Albert Talmon Morgan (June 9, 1842April 15, 1922) was an American farmer and politician. During the Civil War he served as a Union Army officer in the famed

Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought ent ...

of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

. A Republican, he was elected to office in

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

during

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

and was a delegate to the convention which produced Mississippi's new constitution after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He was forced to flee the state in 1875 due to

White terrorism White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no colorfulness, chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) diffuse reflection, ref ...

against Reconstruction. He wrote a memoir of his life in the Reconstruction-era South, called ''Yazoo: On the Picket Line of Freedom in the South''.

Early life

Albert Morgan was born in

Theresa Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; ) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Classical Greek, Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...

Jefferson County, New York Jefferson County is a county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,721. Its county seat is Watertown. The county is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United S ...

, in 1842. As a child, he moved with his parents to a farm near

Fox Lake, Wisconsin Fox Lake is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,604 at the 2020 census. The city is located within the Town of Fox Lake. History Established in 1838, Fox Lake was the first settlement in Dodge County. The fi ...

, where he was educated and raised. He had been set to attend

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

in Ohio, but at the outbreak of the

, he abandoned his college plans to

volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

in the Union Army.

Civil War service

Morgan enlisted as a private with Company A of the

2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of the war as a member of the famous Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac. It suffered the largest numbe ...

and went with them to the front in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The 2nd Wisconsin Infantry was organized with the 6th Wisconsin, 7th Wisconsin, and 19th Indiana regiments into a brigade which soon became famous as the

of the

. The 2nd Wisconsin Infantry saw intense fighting through the first two years of the war and suffered heavy casualties. Morgan was wounded and taken prisoner at the

Battle of Gainesville The Battle of Gainesville was an American Civil War engagement fought on August 17, 1864, when a Confederate States of America, Confederate force defeated Union (American Civil War), Union detachments from Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville, Fl ...

, but was subsequently paroled. He was wounded again at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

. He was promoted to corporal, sergeant, and first sergeant in the company, and re-enlisted as a veteran after his term expired in January 1864. He finally receiving a commission as 2nd lieutenant in March 1864. By June 1864, however, the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry had been so badly decimated by the war, that it could no longer be sustained as a regiment and was instead reconstituted as an independent battalion of two companies. Morgan was designated 1st lieutenant in the independent battalion. The independent battalion was assigned to provost duty for the division, but participated in further fighting at the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

. Morgan was wounded again at the

Battle of Globe Tavern The Battle of Globe Tavern, also known as the Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad, fought August 18–21, 1864, south of Petersburg, Virginia, was the second attempt of the Union Army to sever the Weldon Railroad during the siege of Petersbur ...

, but again returned to duty. He was promoted to captain of Company B of the independent battalion in September. The two companies of the independent battalion were absorbed into the

6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Throughout the war, it was part of the brigade that came to be known as the Iron Brigade in the Army of the Pot ...

in November 1864, Morgan's company became Company H of the 6th Wisconsin Infantry. After the Union took possession of Petersburg and Richmond, the Iron Brigade was instrumental in the Appomattox campaign, the surrender of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was a field army of the Confederate States Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed agains ...

, and the capture of Confederate president

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

. They participated in the

Grand Review of the Armies The Grand Review of the Armies was a military procession and celebration in the national capital city of Washington, D.C., on May 23–24, 1865, following the Union victory in the American Civil War (1861–1865). Elements of the Union Army in th ...

in May 1865, before mustering out of service in July.

Mississippi Reconstruction

After mustering out of the Union Army, Morgan moved to Mississippi with his brother, Charles, in November 1865. They rented a large farm, but ran into problems with the landlord, resulting in months of legal disputes. Morgan was an avid Republican and became active in Reconstruction politics. He started a Republican newspaper in Yazoo County, and established the first Republican Party organization in the county. In 1868 and 1869, he helped organize, and was then a delegate to the convention to draft a new constitution for Mississippi. He was elected to the

Mississippi Senate The Mississippi State Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the Lower house, lower Mississippi House of Represen ...

in 1869, taking office in 1870. He subsequently was elected chancery clerk of Yazoo County. As a result of his holding the county office, his eligibility to simultaneously serve as senator was called into question. In the Fall of 1873, the Mississippi Legislature passed a law disqualifying Morgan from his Senate seat, along with several other legislators who were also serving as county officers.

