Subject: Memorial day

From: doyal Gudgel <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 11:43:10 -0700

My eyes are very bad and there will be numerous errors. Please overlook 
them, besides my typing is bad too.   Ditto

Some Gudgel's to remember on Memorial Day..

During the unCivil war several Gudgels, mostly from Kentucky ,served 
with Morgans Raiders.  One was killed at an attempted crossing of the 
Green River.    When I wrote the following I am not exactly sure of the 
title but in the record I kept I had titled it "Morgans Ohio Raid and 
the Gudgels who went with him."

But the fortunes of the Confederacy started to wane shortly after the 
enlistment of Daniel and Martin (Gudgel)  General Bragg retreated into 
Tennessee.  Morgan went with him champing at the bit to return for more 
raiding.   Because of his lack of strength Bragg cast about for ways to 
relieve the pressure.  on his operations and finally consented for a 
raid into Kentucky with specific orders not to go across the Ohio river 
into Indiana or Ohio. The authorith was finally given after Morgan 
returned from a raid into Kentucky that captured about 2000 prisoners 
and doing much damage. It was generally conceeded that the actual  
effect on the war was minimal but at the time great  consternation 
reigned throughout the north. The raid had hardly begun when it almost 
became a disaster for Morgan and Capt Martin Gudgel. Only two days after 
Morgan began his march he arrived at Tebbs bend on the Green River above 
Columbia Kentucky.  Bcause of heavy rains the river was difficult to 
cross and here was the only bridgel. However the Michigan 25th 
volunteers had been alerted and spent the night fortifying the bend 
which was easily done.  Although the 25th had only about 100 men Morgan 
miscalculated and tried to take the crossing by force.  First however 
arrogant Morgan thought he could intimidate the Union forces to 
surrender as he had so many times before but the opposing col. refused 
to do so claiming it would not be appropriate for the 4th of July.  
Morgan tried to force the crossing but after 3 hours of fierce fighting 
resulting in heavy casualties  he withdrew.  Among these casualties was 
Capt. Martin Gudgel.

Morgan eventually went across the Ohio but after  being chased through 
Ohio by increasing Union forces was  finally forced to surrender at 
Buffington.  Morgan managed to escape and returned to Kentucky.  However 
Daniel Gudgel was captured and went to prison camp.  Several others in 
other Confederate units were also captured at various times and went to 
prison camps.

More recently in WW2 Tommy Begley from Chowchilla California was killed 
on the USS Saratoga.  As fine a young man who ever lived.  It was a 
great loss.  Go to seniorobserver.blogspot.com and see a picture of him 
in his Marine uniform.   Then consider my brother "rusty" who although 
not killed suffered in a different way.  He moved a lot with his mother 
before joining the navy at 17 years.  There no doubt he had close 
friends on the USS Lexington he never had before.  Another aircraft 
carrier.  He was part of a 5 inch AA gun which had 25 in the crew.  In 
the battle of the Coral Sea the Lex was hit by a bomb and instantly 23 
out of the 25 in   crew were killed. Besides the Lexington was also 
sunk.    Think of that.  23 of your close friends killed instantly.  It 
seemed to have wrecked him because the Navy never put him back in a 
combat situation again.  He shipped out of Seattle for some time to 
Alaska on either corvetts or navy tugs.  I never learned for sure.

So remember the above Gudgels and the 70,000 others in WW2 that will 
never return.