Buffington Island OH001

supportedunresolved Duke says a halt at Chester, partly to find a guide, brought Morgan to the ford after dark; his scouts did not discover the night evacuation of the earthwork; and neither Judah nor Hobson knew of the other's vicinity until they heard each other's guns. Hobson says he had no communication with Judah and supposed Judah was on the river road below.

Attributed knowledge from interested accounts on both sides; no message log inspected.

supportedunresolved Duke says Morgan's artillery had no more than three cartridges to the piece and the men averaged no more than five rounds, and that Morgan kept a long train of collected wagons. Hobson says his artillery horses broke down with no fresh ones procurable, and that his men marched over 800 miles, in the saddle most of twenty-one days and nights.

Ammunition and transport statements from interested accounts; no ordnance or transport return inspected. Hobson's march distance and duration cover the whole pursuit, including days after July 19, and his horse breakdown is narrated with July 14; neither is a July 19 measurement or assigned to this record.

supportedunresolved Duke says Morgan had weeks earlier ordered the upper Ohio fords, Buffington among them, examined and intended to recross only there, and that he chose to take the work at dawn rather than attack at night or abandon his wagons, wounded and artillery to cross higher up. Hobson says he ordered Shackelford to intercept Morgan and keep him from his rear.

Stated aims from interested accounts; Duke's are his reading of Morgan's intent.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen and live results read Union victory. NPS says Morgan and about 400 men escaped encirclement during the night by a narrow woods path and the rest surrendered. Duke says between 1,100 and 1,200 men retreated with Morgan and some 300 of them crossed the river about twenty miles above. Hobson calls the rout complete and says Duke and his command surrendered to a sergeant of the Ninth Michigan Cavalry.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit. The escape counts differ in scope and timing. Duke was captured during the withdrawal from the valley (p.452); his figures for the men who retreated with Morgan and the three hundred who crossed above Buffington describe events after his capture and are not eyewitness.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen and live casualty fields give 925 (US 25; CS 900). Duke says about 700 prisoners were taken and some twenty-odd of his men killed by musketry, the Union losing quite as many. Hobson says his command's casualties did not exceed 5 or 6, gives 57 Confederate killed on the report of Dr. D. K. Scriver of the Ohio militia, and says he could not give the exact number of prisoners.

Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap.

disputedunresolved NPS puts the pursuing columns under Hobson's overall direction and says Kautz's and Judah's brigades attacked. Hobson says Judah assumed command of the whole force over his protest, leaving him detained with his staff. Duke says an order to rally to horses was issued by some one he does not name, and that he and Colonel Johnson decided together to withdraw. The frozen commanders are Hobson and Morgan, both Brigadier Generals.

Command roles from a summary and interested accounts; the frozen commanders do not receive automatic sole credit.

unknownunresolved

No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. Imported numerical estimates remain unchanged; this pass does not validate them as simultaneous opening forces.

disputedunresolved The frozen field reads 'Brigades: 4,700 total (US 3,000; CS 1,700)' and the live field agrees. Duke says his side was scarcely 1,900 strong, gives Hobson 3,000 and Judah several thousand, and says Judah's command was reported to be eight or ten thousand strong; his two engaged regiments were each not more than 250 strong. Hobson says the combined commands numbered about 2,500 when he took command at Lebanon on July 6, and that only a small portion of his command was present when Judah arrived.

Duke's 1,900 differs from the frozen 1,700; Hobson's July 6 figure predates the engagement. None is adopted as matched opening strength.

supportedunresolved Duke says an earthwork had been thrown up to guard the ford and, from all the information Morgan could gather, was manned by about three hundred regular infantry with two heavy guns, and that the work commanded the ford; the valley was about a mile long and perhaps 800 yards wide at its southern end with a ridge on its western side, and the river had risen several feet in the previous week. Kautz's dispatch, quoted by Hobson, says the river was too high to ford; Hobson says citizens told him the hills were impassable.

Positions and water level from interested accounts; the work was abandoned before dawn. No map or gauge verification.