THE AMERICAN GUIDE SERIES Military History of Kentucky CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED Written by Workers of the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of Kentucky Sponsored by THE MILITARY DEPARTMENT OF KENTUCKY G. LEE McCLAIN, The Adjutant General Anna Virumque Cano - Virgil (I sing of arms and men) ILLUSTRATED Military History of Kentucky FIRST PUBLISHED IN JULY, 1939 WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION F. C. Harrington, Administrator Florence S. Kerr, Assistant Administrator Henry G. Alsberg, Director of The Federal Writers Project COPYRIGHT 1939 BY THE ADJUTANT GENERAL OF KENTUCKY PRINTED BY THE STATE JOURNAL FRANKFORT, KY. All rights are reserved, including the rights to reproduce this book a parts thereof in any form. ii Military History of Kentucky BRIG. GEN. G. LEE McCLAIN, KY. N. G. The Adjutant General iii Military History of Kentucky MAJOR JOSEPH M. KELLY, KY. N. G. Assistant Adjutant General, U.S. P. and D. O. iv Military History of Kentucky Foreword Frankfort, Kentucky, January 1, 1939. HIS EXCELLENCY, ALBERT BENJAMIN CHANDLER, Governor of Kentucky and Commander-in-Chief, Kentucky National Guard, Frankfort, Kentucky. SIR: I have the pleasure of submitting a report of the National Guard of Kentucky showing its origin, development and progress, chronologically arranged. This report is in the form of a history of the military units of Kentucky. The purpose of this Military History of Kentucky is to present a written record which always will be available to the people of Kentucky relating something of the accomplishments of Kentucky soldiers. It will be observed that from the time the first settlers came to our state, down to the present day, Kentucky soldiers have been ever ready to protect the lives, homes, and property of the citizens of the state with vigor and courage. It will be observed that the Kentucky soldier has done well his part in times of peace as well as in times of war. This history then, in truth, is a record and a story of the part that the military man, whether his organization was known as the State Militia, as the State Guard, or as the National Guard, has taken in the carving of a great state out of a vast wilderness and in maintaining its position. The expeditions which played so prominent a part in the development of the Northwest Territory had their starting point in Kentucky. At all times the Kentucky soldier was found taking the lead in this expansion movement. The data embodied in this history has been culled from many sources, for heretofore there have been no assembled sketches and only scattered authoritative accounts of the activities of the Kentucky Militia and its successor organizations. A chronological record of the Kentucky militiaman’s major activities from 1774 to 1938 has never previously been set down in one place. Various sources have been exploited in the preparation of this work in quest for Kentucky militia data, particularly of the period prior to Kentucky’s admission to statehood. The information so acquired often has been conflicting in detail. Where such conflicts have occurred, a special effort was made to separate accurate from inaccurate statements, and the final collation of facts was thus derived. Many instruments are quoted, either to preserve their quaintness of expression, or because of their conciseness. Then, too, these quoted documents, particularly of the War Between the States period, serve as a safeguard against the possibility of truthful bald statements being construed as conjecture borne of sectional prejudices. The collection of the data embodied in this book was made by members of the Kentucky Division of the Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration. The result is a collective work to which several writers and research workers have contributed. The book represents the work of varied personnel to which consultants have generously given their services before the whole was edited in the central offices at Louisville. The Military Department of the Commonwealth of Kentucky takes pleasure in presenting this volume to the citizens of this state, and to all who are interested in the story of Kentucky’s soldiers. For the first time a true picture of the military activities in Kentucky is available in a compact form. G. LEE McCLAIN The Adjutant General State of Kentucky. v Military History of Kentucky Preface Kentucky has much that is not common to her sister states, among which is her militaristic spirit. From the first settlement her militia was ever willing and ready to lend assistance to a cause she deemed right, but that assistance could not be expected if the Kentuckians were to be placed under the command of "furriners” (non-Kentuckians). Assistance once pledged was zealously rendered, and even the Indians learned that Kentucky troops meant business and would, “fight like devils." From pioneer days Kentucky has attracted the attention of the rest of the country by her tendency to be different to the point of developing a distinct individuality. In military, as well as political matters, she has always done the unexpected which is most strikingly illustrated by her demeanor during the reconstruction era, when it was frequently said that "Kentucky waited until after the war to secede." More populous states may justly boast of contributing greater numbers of troops in the several wars, but none can rightfully claim troop contributions as heavy as Kentucky when proportionate state populations are taken into consideration. The Kentucky ratio has always been a source of state pride, especially because her troops have been raised chiefly as volunteers. The goal in the preparation of this book has been to present an adequate, accurate, and interesting portrayal of the Kentucky military organization, past and present, in all its endeavors and achievements. Battles and skirmishes are dealt with briefly, for this is a history of the soldiery as a state organization rather than as a war machine. The book could not have been completed without the voluntary assistance of many loyal Kentuckians. Especial thanks are due Gov. A. B. Chandler, Brig. Gen. G. Lee McClain, Maj. Gen. E. S. Adams, U.S.A., Maj. Robert W. Brown, U.S.A., Lt. Col. W. S. Taylor, Col. Lucien Beckner, Mr. Otto Rothert, Col. H. J. Stites, Lt. Col. George M. Chescheir, Capt. Walter R. Calvert, Jr., Col. Thomas W. Woodyard, N.G. Ky., Rtd., Maj. J. M. Kelly, Miss Ludie Kincaid, Col. Joseph T. O Neal, Mr. Carter Stamper, and Mr. John Wilson Townsend. Fredk. L. A. Eichelberger deserves credit for the arrangement of the material and the actual writing of the book. The Federal Writers Project is glad of the opportunity to make this contribution to the documentary history of Kentucky. URBAN R. BELL State Director Federal Writers Project Louisville, Kentucky vi Military History of Kentucky Table of Contents Foreword ......................................................................................................................................... v Preface............................................................................................................................................ vi Table of Contents ..........................................................................................................................vii Illustrations...................................................................................................................................viii Chapter I Legal Heritage................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter II Pioneer Period................................................................................................................ 6 Chapter III Statehood .................................................................................................................... 33 Chapter IV Mexican War and Peace............................................................................................. 69 Chapter V -Part I War Between the States.................................................................................... 86 Chapter V - Part II War Between the States ............................................................................... 106 Chapter VI Readjustment and Reorganization............................................................................ 137 Chapter VII the War with Spain ................................................................................................. 161 Chapter VIII Political Turmoil and the State Guard ................................................................... 168 Chapter IX World War................................................................................................................ 185 Chapter X Kentucky National Guard Organization.................................................................... 193 Chapter XI Lineage of the Regiments Kentucky National Guard .............................................. 207 Appendix A Governors and Adjutant Generals of Kentucky ..................................................... 223 Appendix B Confederate Pensions.............................................................................................. 226 Appendix C Jerome Clarke Trial ................................................................................................ 227 Appendix D Military Memorials................................................................................................. 229 Appendix E Biographical Sketches Governors & Adjutants