Ancestor: Thomas Goodin Stout
Descendant: Grant H.
During the Civil War, Confederate General John Hunt Morgan led a cavalry unit on an unauthorized raid into southern Indiana. When he arrived at the town of Dupont, he sought a house for himself and his officers to stay overnight.
Knowing that the finest house in town would be owned by the town miller, he commandeered the dwelling of my great-grandfather, Thomas Stout. Of course, the whole family — especially his daughters, who included my grandmother, eleven year old Amanda — were badly frightened.
The officers were gentlemen after all and left the girls alone. But they wanted the comfort of mattresses and pillows for their slumber and rousted the children from of their beds and made them sleep on the floor. Morgan demanded that Thomas and his wife Melvina have a ham and eggs breakfast ready for them at the crack of dawn the next day.
Although Stout spent the entire night preparing the meal, he would have no rest. Hunt ordered him to show them the road to their next destination. Riding a horse with no saddle, he took them as far as he could. Morgan made him dismount, took his horse and left him to get home as best as he could.