surrounded Morgan and his 1,700 men the night of July 18, 1863 and attacked the next morning. You can visit the Buffington memorial site –– but fair warning –– the site is actually three miles farther north on State Route 124 than what GPS lists. There is a burial mound for the soldiers who lost their lives, a monument about the battle and a few picnic tables.