County of courthouse: Morgan County
Location of courthouse: 100 E. Newton St., Versailles
County organized: Jan. 5, 1833
County Named after: General Daniel Morgan, Revolutionary War hero
Architect: William F. Schrage
Architectural Style: Second Empire
The Person:
Daniel Morgan
July 6, 1736 - July 6, 1802
"Daniel Morgan, an American hero during the American Revolution, grew up with a rebellious streak. As a young man, he settled in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley outside Winchester. Morgan worked as a teamster, hauling freight to the eastern part of the colony.
"His teamster career drew him into the French and Indian War, during which he helped to supply the British Army. He soon became known as the “Old Wagoner.” He would accompany a General Edward Braddock on his ill fated campaign against the French and Indians at Fort Duquesne. He survived the campaign, but soon thereafter Morgan annoyed a superior officer who struck him with the flat of his sword. Morgan knocked the man out. For his impertinence, Morgan was punished with 500 lashes—typically fatal number. He survived the ordeal, carrying his scars and his disdain the rest of his life. Afterward, when Morgan retold the story, he commonly boasted that the British had miscounted, only giving him 499.
"Morgan eventually joined a company of rangers in the Shenandoah Valley. Outside Fort Ashby, Morgan and his companion were ambushed by Indians allied with the French. Morgan took a musket ball through the back of his neck that crushed his left jaw and exited his cheek, taking all his teeth on that side of his mouth. He miracolouly [sic] survived the encounter, but carried the scars with him for the rest of his life.
"After the outbreak of the American Revolution, Morgan led a force of riflemen to reinforce the patriots laying siege to Boston in 1775. His company, known as “Morgan’s riflemen” marched from Virginia to Boston in 21 days, in what was called the Bee-Line March. These Southerners and frontiersmen quickly gained a reputation for their hard fighting ways and the incredible accuracy of their rifles. They also distinguished themselves through their dress. Morgan and his men wore hunting shirts, a distinctly American garment that soon struck fear in the British Army because of the known accuracy of the American riflemen, and soon became a common uniform item in the Continental Army. Later in 1775, Morgan joined the American expedition to invade Canada organized by General Benedict Arnold. During the Battle of Quebec, Arnold suffered a wound to his leg, forcing command of the American forces on Morgan. The combat, however, resulted in his capture along with 400 other Americans. His release several months later was followed by his promotion to colonel of the 11th Virginia Regiment.
"One of Morgan’s most valuable qualities as a commander was his ability to think beyond the confines of the accepted standards of warfare. Not long after becoming colonel, he was placed in charge of a corps of light infantry made up of Virginians, Pennsylvanians, and Marylanders and he began to employ tactics designed to disturb the disciplined Royal troops. He and his men wore Indian disguises and used hit-and-run maneuvers against the British in New York and New Jersey throughout 1777.
"Later in 1777, Morgan joined Horatio Gates army and participated in the pivotal Battle of Saratoga. During one of the engagements near Saratoga, one of Morgan’s riflemen killed British General Simon Fraser and helped turn the tide of the battle.
"Morgan was indispensable to the Continental Army during the Saratoga campaign, but he grew irritated when he repeatedly failed to receive promotions. The commander-in-chief appointed Morgan colonel of the 7th Virginia Regiment, but he was continually passed over for promotion to a more elevated rank. Because of this, rather than resign, Morgan accepted an “honorable furlough.”
"By 1780, Patriot forces in the South were desperate for Morgan’s services. Morgan initially refused to rejoin the army, but after Horitio Gates’ disaster at the Battle of Camden, Morgan returned to service as a brigadier general. Once Nathanael Greene assumed command of southern American troops, he granted Morgan command over one arm of the southern forces and tasked him with harassing Tories in the South Carolina back country.
"Morgan’s main adversary was British Colonel Banastre Tarleton and his Legion of dragoons. Tarleton and Morgan’s forces faced each other at Cowpens in South Carolina on January 17, 1781. Morgan emerged victorious and secured his reputation as a skilled military tactician. Utilizing knowledge of his enemy’s aggressive and impulsive behavior, Morgan lured Tarleton into a trap with a fake retreat. Tarleton charged, only to be surprised when Morgan’s infantry turned to fire and a hidden cavalry force joined the conflict. The victory was complete and was a turning point in the war in the South. Not long after the victory at Cowpens, Morgan resigned his commission for good and returned to Virginia.
"In 1790, Congress granted Morgan a gold medal for his victory at Cowpens. Morgan continued to serve in the militia, leading a force against the Whiskey Rebellion agitators in 1794. He also went on to serve one term in the House of Representatives as a Federalist. Daniel Morgan died on July 6, 1802 at Winchester, Virginia where he was buried." ~ American Battlefield Trust
The Place:
"Morgan County, in Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks Region, was organized in 1833 and named for Revolutionary War Gen. Daniel Morgan. The lake, impounded by Bagnell Dam built on the Osage River in adjacent Miller County 1929-1931, extends into Morgan and forms most of its south border. Southern pioneers settled the area in the 1820's.
"Versailles, the county seat, situated on a watershed divide crossing the county east to west, was laid out 1835. The townsite, selected by Commissioner Street Thurston, was given by Wyan and Galbraith, pioneer merchants. Millville, once near by, was settled by Josiah Walton, was the first county seat. Early schools were J.K. Gwynn's Male and Female Institute founded in 1885; and G.W. Innes' Academic and Normal Institute, 1892.
"The famed 1858-61 Butterfield Overland Mail had relay stations in the county at Syracuse and Florence. From 1859, when the Pacific (Mo.Pac.) R.R. reached Syracuse, until Civil War activity closed the station in March, 1861, it was the east stagecoach terminus. In the war the county suffered guerrilla raids and troop movements.
"Morgan County's 596 square mile area is divided between Ozark hills on the south and open plains on the north. Resort and general farming county, Morgan at various times has been mined for lead, zinc, barite, tiff, iron, coal, clay. The Chicago, Rock Is. & Pac. R.R. reach Versailles in 1903 and Stover and Barnett, settled earlier, were laid out along the railroad route.
"Among other county towns and communities are Gravois Mills and Florence, settled in 1830's; Syracuse, laid out 1859; and Rocky Mount, a post office by the 1870's. On a branch of the Mo. Pac., built to Versailles in 1881, Akinsville and Glensted were once active towns. The branch no longer operates.
"French explorer Du Tisne crossed south Morgan County on an Osage Indian Trail, 1719, and Zebulon M. Pike's 1806 southwest expedition followed the Osage River then winding in and out of the county. The area, roamed by Indians into the 1830's, lies in the 1808 Osage Indian land cession. Points of interest include the courthouse built 1889 at Versailles; Jacobs Cave near there, and Collin's Spring near Gravois Mills." ~ State Historical Society of Missouri and State Higheay Commission