USA > Kentucky > The Union regiments of Kentucky, Vol. I > Part 6
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Upion Regiments of Kentucky.
At the beginning of the war, as we have seen, Ken- tucky was occupied by the Confederate forces in several places-the extreme eastern part, along Cumberland river, at Bowling Green, Russellville, Hopkinsville, Co- ยท lumbus. The attitude of these forces to the state was as though Kentucky had seceded. Upon the fall of Fort Donelson in February, 1862, they all retired from the state, but returned before the year was out in great force, under Gen. Bragg, as we have seen. After Bragg's re- tirement no large force entered Kentucky. It was only subjected to incessant raiding.
In the first days of January, 1863, Gen. John Morgan entered by way of Glasgow, and proceeded as far as Elizabethtown. He then turned and was pursued rap- idly out of the state by way of New Haven and Burks- ville, by Kentucky troops under Gen. E. H. Hobson, Cols. John M. Harlan, W. A. Hoskins and others.
In March, 1863, Col. Cluke, of Morgan's command, ap- peared at Mt. Sterling, and Gen. Pegram came in as far as Danville. Both were opposed by Kentucky troops and compelled to return. A severe battle took place . with Gen. Pegram at Dutton's Hill, near Somerset, in which he was completely defeated.
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July, 1863, Morgan again crossed into Kentucky at Burksville, and passed rapidly through the state. This was the celebrated raid which extended across the Ohio river. On the 4th day of July, 1863, Morgan reached Green river at Tebb's Bend, where Col. Moore, with a part of a Michigan regiment, was stationed to guard the bridge. Moore refused a demand to surrender, and was attacked, but defended himself and saved the bridge. Morgan crossed the river at another place and hurried on to Lebanon, where he fought Col. Charles S. Hanson, with a portion of the 20th Ky., and compelled his surrender. Passing on he reached the Ohio river at Brandenburg, and crossing, went through the states of Indiana and Ohio, until he was captured.
From the time he crossed Cumberland river, at Burks- ville, until his capture, he was pursued by Kentucky regi- - ments of cavalry, and finally captured by them. The pursuers were under two Kentucky generals, Shackelford and Hobson. They were the 1st, 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th Ky. Cavalry, under Cols. Wolford, Bristow, Jacob and Crittenden, respectively, and also a battalion of the 3d Ky. Cavalry, under Major Lewis Wolfley. The pursuit of Morgan was more remarkable than the raid itself, for the pursuers traversed the entire distance and finally overtook, headed off and captured the great raider. For
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Military Campaigns.
some details the reader is referred to the accounts of the regiments mentioned.
Morgan was held a prisoner until he escaped. He was then assigned to a command in the western part of Virginia, where he organized a force and planned an- other raid into Kentucky. June 1st, 1864, he entered the state by way of Pound Gap, with the avowed pur- pose, as he states in his report, of destroying the railroad from Cincinnati to Lexington, and then to push on to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.
At this same time an expedition had been planned by Gen. Burbridge against the Saltworks, in Virginia, and a force under his command had proceeded as far as Paintsville, Ky,, when Morgan came in through Pound Gap and headed for Mt. Sterling.
Among the officers with Burbridge was the clear- headed, intelligent Col. John Mason Brown, of the 45th Ky., commanding a brigade. He instantly apprehended Morgan's object and counseled a rapid return to Lexing- ton. Ilis counsel was followed, and Burbridge's force hurried back. Before they encountered Morgan, that officer had fallen upon a small force at Kellar's bridge, under Gen. Hobson, and compelled a surrender. Imme- diately afterward, the force, under Burbridge, Brown and Hanson, met Morgan near Cynthiana, and, after a lively fight, completely defeated him, retaking all that he had captured and breaking up his command. Mor- gan, with what was left of his command, was pursued out of the state, through the mountains. For details the reader is referred to the accounts of the 45th Ky. In- fantry.
During the entire war there was incessant trouble with partisan bands in Kentucky, usually denominated "guerrillas." These bands made war upon all that ap- pertained to the Union armies and Union cause. Their character may be understood from the attitude of Gov .. Bramlette toward them. It is well known that Gov. Bramlette was a very moderate man; so much so, that he strongly antagonized the administration of military af- fairs in the state by Gen. Burbridge. Yet Gov. Bram- 'lette issued what Collins calls a "very severe proclama- tion toward rebel sympathizers, proposing to hold them responsible for all guerrilla raids, charging them with knowledge of, and thereby aiding and abetting, their out- rages."
In this proclamation, Gov. Bramlette notified the va- rious sympathizers, where guerrilla outrages occurred, that they must "reap the just fruits of their complicity
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Union Regiments of Kentucky.
with the enemies of our state. and people." Collins calls this "unwarrantable." Yet it was the proclamation of Gov. Bramlette, who was noted for his great moderation and leniency.
At a later date, May 13, 1864, Gov. Bramlette seemed roused to desperation by guerrilla outrages and issued a call in these words: "Kentuckians! To the rescue! I want 10,000 six-months' troops at once. Do not hesitate to come. I will lead you. Let us help to finish the war and save our government. Thos. E. Bramlette, Governor of Kentucky."
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That the state was full of these bands of Confederates is shown by the fact that in January, 1865, Gen. John C. Breckinridge sent an officer (Col. Robert J. Breckin- ridge) into Kentucky, secretly, to require all Confeder- ates in the state to report to him, under the penalty of not being recognized when captured, as prisoners of war. Col. Breckinridge was captured with this order in his pos- session. (Records of the Rebellion, No. 103, pages 764, 770.)
The following letter from Gen. N. B. Forrest to the Confederate Secretary of War throws light upon the sit- uation :
Headquarters Forrest's Cavalry Corps, West Point Miss, March, 18, 1865.
Hon. John C. Breckinridge, Secretary of War, Richmond, Va .:
General: I take the liberty of addressing you relative to the state of affairs in the district of Southern Kentucky, and to bring to your notice and knowledge existing evils which can alone be corrected by yourself as the chief of the war department. It is due to myself to state that I disclaim all desire or intention to dictate. So far from it I hesitate even now to make known the facts or to suggest the remedies to be applied. No other motive than the "good of the service" prompts me to address you.
A military district was formed in Southern Kentucky, including a small portion of West Tennessee, and Brig .- Gen. A. R. Johnson assigned to the command of it. The object in creating this district was doubt- less for the purpose of raising and organizing troops for our army. Its permanent occupation by any force raised within its limits was not ex- pected or calculated upon.
If it was the sequel shows that both in raising troops or holding the territory the experiment is a complete failure. Gen. Johnson was often reported to have from 1,200 to 1,800 men, was finally wounded and cap- tured and his men scattered to the four winds.
Brig .- General Lyon then succeeded him and was driven across the Tennessee river Into North Alabama with only a handful of men. Noth- ing has been added to our army, for while the men flock to and remain with Gen. Johnson or Gen. Lyon, as long as they can stay in Kentucky. as soon as the enemy presses, and they turn southward, the men scatter, and my opinion Is, they can never be brought out organized until we send troops there in sufficient numbers to bring them out by force.
So far from galning any strength for the army, the Kentucky brigade now in my command, has only about 300 men in camps (3d, 7th and 8th Kentucky regiments). They have deserted and attached themselves to the roving bands of guerrillas, jayhawkers, and plunderers who are the natural offspring of authorities given to parties to raise troops within the enemy's lines.
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Military Campaigns.
The authorities given to would-be colonels and by them delegated to would-be captains and lieutenants, have created squads of men who are dodging from pillar to post, preying upon the people, robbing them of their horses, and other property, to the manifest injury of the country and our cause.
The same state of affairs exists in West Tennessee. The country is filled with deserters and stragglers, who run away and attach them- selves to the commands of those who have the authorities referred to. They never organize, report to nobody, are responsible to no one, and exist by plunder and robbery. There may perhaps be a few exceptions, but as a general thing. men who besiege the department for such author- ities are officers without position or command, who by flattering rep- resentations, recommendations and influential friends, avoid the ranks by obtaining authorities to raise troops within the enemy's lines. I ven- ture the assertion that where one succeeds and organizes a command ninety-nine fail, and that they take twenty men out of the army to one placed in it.
I therefore unhesitatingly recommend that all parties holding such authorities, or are acting under orders from those who do hold them, be ordered to report with what men they have to the nearest department commander, within a limited period, for consolidation and organization, and those failing so to report, to have their authorities revoked, and themselves subjected to conscription whenever caught.
Do not understand me as reflecting on Gen. Johnson or Gen. Lyon, they did all they could, no doubt, to carry out the objects of the depart- ment in their district. They have failed, and the fact to my mind is demonstrated most clearly that the conscripts and deserters in West Tennessee and Kentucky will never come out until brought out by force.
If all the authorities to raise troops in enemy's lines are revoked, and the mustering officers ordered out, troops can be occasionally sent in under good and reliable officers, to arrest and bring out deserters, and break up the bands of lawless men who not only rob the citizens them- wives but whose presence in the country gives a pretext to Federal authority for oppressing the people.
I am. General, very respectfully your obedient servant,
N. B. FORREST, Maj .- General.
In order to protect the state, the presence of a large force was necessary for guard duty, especially along the railroads, and for this purpose many Kentucky regiments were so employed; in this duty, while the pomp and circumstances of the greater movements at the front were wanting, yet these regiments were none the less fighting the great battle of the Union. Across Kentucky supplies and reinforcements had to be sent to the front, and the immunity from the actual presence of war in the states immediately north of the Ohio river was enjoyed because the hostilities were kept confined to the state of Kentucky.
Great consideration was shown to Kentucky by the authorities at Washington during the war in the selec- tion of Kentucky officers for command in the state. Gen. William Nelson and Gen. Robert Anderson were both Kentnekians. July, 1862, Gen. J. T. Boyle was placed in command of the District of Kentucky. He was a distin- gnished citizen of the state, well acquainted with the prople and most highly esteemed. Gen. E. H. Hobson 4
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Union Regiments of Kentucky.
and Gen. S. S. Fry were kept on duty in Kentucky. Also Col. Charles H. Hanson, Col. T. B. Fairleigh, Col. Marc Mundy, Col. Cicero Maxwell, Col. John Mason Brown, Col. John HI. Ward, Col. Sanders Bruce, Gen. Eli H. Mur- ray were, at different times, on duty in the state. Feb- ruary 15, 1864, Gen. S. G. Burbridge was placed in com- mand of the district. He had made a fine reputation in the field and was highly esteemed as a soldier. The se- vere criticism of his administration has been answered by himself. The conditions surrounding him demanded a severe policy, and he insists he only carried out the orders he was under. There was much bitter sentiment against the Union cause at the time, and it was not pos- sible to deal with it without arousing violent opposition. It is certain that the presence of active Union sympa- thizers would not have been tolerated at all, anywhere in the Confederacy, as the disunionists were in Kentucky.
Gen. Burbridge was succeeded in February, 1865, by Gen. John M. Palmer, also a native Kentuckian. Palmer's course was also severely condemned, and he was indicted by a state court upon the charge of assisting slaves to obtain their freedom. In the spring of 1865, Gen. Eli H. Murray was assigned to the command of a department in Kentucky. It thus appears that as a general rule the authorities at Washington and the Federal commanders manifested a desire to have on duty in Kentucky officers who were citizens of the state and identified with the people.
The foregoing sketch shows that the service of the Kentucky regiments was marked by great activity, long marches, severe campaigns and almost numberless en- gagements. From enlistment to discharge they were on constant duty. Their campaigns extended over the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Lonisiana, Texas, Arkansas, North and South Carolina, and the western parts of Virginia. They par- ticipated in the great battles of Donelson, Shiloh, Perry- ville, Stones River, Antietam, Chickasaw Bluffs, Cham- pion Hills, Big Block, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Knoxville, Rocky Face, Resaca, -Dallas, Kenne- saw, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Utoy, Jonesboro, Franklin, Nashville, Savannah, Averysboro, Benton- ville, besides numberless others of lesser note. Their marches extended over thousands of miles. They were exposed to the cold of four winters, and the heat of four summers, on the march. in camp and bivouac, and in bat- tle.
The soldiers of these regiments were faithful, patient,
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Military Campaigns.
brave, heroic. No duty did they ever shirk; no orders did they ever hesitate to obey. As the adjutant-general says in the preface to his report: "There is not a blemish upon the escutcheon of a single organization from Ken- tueky." The story of the service of these Kentucky sol- diers is imperishably embalmed in the official records, and from these records the regimental histories in this volume have been written.
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Union Regiments of Kentucky.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
By Major Alfred Pirtle.
The task of preparing short biographical sketches of general and staff officers was assigned to the writer, as well as making prominent the history of the officers who represented Kentucky in the regular navy. It was also contemplated enrolling the enlisted men from the state who served in the navy (regular and volunteer), but that proved to be im- practicable without a large expenditure of time and money; therefore it was not carried out. A list of the volunteer officers is given.
The history of the gallant services of the officers from Kentucky in the navy will be interesting to most readers, as well as entirely new, for though few they well upheld the honor and reputation of the sons of the Commonwealth on every sea, as her soldiers have done on every field. Had there been space, much could have been written of the details, but such mention must be condensed, in order to come within the size of this volume.