Death of F. P. Hilliard

That same Fall, Morgan pursued election as sheriff of Yazoo County. His opponent was Francis P. Hilliard, who had been appointed to the position by the Union military governor—with Morgan's recommendation. In the 1873 election, Morgan won an overwhelming majority. Hilliard did not contest the election, but on the beginning of Morgan's term, Hilliard refused to relinquish access to the sheriff's office at the court house. On January 8, 1874, Morgan, with a band of allies, took possession of the office when Hilliard and his allies were absent. On hearing this, Hilliard formed a posse of roughly 30 people and marched back to the court house. Morgan went out to speak to him in the street, leaving his brother and a few men in the office. Hilliard ignored him, and took his crowd into the court house. Hilliard broke down the door and was quickly shot by one of the men inside. Both sides then exchanged fire. According to Morgan's testimony, he feared his brother and friends were in mortal danger. Hilliard was shot in the head at this point, but sources differ on who was responsible. Witnesses agree that Hilliard was walking toward Morgan at the time of the fatal shot. A medical examination suggested that Hilliard was shot in the back of the head. Morgan immediately surrendered himself to the mayor, and was detained in prison. After several months, however, Morgan was able to secure bail, and subsequently the grand jury failed to produce an indictment against him. He was thus able to resume the office of sheriff in April 1874.

Political violence

In 1874 and 1875, white reactionary violence against reconstruction was reaching a climax in Mississippi. Morgan, as sheriff, received reports of several bands of white men organizing and arming themselves. Morgan reached out to them and heard, in response, that these companies were organizing to defend themselves against rumored black mobs and insurrection. Morgan insisted that if such mobs existed, they were a matter for the sheriff; he offered to accompany them to locate and defuse any such insurrection. Morgan's offers were refused. His own investigations found no black insurrections being planned. Nevertheless, rumors of insurrection persisted through 1875. The situation reached a climax for Morgan at a September meeting of the county Republican Party. While Morgan was speaking, armed white gangs entered the hall and began disrupting the speech. A shouting match ensued between supporters of either faction, and then gunfire erupted. Morgan fled the meeting and went into hiding. Armed bands roamed the streets. Under threat of lynching, Morgan left the county. Subsequently, a number of black men and Republicans living in the county were lynched; Republican election tickets and lists were seized and destroyed. The violence succeeded in preventing those populations from participating in the 1875 election and effectively ended reconstruction in Yazoo County. Morgan left Mississippi in January 1876, and went to

, where he testified at

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

hearings In law, a hearing is the formal examination of a case (civil or criminal) before a judge. It is a proceeding before a court or other decision-making body or officer, such as a government agency or a legislative committee. Description A hearing ...

on the violence in Mississippi.

Later years

Morgan went on to live in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70 in Kansas, Interstate 70, between the Kansas River ...

, and worked as a lawyer. In addition to his memoir on Reconstruction, he authored a number of works of financial literature. He subsequently moved to

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, to prospect for gold. Upon the release of the 1915 film ''

The Birth of a Nation ''The Birth of a Nation'' is a 1915 American Silent film, silent Epic film, epic Drama (film and television), drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and ...

'', which glorified the actions of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

against reconstruction in the south, Morgan spoke out against the film with the historical events he experienced. Morgan died at Denver on April 15, 1922.

Personal life and family

Morgan was the son of George and Eleanor Morgan, baptist missionaries and avowed

abolitionists Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...

. He had many siblings, but was most closely associated with his older brother Charles, who also served in the Union Army, and worked with him throughout the Reconstruction effort in Mississippi. While living in Mississippi Albert Morgan married Carolyn Victoria "Carrie" Highgate, an "

Octoroon In the colonial societies of the Americas and Australia, a quadroon or quarteron (in the United Kingdom, the term quarter-caste is used) was a person with one-quarter African/ Aboriginal and three-quarters European ancestry. Similar classifica ...

" school teacher from Ithaca, New York. James Aaron Moore presided at their wedding. The marriage was only legally possible because of Morgan's own efforts in the Mississippi Senate to repeal laws against inter-racial marriage. Morgan's marriage to a woman with black ancestry was another inciting controversy during his time in office. Carrie was a teacher in post-war Mississippi, and much of Morgan's political efforts in Reconstruction were geared toward developing free education in Yazoo County. They had at least six children, including Angela Morgan, who earned notoriety as a poet.

Published works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Albert T. 1922 deaths Mississippi Republicans 1842 births 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature