After subduing 25 Federal soldiers in Bardstown, Morgan pushed west toward the Ohio River. The long march from Bardstown in the stifling July heat was exhausting, but although the main body of Union soldiers, infantry under Gen. Edward H. Hobson, were only 50 miles away, Morgan allowed his men to camp at Garnettsville on July 7, 1863, before moving on to Brandenburg. There the Confederates bathed and washed their clothes in the cool waters of Otter Creek, and the pause showed Morgan's confidence that he was in no real danger from the pursuing Federal troops. Garnettsville, founded in 1792 by James Garnett, was a thriving village with a three-story water mill, and Morgan's men likely obtained rations from the mill before leaving town.