Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
was a
border state of key importance in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
. It officially declared its neutrality at the beginning of the war, but after a failed attempt by Confederate General
Leonidas Polk
Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (April 10, 1806 – June 14, 1864) was a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, which separated from the Episcopal Ch ...
to take the state of Kentucky for the Confederacy, the legislature petitioned the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
for assistance. After early 1862 Kentucky came largely under Union control. In the historiography of the Civil War, Kentucky is treated primarily as a border state, with special attention to the social divisions during the secession crisis, invasions and raids, internal violence, sporadic guerrilla warfare, federal-state relations, the ending of slavery, and the return of Confederate veterans.
Kentucky was the site of several fierce battles, including
Mill Springs and
Perryville. It was the arena to such military leaders as
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...
on the
Union side, who first encountered serious
Confederate gunfire coming from
Columbus, Kentucky, and Confederate cavalry leader
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...
. Forrest proved to be a scourge to the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
in western Kentucky, even
making an attack on
Paducah
Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Miss ...
. Kentuckian
John Hunt Morgan further challenged Union control, as he conducted numerous cavalry raids through the state.
Kentucky was the birthplace of
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
, his wife
Mary Todd
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also cal ...
, and his southern counterpart, Confederate President
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as ...
. Lincoln had declared, early in the war, "I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game."
35,000 Kentuckians served as Confederate soldiers; an estimated 125,000 Kentuckians served as Union soldiers. Approximately 24,000 Black Kentuckians, free and enslaved, served as Union soldiers.
Antebellum Kentucky
Kentucky's citizens were split regarding the issues central to the Civil War. In 1860, slaves composed 19.5% of the Commonwealth's population, and many Unionist Kentuckians saw nothing wrong with the "
peculiar institution". The Commonwealth was further bound to the South by the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...
and its tributaries, which were the main commercial outlet for her surplus produce, although railroad connections to the North were beginning to diminish the importance of this tie.
[Harrison, p. 2.] The ancestors of many Kentuckians hailed from Southern states like
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
, and
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...
, but many Kentucky children were beginning to migrate toward the North.
Kentucky, along with
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
, also boasted the best educational systems in the South.
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...
had long been one of the most respected institutions of higher learning in the nation, and while its reputation had begun to fade by 1860, other Kentucky schools like
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is a ...
and
Georgetown College were gaining prominence.
Politically, the Commonwealth had produced some of the country's best known leaders. Former Vice-Presidents
John C. Breckinridge and
Richard M. Johnson both hailed from the state, as did
Henry Clay
Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seven ...
,
John J. Crittenden, U.S. President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
, and Confederate President
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as ...
. However, by the time of the Civil War, Kentucky was in a politically confused state. The decline of the
Whig Party, which Clay had founded, had left many politicians looking for an identity.
[Harrison, p. 4.] Many joined the
Democratic Party, a few joined the newly formed
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
* Republican Party (Liberia)
*Republican Party ...
, while still others associated with one of numerous minor parties such as the
Know Nothing Party
The Know Nothing party was a nativist political party and movement in the United States in the mid-1850s. The party was officially known as the "Native American Party" prior to 1855 and thereafter, it was simply known as the "American Party". ...
.
In the
1860 presidential election, the
Constitutional Union Party, with Tennessee-native
John Bell as its presidential candidate and Massachusetts-native
Edward Everett
Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Mass ...
as its vice-presidential candidate, won the state. The party was composed mainly of former Whigs and Know-Nothings.
Kentucky was strategically important to both the North and South. The Commonwealth ranked ninth in population by 1860, and was a major producer of such agricultural commodities as
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
,
corn
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...
,
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
,
hemp
Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of '' Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants ...
, and
flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
.
Geographically, Kentucky was important to the South because the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...
would provide a defensible boundary along the entire length of the state.
Kentucky governor
The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re- ...
Beriah Magoffin believed that the rights of the Southern states had been violated and favored the right of secession, but sought all possible avenues to avoid it. On December 9, 1860, he sent a letter to the other slave state governors suggesting that they come to an agreement with the North that would include strict enforcement of the
Fugitive Slave Act
A fugitive (or runaway) is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also know ...
, a division of common territories at the
37th parallel, a guarantee of free use of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...
, and a Southern
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
over slave legislation.
[Harrison, p. 7.] Magoffin proposed a conference of slave states, followed by a conference of all the states to secure these concessions.
Due to the escalating pace of events, neither conference was ever held.
Magoffin called a special session of the
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives.
The General Assembly meets annually in ...
on December 27, 1860, and asked legislators for a convention of Kentuckians to decide the Commonwealth's course regarding secession.
The majority of the General Assembly had Unionist sympathies, however, and declined the governor's request,
fearing that the state's voters would favor secession.
[Harrison in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 26.] The Assembly did, however, send six delegates to a February 4
Peace Conference in
Washington, D.C., and asked
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
to call a national convention to consider potential resolutions to the secession crisis, including the
Crittenden Compromise
The Crittenden Compromise was an unsuccessful proposal to permanently enshrine slavery in the United States Constitution, and thereby make it unconstitutional for future congresses to end slavery. It was introduced by United States Senator J ...
, authored by Kentuckian
John J. Crittenden.
[Harrison, p. 8.]
When the General Assembly convened again on March 20, it called for a convention of the
border states in the Kentucky capital of
Frankfort on May 27, 1861.
Again, the call went unheeded. Legislators also passed a
proposed Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution that would have guaranteed slavery in states where it was already legal.
President Lincoln recognized the importance of Kentucky when, in a September 1861 letter to
Orville Browning
Orville Hickman Browning (February 10, 1806 – August 10, 1881) was an attorney in Illinois and a politician who was active in the Whig and Republican Parties. He is notable for his service as a U.S. Senator and the United States Secre ...
,
[Brown, p. 79.] he had written:
I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game. Kentucky gone, we cannot hold Missouri, nor Maryland. These all against us, and the job on our hands is too large for us. We would as well consent to separation at once, including the surrender of this capitol.
War breaks out
On April 15, 1861, President Lincoln sent a telegram to Kentucky governor
Beriah Magoffin requesting that the Commonwealth supply part of the initial 75,000 troops to put down the rebellion.
Magoffin, a Southern sympathizer, replied "President Lincoln,
Washington, D.C. I will send not a man nor a dollar for the wicked purpose of subduing my sister
Southern states. B. Magoffin" Instead, most Kentuckians favored John J. Crittenden's position that the Commonwealth should act as a mediator between the two sides.
To that end, both houses of the General Assembly passed
declarations of neutrality, a position officially declared by Governor Magoffin on May 20, 1861.
Both sides respected the Commonwealth's neutrality, but positioned themselves strategically to take advantage of any change in the situation. Union forces established Camp Clay in
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
just north of the city of
Newport, Kentucky and
Camp Joe Holt in
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
opposite
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
.
[Kleber, p. 192.] Meanwhile, Confederate troops constructed Forts
Donelson and
Henry just across Kentucky's southern border in
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...
, and stationed troops fewer than 50 yards from
Cumberland Gap
The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its r ...
.
Volunteers from the Commonwealth left the state to join up with whichever side they favored.
Some covert recruiting also took place.
[Harrison, p. 9.] Nearly 60 infantry regiments served in the Union armies versus just 9 in the Confederate. However, a rather large number of cavalry outfits joined the latter. John Breckenridge originally commanded the "Orphan Brigade" of the Army of Tennessee, consisting of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 9th Kentucky Infantry. The brigade's nickname came about allegedly because the soldiers' home counties were occupied by Union troops for most of the war and they couldn't go home to them.
Realizing that neutrality was becoming less and less feasible, six prominent Kentuckians met to find some solution for a state caught in the middle of a conflict. Governor Magoffin, John C. Breckinridge, and
Richard Hawes
Richard Hawes Jr. (February 6, 1797 – May 25, 1877) was a United States representative from Kentucky and the second Confederate Governor of Kentucky. He was part of the politically influential Hawes family. His brother, uncle, and cousin a ...
represented the secessionists' position, while Crittenden,
Archibald Dixon
Archibald Dixon (April 2, 1802 – April 23, 1876) was a U.S. Senator from Kentucky. He represented the Whig Party in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly, and was elected the 13th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1844, serving unde ...
, and S. S. Nicholas advocated the Northern cause.
The sextet agreed only to continue the doctrine of neutrality, however, and called for the formation of a five-member board to coordinate the Commonwealth's defense.
[Harrison, p. 10.] The General Assembly created the board on May 24 and vested in it supervision of the state's military, a power reserved in the
Kentucky Constitution for the governor.
The Commonwealth's military forces, however, proved to be just as divided as the general populace. The State Guard, under the command of
Simon B. Buckner, largely favored the Confederate cause, while the newly formed Home Guard were mostly Unionists.
Several close calls almost started a conflict within the state, but Buckner successfully negotiated with Union general
George B. McClellan and Tennessee governor
Isham Harris to maintain the Commonwealth's neutrality through the summer.
Elections of 1861
The tide of public opinion was beginning to turn in Kentucky, however. In a special congressional election held June 20, 1861, Unionist candidates won nine of Kentucky's ten congressional seats.
Confederate sympathizers won only the
Jackson Purchase region, which was economically linked to Tennessee by the
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...
and
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...
s.
[Kleber, p. 193.] Seeing imminent defeat at the polls, many Confederate sympathizers
boycotted the election; the total number of ballots cast was just over half the number that had been cast in the previous year's election.
[Harrison, p. 11.] Governor Magoffin was dealt a further blow in the August 5 election for state legislators. This election resulted in
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
-proof Unionist majorities of 76–24 in the
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...
and 27–11 in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
.
From that point forward, most of Magoffin's vetoes to protect southern interests were overridden in the General Assembly. After clashing with the Assembly for over a year on even the most trivial issues, Magoffin decided that resignation was his only option. Magoffin's
lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
,
Linn Boyd, had died in office, and Senate Speaker John Fisk, next in line for the governorship, was not acceptable to Magoffin as a successor. In an intricate plan worked out with the General Assembly, Fisk resigned as speaker and the Senate elevated Magoffin's chosen successor,
James F. Robinson, to the post. Magoffin then resigned, promoting Robinson to governor, and Fisk was re-elected as Senate Speaker.
Almost immediately following the results of the 1861 election,
William "Bull" Nelson established
Camp Dick Robinson, a Union recruiting camp, in
Garrard County.
When Crittenden objected to this violation of Kentucky's neutrality, Nelson replied, "That a camp of loyal Union men, native Kentuckians, should assemble in camp under the flag of the Union and upon their native soil should be a cause of apprehension is something I do not clearly understand." Governor Magoffin appealed to President Lincoln to close the camp, but he refused.
[Harrison, p. 12.] Meanwhile, Confederate volunteers covertly crossed the Tennessee border and massed at
Camp Boone, just south of
Guthrie.
Kentucky's fragile neutrality was nearing an end.
Neutrality violated
On September 4, 1861, Confederate
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
Leonidas Polk
Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (April 10, 1806 – June 14, 1864) was a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, which separated from the Episcopal Ch ...
violated the Commonwealth's neutrality by ordering
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...
Gideon Johnson Pillow
Gideon Johnson Pillow (June 8, 1806 – October 8, 1878) was an American lawyer, politician, speculator, slaveowner, United States Army major general of volunteers during the Mexican–American War and Confederate brigadier general in the Ameri ...
to occupy
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
.
Columbus was of strategic importance both because it was the terminus of the
Mobile and Ohio Railroad
The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was a railroad in the Southern U.S. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was planned to span the distance between the seaport of Mob ...
and because of its position along the Mississippi River.
[Kleber, p. 216.] Polk constructed Fort DuRussey in the high bluffs of Columbus, and equipped it with 143 cannons.
[Bailey, p. 56.] Polk called the fort "The Gibraltar of the West."
To control traffic along the river, Polk stretched an anchor chain across the river from the bank in Columbus to the opposite bank in
Belmont, Missouri
Belmont is an extinct town in Mississippi County, on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Missouri at the Mississippi River. The GNIS classifies it as a populated place under the name "Belmont Landing".
History
Belmont was platted in 1853, and ...
.
Each link of the chain measured eleven inches long by eight inches wide and weighed twenty pounds.
[Kleber, p. 217.] The chain soon broke under its own weight, but Union forces did not learn of this fact until early 1862.
In response to the Confederate invasion, Union
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...
Ulysses S. Grant left
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo ( ) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County.
The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysse ...
and entered
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Miss ...
on September 6, which gave the Union control of the northern end of the
New Orleans and Ohio Railroad and the mouth of the
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...
. Governor Magoffin denounced both sides for violating the Commonwealth's neutrality, calling for both sides to withdraw.
[Harrison, p. 13.] However, on September 7, 1861, the General Assembly passed a resolution ordering the withdrawal of only Confederate forces.
Magoffin vetoed the resolution, but both houses overrode the veto, and Magoffin issued the proclamation. The General Assembly ordered the flag of the United States to be raised over the
state capitol
This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...
in
Frankfort, declaring its allegiance with the Union.
Its neutrality broken, both sides quickly moved to establish advantageous positions in the Commonwealth. Confederate forces under
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) served as a general in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army. He saw extensive combat during his 34-year military career, figh ...
formed a line in the southern regions of Kentucky and the northern regions of Tennessee, stretching from Columbus in the west to
Cumberland Gap
The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its r ...
in the east.
[Klotter in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 15.] Johnston dispatched Simon B. Buckner to fortify the middle of the line in
Bowling Green
A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls.
Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...
.
[Harrison, p. 16.] Buckner arrived on September 18, 1861 and immediately began intensive drill sessions and constructing elaborate defenses in anticipation of a Union strike.
[Harrison, p. 17.] So extensive were the fortifications at Bowling Green that a Union officer who later surveyed them commented, "The labor has been immense– their troops cannot be well drilled– their time must have been chiefly spent in hard work, with the axe and spade."
Confederate state government
![Seal of Kentucky (Confederate shadow government)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Seal_of_Kentucky_%28Confederate_shadow_government%29.svg)
The elected government of Kentucky being decidedly Union, a group of Southern sympathizers began formulating a plan to create a Confederate
shadow government for the Commonwealth. Following a preliminary meeting on October 29, 1861, delegates from 68 of
Kentucky's 110 counties met at the
Clark House in
Russellville on November 18.
[Kleber, p. 222.] The convention passed an ordinance of secession, adopted a new state seal, and elected
Scott County native
George W. Johnson as governor.
Bowling Green, now occupied by General Johnston himself, was designated as the state capital, though the delegates provided that the government could meet anywhere deemed appropriate by the provisional legislative council and governor.
[Cantrell, "George W. Johnson and Richard Hawes: The Governors of Confederate Kentucky"] Being unable to flesh out a complete constitution and system of laws, the delegates voted that "the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
and laws of Kentucky, not inconsistent with the acts of this Convention, and the establishment of this Government, and the laws which may be enacted by the Governor and Council, shall be the laws of this state."
Though President Davis had some reservation about the circumvention of the elected General Assembly in forming the Confederate government, Kentucky was admitted to the Confederacy on December 10, 1861.
[Harrison in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 64.] Kentucky was represented by the central star on the
Confederate battle flag
The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...
.
Though it existed throughout the war, Kentucky's provisional government had very little effect on the events in the Commonwealth or in the war. When General Johnston abandoned Bowling Green in early 1862, the government's officers traveled with his army, and Governor Johnson was killed in active duty at the
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...
.
Continuing to travel with the
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating i ...
, the government re-entered Kentucky during
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Weste ...
's campaign in the Commonwealth, but was driven out permanently following the
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive (Kentucky Campaign) during the A ...
.
From that time forward, the government existed primarily on paper,
and dissolved following the war.
[Harrison in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 91.]
Confederate line broken
![ASJohnston](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/ASJohnston.jpg)
Many small skirmishes occurred in Kentucky in 1861, including "
Forrest's First Fight" at
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
, but battles of great military significance did not begin in earnest until 1862.
Battle of Mill Springs
In January 1862, Union General
George H. Thomas
George Henry Thomas (July 31, 1816March 28, 1870) was an American general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater.
Thomas served in the Mexican–American War and later chose ...
began to advance on
George B. Crittenden
George Bibb Crittenden (March 20, 1812 – November 27, 1880) was a career United States Army officer who served in the Black Hawk War, the Army of the Republic of Texas, and the Mexican–American War, and later resigned his commission to serv ...
's position at
Mill Springs.
[Harrison, p. 25.] In rainy conditions, Thomas' army moved slowly, and Crittenden advanced to meet them before they could be reinforced by forces from nearby
Somerset
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.
The battle commenced on January 19, 1862, and favored Crittenden's forces early on.
[Harrison, p. 26.] However, in the confusion caused by the rain and fog,
Felix Zollicoffer
Felix Kirk Zollicoffer (May 19, 1812 – January 19, 1862) was an American newspaperman, slave owner, politician, and soldier. A three-term United States Congressman from Tennessee, an officer in the United States Army, and a Confederate brigad ...
, commander of Crittenden's First Brigade, rode into the midst of the Union forces.
A Confederate officer galloped in, yelling at Zollicoffer to inform him of his mistake.
Upon being identified, Zollicoffer was shot out of the saddle and killed,
disheartening the Confederates and turning the tide of the battle.
Thomas' reinforcements arrived, and Crittenden's forces were forced to retreat across the flooded Cumberland River.
[Harrison, p. 27.] Many drowned in the process, and Crittenden was given the blame for the debacle.
Forts Henry and Donelson
General Johnston learned of Crittenden's defeat at Mill Springs through an account of the battle printed in a Louisville newspaper. However, he had larger concerns, as
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...
was advancing down the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers toward Forts Henry and Donelson. Union ironclads routed the Confederate river gunboats on the Mississippi River during the Battle of Lucas Bend on January 11, forcing them back to
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
.
Following Grant's victory at the Battle of Belmont, General Polk had anticipated that Union forces would target the Mississippi River and attack Columbus, and had withdrawn most of his forces to that location. Lloyd Tilghman was left to defend Fort Henry with fewer than 3,000 men.
[Harrison, p. 29.] Union troops began their assault on the fort on February 5, 1862, and Tilghman surrendered the following day.
General Johnston countered by ordering Pillow, Buckner, and John B. Floyd to the defense of Fort Donelson.
None of the three was specifically given command, a decision that would prove costly.
[Harrison, p. 31.] Grant arrived at Donelson on February 13, and found himself outnumbered by some 3,000 troops.
Floyd failed to capitalize on his advantage, however, and Grant was reinforced the next day.
On February 15, the Confederates had nearly cleared an escape route to Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, but arguments among the generals delayed the retreat.
Floyd seized a steamboat and used it to evacuate his forces, while Pillow fled in a rowboat.
Buckner, left alone in command, proposed a cease-fire to Grant while terms of surrender were negotiated.
Grant's reply– that only "an unconditional and immediate surrender" could be accepted– made him a hero in Union eyes, and earned him the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.
Confederate withdrawal
The collapse of Forts Henry and Donelson made Polk's position at Columbus untenable; the Confederates were forced to abandon "The Gibraltar of the West." His line shattered, Johnston abandoned Bowling Green on February 11, 1862, retreating first to Nashville, then further south to join P. G. T. Beauregard and Braxton Bragg at Corinth, Mississippi.
Cumberland Gap
The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its r ...
, the final piece of Johnston's line, finally fell to Union forces in June 1862.
Morgan's first raids
Almost immediately following the Confederate withdrawal from Kentucky, Confederate General
John Hunt Morgan began the first of his raids into the state. In May 1862, Morgan's riders captured two Union trains at Cave City, Kentucky, Cave City, but his apparent goal was to agitate Union forces; he paroled everyone aboard, returned one of the trains, and sent the occupants back to Louisville.
[Harrison, p. 36.] This move accomplished little except to embolden Morgan for a more extensive raid in July.
On July 4, 1862, Morgan and his men left Knoxville, Tennessee and captured Tompkinsville, Kentucky, Tompkinsville five days later.
After a brief stop in Glasgow, Kentucky, Glasgow, where many of Morgan's troops were from, they continued to Lebanon, Kentucky, Lebanon, capturing it on July 12.
[Harrison, p. 38.] From there, the cavalry stopped in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, Harrodsburg and Georgetown, Kentucky, Georgetown, and upon seeing that Lexington, Kentucky, Lexington was too heavily fortified, turned their attention to the town of Cynthiana, Kentucky, Cynthiana. Morgan was again victorious at Cynthiana, but with Union reinforcements closing in on him, he paroled all the captured soldiers from the battle and rode to Paris, Kentucky, Paris.
[Harrison, p. 39.]
On their exit from the Commonwealth, the cavalry picked up 50 recruits at Richmond, Kentucky, Richmond.
They also stopped in
Somerset
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, where Morgan instructed his telegrapher, George Ellsworth, George "Lightning" Ellsworth to send taunting messages to General Jeremiah Boyle and publisher George D. Prentice, George Prentice.
At the completion of his escape through the Commonwealth, Morgan claimed to have captured and paroled 1,200 enemy soldiers, recruited 300 men and acquired several hundred horses for his cavalry, used or destroyed supplies in seventeen towns, and incurred fewer than 100 casualties.
Smith and Bragg advance
Morgan's exploits encouraged Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith to move on Kentucky.
[Harrison, p. 40.] After conferring with General
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Weste ...
at Chattanooga, Smith moved to drive George W. Morgan from Cumberland Gap in August 1862.
Both generals understood that Smith would capture Cumberland Gap, then join Bragg in Middle Tennessee.
When the two armies met, Bragg would command the combined force against Don Carlos Buell in Nashville.
Once Nashville was captured, Bragg and Smith would commence an invasion of Kentucky.
As the battle at Cumberland Gap wore on, Morgan refused to retreat or surrender his position.
Thinking an invasion of Kentucky was preferable to a long siege on the Gap, Smith left a detachment to handle Morgan and proceeded toward Lexington, abandoning the plan to join Bragg and capture Nashville.
The move forced Bragg's hand, and he too entered Kentucky on August 28.
[Harrison, p. 42.] As Smith progressed toward Lexington,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
governor Oliver P. Morton decided that Governor Robinson was doing too little to support the Union cause.
He dispatched regiments across the Ohio into Louisville, and considered himself governor of both Indiana and Kentucky.
Battle of Richmond
Upon learning of Smith's advance into Kentucky, General "Bull" Nelson prepared to engage the invading army at the Kentucky River to take advantage of the better terrain, but delayed the engagement so that more reinforcements could arrive.
He ordered the brigades under Mahlon Manson and Charles Cruft (general), Charles Cruft not to attack Smith, but to withdraw to Lexington, but the orders either were not delivered in time, or they were ignored.
[Moody in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 80.]
After some preliminary skirmishes, Smith's army met Mahlon's brigade at Richmond, Kentucky on August 30. Smith's more experienced troops broke the center of the Union line, and Mahlon fell back to Richmond Cemetery.
By the afternoon, General Nelson arrived and tried to rally the troops. Riding along the front of the Union line, the portly Nelson exclaimed, "Boys, if they can't hit me, they can't hit a barn door!"
Unfortunately for Nelson, he was soon hit twice by Confederate gunfire.
[Harrison, p. 41.] Though Nelson was seriously wounded, he escaped the battle as Confederate cavalry moved to cut off the Union retreat.
He left behind 206 killed, 844 wounded, and 4,303 missing.
[Kleber, p. 773.] With only 98 killed, 492 wounded, and 10 missing, Smith had won one of the most complete Confederate victories of the entire war.
Battle of Munfordville
While Smith was continuing on to Lexington, Bragg was just entering Kentucky, having delayed at Chattanooga until August 28.
Bragg was told that there were ample supplies in the Glasgow area, but upon learning that Bragg had entered Kentucky, Buell left George Thomas to guard Nashville and moved the rest of his army to heavily fortified Bowling Green.
Meanwhile, Smith had dispatched Colonel John Scott to look for Bragg.
[Harrison, p. 44.] On the night of September 13, Scott encountered John T. Wilder at Munfordville, and demanded his surrender.
[Bush in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 84.] Scott requested the aid of James Ronald Chalmers, James Chalmers' Mississippi brigade,
which moved to support Scott throughout the night.
The assault commenced the next morning, and though outnumbered, Scott's forces inflicted more than 200 casualties in the early fighting.
At 9:30 AM, Chalmers tried to intimidate Wilder into surrender, sending a flag of truce with the message, "You have made a gallant defense of your position, and to avoid further bloodshed I demand an unconditional surrender of your forces. I have six regiments of infantry, one battalion of infantry sharpshooters, and have just been reinforced by a brigade of cavalry, under Colonel Scott, with two battalions of infantry." Upon receiving this message, Wilder replied "Thank you for your compliments. If you wish to avoid further bloodshed, keep out of the reach of my guns."
[Bush in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 85.]
Wilder was soon reinforced by Colonel Cyrus L. Dunham, who brought a force of 4,000 men.
Scott and Chalmers sought assistance from Bragg's main army.
Bragg was incensed, but arrived the next day to take charge of the battle.
Bragg deployed forces under William J. Hardee and Leonidas Polk to surround the town, delaying his assault until September 17.
Bragg sent another request for the force's surrender.
At a council of war, Wilder made an unusual request of Bragg's subordinate, Simon B. Buckner– that he be allowed to inspect the forces that now surrounded him to determine whether surrender were the correct course of action.
[Harrison, p. 45.] Delighted by this supreme compliment, Buckner obliged, and after surveying the Confederate line, Wilder surrendered.
Wilder's force of some 4,000 men was paroled and directed to Bowling Green, where Bragg hoped they would be a drain on Buell's supplies.
[Harrison, p. 46.] The delay caused by the Confederate victory at Munfordville may well have cost them a much more important prize– Louisville.
[Bush in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 86.]
Inauguration of Governor Hawes
![Confederate-Kentucky-Broadside-Issued-by-James-B](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Confederate-Kentucky-Broadside-Issued-by-James-B.-Clay%2C-October-1862.png)
While Bragg rested his troops and planned his next move, Buell marched north from Bowling Green and arrived in Louisville on September 25.
Seeing his primary objective fallen into Union hands, Bragg turned to Bardstown, Kentucky, Bardstown, where he had expected to meet Smith.
Smith was actually operating independently near Frankfort, and Bragg, now painfully aware that the lack of cooperation with Smith might prove the Confederates' undoing in Kentucky, began to disperse his troops into defensive postures at Bardstown, Shelbyville, Kentucky, Shelbyville, and Danville.
[Harrison, pp. 47–48.]
Both Bragg and Smith had been disappointed with the number of volunteers from Kentucky. Wagonloads of rifles had been sent to the Commonwealth to equip the anticipated recruits, but although Confederate sympathies were high, willing volunteers were not, and many of the rifles remained on the wagons.
Bragg hoped to rally potential recruits by installing
Richard Hawes
Richard Hawes Jr. (February 6, 1797 – May 25, 1877) was a United States representative from Kentucky and the second Confederate Governor of Kentucky. He was part of the politically influential Hawes family. His brother, uncle, and cousin a ...
, governor of Kentucky's Confederate shadow government, in an inauguration ceremony in Frankfort.
[Harrison, p. 48.] The elected government fled to Louisville just before the Confederates arrived in Frankfort.
[Hughes in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 88.]
The ceremony took place on October 4, 1862.
[Kleber, p. 194.] First, Bragg addressed the assembled partisan crowd, promising to defend the Commonwealth.
Then Hawes, who had taken the oath of office months earlier while traveling with Bragg's
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating i ...
, delivered a lengthy inaugural address. He told the crowd that the provisional government would "institute as far as possible such civil institutions, as will protect persons and property, until the people in their sovereign capacity can establish a permanent Government founded on the will of the majority."
The promises made by Bragg and Hawes were short-lived. Before the inaugural ball could be held, Buell's forces had descended on the state capital, firing artillery shells that shattered the jovial atmosphere and put the Confederate forces to flight.
Bragg had sorely underestimated Buell's ability to make a rapid advance on his position.
[Harrison, p. 49.] While preparations were being made for Hawes' inauguration, Buell was already forcing the Confederate army from Shelbyville.
Bragg ordered Leonidas Polk from Bardstown to attack Buell's flank, but Polk was already under attack and retreating to Bryantsville, Kentucky, Bryantsville.
Bragg began a retreat from Frankfort to Harrodsburg, Kentucky, Harrodsburg to regroup with Polk.
Meanwhile, Smith prepared to defend Lexington, where he assumed the bulk of Buell's force would be directed.
[Harrison, p. 50.]
Battle of Perryville
![Harpers-perryville-battle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Harpers-perryville-battle.jpg)
By October 7, Polk's forces had fallen back to the town of Perryville, Kentucky, Perryville. The dry summer of 1862 had left water in short supply, and when the Union troops learned of water in Perryville's Doctor's Creek, they began to move on the Confederate position. Bragg shared Smith's assumption that the bulk of the Union attack would be directed at Lexington and Frankfort, and ordered Polk's forces to attack and destroy the approaching Union force before proceeding to Versailles, Kentucky, Versailles to meet Smith. The Confederate soldiers in Perryville, however, realized that a much larger force was approaching, and assumed a defensive posture. In fact, Buell, Charles Champion Gilbert, Alexander McCook, and Thomas Leonidas Crittenden, Thomas Crittenden were all approaching Perryville.
[Kleber, p. 718.]
The Confederates were not the only ones to misjudge the situation, however. When Bragg learned that his men had not attacked as ordered, he came to Perryville himself to lead the attack. In realigning to an attack posture, the Confederates stirred such a cloud of dust that the approaching Union force believed they were retreating to Harrodsburg. This gave Bragg's men the advantage of surprise when they opened fire on McCook's forces at 2 PM on October 8.
[Sanders in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 95.] While McCook was being pushed back on the left flank, the Union center held strong until the right flank began to collapse.