It is unfortunate that no material for sketches could be found in the case of some staff officers, whose names and. bare records are given under that heading, but time has placed obstacles in the way of gather- ing items of their individual histories. These officers, in order to have proper mention in this work, must be noticed in the manner here adopted, since they were commissioned from Washington and did not serve with any particular regiment.
ALFRED PIRTLE.
GEN. ROBERT ANDERSON, brigadier and brevet major-general, U. S. A., was born near Louisville, Ky., June 14, 1805; graduated at West Point, brevet 2d lieu- tenant, 1st Artillery; same year appointed full 2d lieuten- ant; spent a few months at Santa Fe de Bogota as private secretary of United States Minister. May 9, 1832, ap- pointed assistant inspector-general of Illinois Volunteers with a rank of colonel in Black Hawk War, and was con- spicuous for bravery; in 1835-6, instructor at West Point .; 1837-8, in Florida war; 1838-41, aid-de-camp to Gen. Win- field Scott, commander-in-chief; October 23d, captain of artillery; September 8, 1847, wounded at battle Molino del Rey, Mexico, and brevetted major; July 11, 1853, gov- ernor of military hospital, at Harrodsburg, Ky .; October 5, 1857, promoted to major of 1st Artillery; 1860, com- manded United States forces in harbor of Charleston. headquarters at Fort Moultrie; December 26, 1860, trans- ferred his entire command of 80 in all to Fort Sumter: April 12, 1861, attack on Fort Sumter; Sunday afternoon, April 14, 1861, surrender of Sumter; assumed command in Kentucky, September 12, 1861; relinquished his com- mand in Kentucky, October 14, 1861; 1865, he was se- lected to again hoist the flag which he had before floated. over Fort Sumter; appointed brigadier-general in regu- lar army March 15, 1861; October 27, 1863, retired on
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Biographical Sketches.
account of ill health; February 3, 1865, was brevetted major-general for "gallant and meritorious service in the defense of Fort Sumter"; October 26, 1870, died in the southern part of France, where he had gone for his health. Buried at West Point.
GEN. WILLIAM NELSON was born in Mason county, Kentucky, in 1825. At 15 years of age, entered the naval academy at Annapolis, and reached rank of lieu- tenant before the war. Established Camp Dick Robin- son, in Garrard county, Kentucky, August 15, 1861; ap- pointed brigadier-general September, 1861; fought the battle of Ivy Mount, in Kentucky, November 8, 1861; reached the field of Shiloh with his division April 7, 1862, in time to relieve the pressure of the enemy's lines on Gen. Grant, and turned the tide of battle. Was promoted to major-general July 17, 1862; August 30, 1862, with mostly raw troops, fought the battle of Richmond, Ky., and was wounded and his army retreated to Louisville. To prevent parties of the enemy from penetrating to the city, he fortified it by a long line of entrenchments in the rear of the place. He was relieved by the arrival of Maj .- Gen. Buell and army, September 25th. On Septem- ber 29th, in an unfortunate affair with Brig .- Gen. Jeff. C. Davis, the latter shot Nelson at the Galt House, in Louisville, and he died during the day.
Gen. Nelson was a man of culture and literary attain- ments, but brusque and rough in his language. As an officer in the navy he had high standing and great skill; as a military officer he was strict and brave. His edu- ration and life in the navy had made bim inclined to be harsh in his discipline and overbearing to his officers. To his men he was considerate and sometimes even kind, always appearing solicitous for their comfort, as far as the good of the service permitted. His death was la- mented by the rank and file more than by the higher grades.
Of his courage and ability in battle there can be no question, and his sudden taking off was a decided loss.
GEN. THOMAS LEONIDAS CRITTENDEN, second son of John J. Crittenden, long a senator from Kentucky, was born at Russellville, Logan county, Ky., May 15, 1 19. The family soon after removed to Frankfort, where Vr. Crittenden was building up an extensive law practice. of the early education of Thomas L., not much is recorded.
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Union Regiments of Kentucky.
But he was imbued with the martial spirit which had been exhibited in his father, who had served in two cam- paigns, war of 1812. In 1836, President Jackson called on Gov. Morehead for 1,000 mounted Kentuckians to go to Camp . Sabine, La., to protect the southwestern boundary, in response to this call so many responded that ten companies were selected, and accepted, one each from the counties of Franklin, Henry, Shelby, Madison, Harri- son, Oldham, Gallatin, Woodford, Jefferson and Fayette. The governor appointed Leslie Combs, of Fayette, colonel; Thos. A. Russell, of Fayette, lieutenant-colonel; and Geo. Boswell, of Shelby, major. In this regiment Thos. L. Crittenden, at the early age of 17, enlisted as a private in August, and served till September 18th, when the regi- ment was discharged, not having marched from Frank- fort, its camp
He then studied law and entered the practice of his profession with great success. Volunteering early in the Mexican war, was aid to Gen. Zachary Taylor at the battle of Buena Vista, February 23, 1847, when he carried to Gen. Santa Anna the message, "Gen. Taylor never surrenders." Returning to Kentucky he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 3d Ky. Inf., April 4, 1847, and went to Mexico, where he was distinguished for gallantry ; was honorably mustered out July 21, 1848; some time later he was made consul at Liverpool, by President Tay- lor; again he returned to Kentucky and went into mercan- tile business : in 1861, ho succeeded Gen. Simon B. Buckner (who had resigned and gone south) as inspector-general of the Kentucky State Gnard; appointed brigadier-general, volunteers, September 27, 1861; for gallant conduct on the field at Shiloh, promoted to major-general of volun- teers, July 17, 1862; was subsequently in command of a division in the army of Tennessee; then became com- mander of a corps in the army of the Ohio; commanded the left wing of the army of the Cumberland until after the battle of Chickamauga, under Gen. Rosecrans.
After the battle of Chickamauga, where his corps had been detached by piecemeal, and ordered to report to Gen. Thomas, in the heat of the engagement, he was without command for a few days, but was granted leave of absence. Not being appointed to a command at once, he asked for a court of inquiry, which was held in the Jatter part of 1863, by which he was honorably acquitted of any dereliction of duty at that battle; his conduct being highly commended. In the spring of 1864, Gen. Sherman suggested to Gen. Grant that he be tendered active service, and after such a request from Gen.
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Biographical Sketches.
Grant, Gen. Halleck mentioned to Gen. Grant that Gen. Crittenden had been ordered to report to Gen. Burnside, and accordingly on April 28, 1864, he was ordered to report to the 9th Army Corps. On May 12, 1864, he assumed command of the Ist division of the 9th Army Corps. This division was in the midst of the very bloodiest fighting of that memor- able campaign; its commander bebaved with his usual coolness and skill; but he did not feel at home in the Army of the Potomac, and June 7th, at his own request he was relieved of his command, and ordered to report to the adjutant-general at Washington. Asst. Sec. of War C. A. Dana was then with the army, and said in his cor- respondence with the War Department: "Cold Harbor, June 7, 1864. Crittenden has asked to be relieved for the reason that bis division is not equal to his rank, many of his juniors being in higher command."
Waiting until December 13, 1864, and not being as- signed to command, he resigned. In January, 1866, he was appointed treasurer of the state of Kentucky, but resigned this, in the next year, to become a colonel in the regular army, being commissioned colonel of the 32d C. S. Inf., to date from July 28, 1866; was transferred to the 17th U. S. Inf., March 15, 1869, and was retired from active service, May 19, 1881. He was brevetted brigadier- general, U. S. Army, March 2, 1867, for gallant and meri- torious services in the battle of Stone's river, January, 1863.
Hle made his home at Annadale, on Staten Island, N. Y., where he died, October 23, 1893. The next day, when his remains reached New York, they were escorted through the lower part of the city by his old comrade, Maj .- Gon. O. O. Howard (then in command of the depart- ment), with his staff; a detail from the garrison on Governor's Island, as a military guard of honor, and several Kentuckians, resident in New York and vicinity; among them Logan C. Murray, Crittenden Marriott, HI. C. Watson and J. Watson. The cortege moved up Broad- way; thenre to the railway station in JJersey City, where the body was placed on the cars and borne to Frankfort, Ky., where it now lies. 1
GEN. WILLIAM THOMAS WARD, brevet major- general, was born in Amelia county, Va., in 1808. His father, William Ward, removed with his family from that county and settled in Green county, Ky., about 1814. The family had been in Henrico and adjoining counties, Va., since 1635, or earlier.
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Union Regiments of Kentucky.
Wm. T. Ward attended St. Mary's college, near Leba- non, Ky., and studied law at Greensburg, Ky .; he was prominent and successful in practicing his profession in that part of the state.
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