Late on July 19, 1863, Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan reached the Ohio River crossing at Reedsville with the 1,100 Confederate raiders left after the battle at Buffington Island. With West Virginia visible across the flooded river, Morgan sent his cavalrymen into a slow, dangerous crossing, and several men drowned while swimming their horses through the deep water. Morgan and his telegrapher, George "Lightning" Ellsworth, were in midstream when gunboats came upriver and began shelling the crossing. Morgan ordered Ellsworth on, turned back to the Ohio side, and, while more than 300 men including Colonel Adam Johnson got across and returned to Confederate territory, gathered his remaining 800 raiders and moved north to seek another ford. A handful of Confederates crossed opposite Lee Creek before the gunboat USS Moose shelled them, killing and wounding several and scattering the rest. Morgan then led his men farther north to Parker's Hill, but when the gunboat followed and opened fire again, he gave up trying to cross the river and turned inland up Indian Run toward Coolville. After Johnson's departure, Morgan named Colonel Leroy Cluke acting Second Brigade commander.