It was not until late afternoon that Buell learned of McCook's plight, whereupon he sent two brigades from Gilbert's corps to reinforce him.
This halted the Confederate advance on McCook north of Perryville.
Meanwhile, small Confederate brigades encountered Gilbert's force of 20,000 men to the west and Crittenden's force, also 20,000 strong, to the south.
[Sanders in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 96] Only then did Bragg realize that he was facing Buell's main force, and that he was vastly outnumbered. As night approached and halted the battle, Bragg conferred with his officers and decided to retreat to Harrodsburg to meet Smith.
From Harrodsburg, the Confederates exited Kentucky through Cumberland Gap.
For the remainder of the war, there would be no concerted efforts by the Confederacy to hold Kentucky.
On December 17, 1862, under the terms of General Order No. 11 (1862), General Order No. 11, thirty Jewish families, longtime residents all, were forced from their homes. Cesar Kaskel, a prominent local Jewish businessman, dispatched a telegram to President Lincoln, and met with him, eventually succeeding in getting the order revoked.
Morgan strikes again
![1863 abstract return showing Union Forces in Kentucky](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/1863_abstract_return_showing_Union_Forces_in_Kentucky.jpg)
His inability to engage Bragg and Smith on their retreat from Kentucky led to Buell being replaced by General William Rosecrans. Rosecrans encamped at Nashville during the fall and early winter of 1862. Believing that Rosecrans would begin a campaign as soon as sufficient supplies were accumulated, Bragg dispatched John Hunt Morgan back into Kentucky in December 1862 to cut the supply line afforded Rosecrans by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.
[Harrison, p. 59.] Morgan's raid was part of a plan to disrupt Union supply lines. While Morgan was moving into Kentucky, Nathan Bedford Forrest was mounting a raid through West Tennessee into the Kentucky Purchase while Earl Van Dorn raided into southern West Tennessee.
The Christmas Raid
Morgan's men crossed into Kentucky on December 22 and captured a Union supply wagon bound for Glasgow.
[Harrison, p. 60.] On Christmas Day, Morgan's men rode through Glasgow, bound for Bacon Creek Station and the L&N bridge span. After quelling the stiff Union resistance, Morgan's men destroyed the bridge and several miles of railroad track.
Whatever else might happen, they had succeeded in disrupting Rosecrans' supply line.
From Bacon Creek, Morgan rode to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown, arriving on December 27.
The Union commander, Colonel H. S. Smith, demanded Morgan's surrender, but Morgan turned the tables, surrounded Smith, and, after a short skirmish, accepted his surrender. Again, Morgan destroyed the L&N infrastructure in the area, then began planning an escape back to Tennessee.
[Harrison, p. 62.]
Colonel John Marshall Harlan, John M. Harlan's artillery shelled Morgan's force as it crossed the Rolling Fork (Kentucky), Rolling Fork River on December 29, seriously wounding First Brigade commander Basil W. Duke.
Duke was taken to Bardstown for medical treatment, however, and recovered in time to rejoin the Confederate retreat the next day.
Freezing rain plagued Morgan's men as they encamped at Springfield, Kentucky, Springfield on the night of December 30.
Worse yet, scouts reported a massive Union force concentrated nine miles away at Lebanon, Kentucky, Lebanon.
With Frank Wolford's men moving on his position, Morgan made the difficult decision to move out just after midnight in ever-worsening weather.
He ordered a few companies to create a diversion, feigning an attack on Lebanon and burning fence rails to give the appearance of campfires, while the main body of his force continued to Campbellsville, Kentucky, Campbellsville.
The plan worked, and following a march that many described as their most miserable night of the war, Morgan's men arrived safely in Campbellsville on New Year's Eve and captured some welcome supplies. The following day, they proceeded through Columbia, Kentucky, Columbia, and returned to Tennessee on January 3.
[Harrison, p. 63.]
Morgan crosses the Ohio
Following the Christmas Raid, there were only minor incursions into Kentucky by various units under Roy Cluke, John Pegram (general), John Pegram, Humphrey Marshall (general), Humphrey Marshall, among others. Frustrated Union commanders could only react to these unpredictable raids.
[Harrison, p. 64.] Morgan would soon do them a favor, however, by raising the visibility of his next raid.
It was widely reported that since his December 1862 marriage, Morgan had lost some of his bravado. Morgan, eager to dispel such rumors and weary of guarding Bragg's left flank,
proposed a raid through Kentucky and across the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...
. Bragg, fearing an attack from Rosecrans, welcomed the idea of a distraction that would take the pressure off his
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating i ...
. Morgan gathered his men to an area between Liberty, Tennessee, Liberty and Alexandria, Tennessee.
[Thomas, p. 76.] On June 10, he addressed his unit, telling them that Bragg had sanctioned a raid to Louisville, and if conditions permitted, across the Ohio River into
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
and possibly
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
.
He confided Bragg's true orders– to halt at the Ohio River– only to trusted confidant Basil Duke.
The raid was delayed by orders to intercept a Union raiding party moving on Knoxville, Tennessee, but after three miserable weeks of floundering through muddy conditions, Morgan's men still had not located the enemy.
[Harrison, p. 65.] They finally began entering Kentucky on July 2, 1863.
Two days later, Morgan engaged Colonel Orlando Moore's forces at Battle of Tebbs Bend, Tebbs Bend, where a bridge crossed the Green River (Kentucky), Green River
[Harrison, p. 66.] near Campbellsville.
[Thomas, p. 77.] As was his custom, Morgan demanded an unconditional surrender, but Moore, noting that this was Independence Day (United States), Independence Day, replied "It is a bad day for surrender, and I would rather not."
Moore's forces won the day, and Morgan, having suffered 71 casualties, decided to bypass the bridge.
![Brandenburg Morgan marker](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Brandenburg_Morgan_marker.jpg)
Morgan again encountered resistance at Lebanon where, despite the Confederate victory, his nineteen-year-old brother Tom was killed.
[Harrison, p. 67.] From Lebanon, Morgan's men made haste through Springfield toward Bardstown, where they learned that Union soldiers were less than a day behind, and that Louisville was already bracing for another attack.
