The first major action the Van Raaltes saw was on July 4, 1863 at Green River, against the in number superior troops of John Hunt Morgan. The union commander Col Moore answered on a call for surrender: "Present my comliments to General Morgan, and say to him that this being the Fourth of July I cannot entertain his proposition to surrender." How this fight ended can be read in the following letter by Albertus Van Raalte:

Our boys 200 in number had a tremendous fight with Morgan's division on the fourth of July: the fire and 8 charges they had to endure [over many] hours; Morgan did ask permission to bury his dead, but did not finishhis work (our boys had to bury yet 25 of his men) - but left them in haste just at the time when another two thousand did cross the river: Col. Moore had chosen an excellent position on a hill with trees and logs: Sometimes they were overwhelmed and they had to back out to be able to use their guns: - In the evening they did get reinforcements - 1000 cavalry and 700 infantry: then they followed him to Lebanon. All along the road the houses were filled with wounded and dying rebels. They did call our boys groundhogs because they fired out of the ground; they said they must make your Colonel General and his boys are all sharpshooters: five of our boys were killed and 20 wounded: and yet they were constant under a rain of bullets: The leaves brush and bark of trees were so abundant it did hinder constant in their eyes: the Colonel's horse and pantaloon was hit. The Colonel loves very much the Holland Company: they drove them by the tremendous charges to surround them several times. We feel that God's hand did cover them: Morgan's division could have eaten them up: Morgan seems to have been discouraged on account of that unusual number of wounded and dead: our boys did hit them all in the head or breast. I tell you we have had a very pleasant thanksgiving today.

Original Source: The letters on this page are taken from the book "Albertus C. Van Raalte: Dutch Leader And American Patriot" by J.M. Jacobson, E.J. Bruins and L.J. Wagenaar.