Forms No. 32 & 33. Requisition for Forage... Partly printed document completed in manuscript. Atlanta, Georgia, 15 February 1864. 1 page, 11 3/8 x 7 3/4 in., lower margin trimmed. 

A very rare Confederate forage document signed by Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan (1825-1864) shortly after his famed raid and brazen escape. 

Morgan is best remembered for the raid that bears his name, sometimes called the Great Raid of 1863, a diversionary incursion by Confederate cavalry into Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia in the summer of 1863. He aimed to draw Federal forces away from the critical battlegrounds of both Vicksburg and Gettysburg that were occurring simultaneously. Although Morgan and his men covered over 1,000 miles, the raid was ultimately only caused temporary alarm and resulted in his capture. He was held in the Ohio Penitentiary but successfully broke out of prison in November and returned to Confederate lines. 

This document is a rare survivor of his short-lived command after the raid. Confederate generals were mistrustful of Morgan, as the unauthorized raid was mostly seen as a loss for the Rebels. His men were undisciplined, and he seemed unwilling to exert his command. The document records the forage of 2 horses and several pounds of corn and fodder.                                          

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