Morgan had the advantage of surprise, however, having selected Brandenburg, Kentucky, Brandenburg as his target instead.
He sent an advance detachment to make preparations for crossing the Ohio, and on July 7, they captured two steamboats, the ''John B. McCombs'' and the ''Alice Dean''.
[Harrison, p. 68.] By midnight, all of Morgan's men were on Indiana soil.
Over the next few weeks, Morgan rode along the course of the Ohio River, raiding Indiana and Ohio. On July 19, Federal forces captured Duke and 700 of Morgan's men, but Morgan escaped with 1,100 others.
Union pursuit was heavy, and Morgan lost exhausted men daily, his command dwindling to 363 men by the time he surrendered on July 26, 1863.
Morgan was taken to a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, but escaped with several of his officers in November 1863.
[Harrison, p. 69.] Despite the threat of a court martial from Bragg for disobeying orders, the Confederacy so desperately needed leaders that Morgan was restored to his command position.
Forrest raids Paducah
Following Morgan's capture in the summer of 1863, there were no major engagements fought in Kentucky until spring of 1864. Portions of three infantry regiments from Bragg's army had requested to reorganize as a mounted infantry under Abraham Buford (Civil War), Abraham Buford, but the Confederacy had no horses to supply them.
[Harrison, p. 70.] In response,
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...
, who had been operating in Mississippi, began to organize a raid on western Tennessee and Kentucky. Besides obtaining mounts for the mounted-infantry-to-be, Forrest intended to disrupt Union supply lines, obtain general provisions for Confederate forces, and discourage enlistment of blacks in Kentucky into the Union army.
[Kleber, p. 706.]
On March 25, 1864, Forrest commenced his attack.
He met Colonel Stephen G. Hicks at Fort Anderson (Kentucky), Fort Anderson and demanded an unconditional surrender.
Knowing that Forrest's main objectives were to obtain supplies and horses, Hicks declined.
[Harrison, p. 71.] For the most part, Hicks was right in his assumption that Forrest would not assault the fort, but Confederate colonel Albert P. Thompson, a native of the area, did briefly attempt to capture it before being killed with 24 men from his unit.
Forrest held the city for ten hours, destroying the Union headquarters, as well as the buildings housing the quartermaster and commissary.
Forrest also captured a total of 200 horses and mules before withdrawing to Mayfield, Kentucky, Mayfield.
Following the raid, Forrest granted furlough to the Kentuckians under his command so they could secure better clothing and mounts.
As agreed, every man reported back to Trenton, Tennessee on April 4.
Unionist newspapers bragged after the raid that Union forces had hidden the best horses in the area and that Forrest had only captured horses stolen from private citizens.
Furious, Forrest ordered Buford back into Kentucky.
Buford's men arrived on April 14, forced Hicks back into the fort, and captured an additional 140 horses in the foundry, exactly where the newspaper reports had placed them.
They then rejoined Forrest in Tennessee.
The raid was not only successful in terms of gaining additional mounts, but provided a diversion for Forrest's Battle of Fort Pillow, attack on Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
Black soldiers join Union Army
After U.S. Congress passed the Confiscation Acts and Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves from Confederate states were able to join the Union Army. Although, Kentucky slaves were not freed, many abandoned their slave master and fled. Fugitive slaves came to Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville and Camp Nelson Heritage National Monument, Camp Nelson and were enlisted in the U. S. Colored Infantry.
Approximately, 24,000 Black Kentuckians, free and enslaved, served as Union soldiers.
1864–1865: Military rule
In response to the growing problem of guerrilla warfare, guerrilla campaigns throughout 1863 and 1864, in June 1864, Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Burbridge was given command over the commonwealth of Kentucky. This began an extended period of military control that would last through early 1865, beginning with martial law authorized by Lincoln. To pacify Kentucky, Burbridge rigorously suppressed disloyalty and used economic pressure as coercion. His guerrilla policy, which included public execution of four guerrillas for the death of each unarmed Union citizen, caused the most controversy. After a falling out with Governor Thomas E. Bramlette, Burbridge was dismissed in February 1865. Confederates remembered him as the "Butcher of Kentucky".
Order of battle for Union forces in Kentucky
* Data is from ''Tabular Statements Showing the Names of Commanders of Army Corps, Divisions and Brigades, United States Army, During the War of 1861 to 1865'', compiled from the data on record in the office of the Quartermaster General of the Army, Gen. C. McKeever, 1887.
[McKeever, C. ''Civil War Battle Flags of the Union Army and Order of Battle''. Knickerbocker Press: New York, 1997.]
1862–1863
* The forces in Kentucky at times also included the Army of the Ohio under Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell, the Army of the Tennessee under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and the Army of the Cumberland under Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans. Part of the Army of Kentucky eventually became the Reserve Corps of the Army of the Cumberland, while the rest was rolled into the XXIII Corps in the Department of Ohio under Maj. Gen. John G. Foster.
:*Granger's command also included garrisons at Lexington, Kentucky, Lexington, Danville, Kentucky, Danville, Falmouth, Kentucky, Falmouth, Nicholasville, Kentucky, Nicholasville, and Frankfort, Kentucky
:*Manson's force consisted of what was left of the command under Maj. Gen.
William "Bull" Nelson who had been defeated at the Battle of Richmond.
1863–1864
* The forces in Kentucky at times also included three additional brigades of the 1st division, the brigades 2nd, 3rd, and 4th divisions of the XXIII Corps which were in the field near two divisions of the IX Corps (ACW), IX Corps, and a part of the cavalry division of the Department of Ohio under Maj. Gen. George Stoneman.
* Curiously, the official records refer to Boyle's command as the "District of Western Kentucky", although it included all of Kentucky ''except'' Western Kentucky, which was assigned to the District of Columbus
:*The District of Columbus became the District of Western Kentucky, and the troops from the XVI Corps were replaced with troops from the XXIII Corps.
1864–1865
* The forces in Kentucky at times also included the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th divisions of the XXIII Corps, under the command of Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield, assigned to Sherman's forces for the Atlanta Campaign.
See also
* Civil War Museum (Bardstown)
* Confederate States of America#States, Confederate States of America – animated map of state secession and confederacy
* History of Kentucky
* List of American Civil War monuments in Kentucky
* List of Kentucky Union Civil War units
* List of Kentucky Confederate Civil War units
* List of Kentucky's American Civil War generals
* Timeline of Kentucky in the American Civil War
;Kentucky's adjacent states in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
* Illinois in the American Civil War
* Indiana in the American Civil War
* Missouri in the American Civil War
* Ohio in the American Civil War
* Tennessee in the American Civil War
* Virginia in the American Civil War
* West Virginia in the American Civil War
;Western Theater of the American Civil War
* Louisville, Kentucky, in the American Civil War
* Lexington, Kentucky, in the American Civil War
* Timeline of Kentucky history
* Border states (American Civil War)
* Battle of Belmont
*
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive (Kentucky Campaign) during the A ...
* Battle of Cynthiana
Notes
References
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* Smith, John David. "Whither Kentucky Civil War and Reconstruction Scholarship?." ''Register of the Kentucky Historical Society ''112.2 (2014): 223-247
online*
Further reading
* Astor, Aaron. ''Rebels on the Border: Civil War, Emancipation, and the Reconstruction of Kentucky and Missouri'' (Louisiana State University Press; 2012) 360 pp
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* Brown, Kent Masterton. ''The Civil War in Kentucky: Battle for the Bluegrass State'' (Da Capo Press, 2007)
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* Bush, Bryan S. ''Louisville and the Civil War: A History and Guide'' (2008
excerpt and text search* Cotterill, R. S. "The Louisville and Nashville Railroad 1861–1865," ''American Historical Review'' (1924) 29#4 pp. 700–71
in JSTOR* Coulter, E. Merton. ''The Civil War and Readjustment in Kentucky'' (1926), the standard scholarly stud
online* Dollar, Kent T., Larry H. Whiteaker, and W. Calvin Dickinson, eds. ''Sister States, Enemy States: The Civil War in Kentucky and Tennessee'' (University Press of Kentucky, 2009) 391pp; 16 essays by scholars
* Finck, James C., ''Divided Loyalties: Kentucky's Struggle for Armed Neutrality in the Civil War'' (Savas Beatie, 2012)
* Hardin, Elizabeth Pendleton. ''The Private War of Lizzie Hardin: A Kentucky Confederate Girl's Diary of the Civil War in Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia'' (Kentucky Historical Society, 1963)
* Lowell H. Harrison, Harrison, Lowell H. ''The Civil War in Kentucky'' (University Press of Kentucky, 2010), recent overvie
online* Harrison, Lowell H. "The Civil War in Kentucky: Some Persistent Questions." ''The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society'' (1978): 1-21
in JSTOR* Howard, Victor B. "The Civil War in Kentucky: The Slave Claims His Freedom." ''Journal of Negro History'' (1982): 245-256
in JSTOR* Lewis, Patrick A. ''For Slavery and Union: Benjamin Buckner and Kentucky Loyalties in the Civil War'' (University Press of Kentucky, 2015) 263 pp.
* McDonough, James Lee. ''War in Kentucky: From Shiloh to Perryville'' (Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1996)
* McWhiney, Grady. "Controversy in Kentucky: Braxton Bragg's Campaign of 1862." ''Civil War History'' (1960) 6#1 pp: 5-42
online* McNight, Brian D. ''Contested Borderland: The Civil War in Appalachian Kentucky and Virginia'' (University Press of Kentucky, 2006) 312 pp
* Marshall, Anne Elizabeth. ''Creating a confederate Kentucky: The lost cause and Civil War memory in a border state'' (Univ of North Carolina Press, 2010)
* Penn, William A., ''Kentucky Rebel Town: Civil War Battles of Cynthiana and Harrison County'', (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2016)
* Preston, John David. ''The Civil War in the Big Sandy Valley of Kentucky'' (Gateway Press, 2008)
* Peter, Frances Dallam. ''A Union Woman in Civil War Kentucky: The Diary of Frances Peter'' (University Press of Kentucky, 2015)
* Reinhart, Joseph R., ed. ''Two Germans in the Civil War: The Diary of John Daeuble and the Letters of Gottfried Rentschler, 6th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry'' (University of Tennessee Press, 2004)
* Rhyne, J. Michael. "'A Blood Stained Sin': Slavery, Freedom, and Guerrilla Warfare in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky, 1863–65." ''Register of the Kentucky Historical Society'' 112.4 (2014): 553-587.
* Rockenbach, Stephen. "'The Weeds and The Flowers Are Closely Mixed': Allegiance, Law, And White Supremacy in Kentucky's Bluegrass Region, 1861–1865." ''Register of the Kentucky Historical Society'' 111.4 (2014): 563-589.
* Townsend, William H. ''Lincoln and the Bluegrass: Slavery and Civil War in Kentucky'' (1955
online* Wooster, Ralph A. "Confederate Success at Perryville," ''The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society'' (1961) 59#4 pp. 318–32
in JSTORUniversity Press of Kentucky, 2001.)
* Yonkers, Charles E. "The Civil War Transformation of George W. Smith: How a Western Kentucky Farmer Evolved from Unionist Whig to Pro-Southern Democrat." ''The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society'' (2005): 661-690
in JSTOR
External links
Digitized images from the Collection on the Civil War in Kentucky photographs, ca 1861–1865 housed at the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center
"Guerilla Warfare in Kentucky"– Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush
History of the 13th Kentucky Cavalry, CSA, also known as 'Caudill's Army', a Confederate regiment which operated for the course of the war in the Appalachian Mountains of Southeastern Kentucky, Southwestern Virginia, and Northeastern Tennessee.Kentucky's German Americans in the Civil War"Major General Stephen Gano Burbridge: 'The Scourge of Kentucky'" – Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush.
"Morgan's Christmas Raid"– Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kentucky In The American Civil War
Kentucky in the American Civil War,
1860s in Kentucky, .American Civil War
American Civil War by state, Kentucky
History of the Confederate States of America, Kentucky
History of Kentucky, American Civil War