View source for Kentucky in the American Civil War

{{Short description|none}}
{{About|events within the borders of the state between 1861 and 1865|the former government in exile|Confederate government of Kentucky}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{History of Kentucky}}
{{Campaignbox Operations in Eastern Kentucky}}
{{Campaignbox Offensive in Eastern Kentucky}}
{{Campaignbox Confederate Heartland Offensive}}
{{Campaignbox Morgan's Raid in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio}}
{{Campaignbox Forrest's Expedition into West Tennessee and Kentucky}}
{{Campaignbox Morgan's Raid into Kentucky}}
{{Union states in the American Civil War}}
[[History of Kentucky|Kentucky]] was a southern [[Border states (American Civil War)|border state]] of key importance in the [[American Civil War]]. It officially declared its neutrality at the beginning of the war, but after a failed attempt by Confederate General [[Leonidas Polk]] to take the state of Kentucky for the Confederacy, the legislature petitioned the [[Union Army]] for assistance. Though the Confederacy controlled more than half of Kentucky early in the war, after early 1862 Kentucky came largely under U.S. control. In the historiography of the Civil War, Kentucky is treated primarily as a southern 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.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24641157 |last=Smith |first=John David |title=Whither Kentucky Civil War and Reconstruction Scholarship? |journal=The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |volume=112 |number=2 |date=Spring 2014 |pages=223–247}}</ref>

Kentucky was the site of several fierce battles, including [[Battle of Mill Springs|Mill Springs]] and [[Battle of Perryville|Perryville]]. It was the arena to such military leaders as [[Ulysses S. Grant]] on the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] side, who first encountered serious [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] gunfire coming from [[Columbus, Kentucky]], and Confederate cavalry leader [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]]. Forrest proved to be a scourge to the [[Union Army]] in western Kentucky, even [[Battle of Paducah|making an attack]] on [[Paducah, Kentucky|Paducah]]. Kentuckian [[John Hunt Morgan]] further challenged Union control, as he conducted numerous cavalry raids through the state.

Kentucky was the birthplace of [[Abraham Lincoln]], his wife [[Mary Todd Lincoln|Mary Todd]], and his southern counterpart, Confederate President [[Jefferson Davis]]. Lincoln had declared, early in the war, "I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game."<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Nicolay |editor1-first=John |editor2-last=Hay |editor2-first=John |editor1-link=John George Nicolay |editor2-link=John Hay |title=Works of Lincoln |page=117 |edition=V}}</ref>

An estimated 25–40,000 Kentuckians served as Confederate soldiers, while 74–125,000 Kentuckians served as Union soldiers, including 24–25,000 Black Kentuckians, free and enslaved.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23369562 |last=Quisenberry |first=A. C. |title=Kentucky Union Troops in the Civil War |journal=Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society |volume=18 |number=54 |date=September 1920 |pages=13–18}}</ref><ref name="Klotter p.14">Klotter in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 14.</ref><ref name="louisville.edu">{{Cite web|title=The Civil War – Freedom Park|url=https://louisville.edu/freedompark/historical-obelisks/the-civil-war|access-date=2020-06-22|website=louisville.edu}}</ref><ref name="Eblen-2017">{{Cite news|last=Eblen|first=Tom|date=2017-06-13|title=Cemetery research reveals another 51 black Civil War veterans – and great stories|work=Lexington Herald Leader|url=https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/tom-eblen/article155865649.html|access-date=2020-06-21}}</ref>

==Antebellum Kentucky==
{{See also|History of slavery in Kentucky}}
[[File:Seal of Kentucky used during the Civil War.jpg|thumb|State seal of Kentucky during the war.]]
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]]".<ref>Harrison, p. 1.</ref> The Commonwealth was further bound to the South by the [[Mississippi River]] 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.<ref name=harrison2>Harrison, p. 2.</ref> The ancestors of many Kentuckians hailed from Southern states like [[Virginia]], [[North Carolina]], and [[Tennessee]], but many Kentucky children were beginning to migrate toward the North.<ref name=harrison2 />

Kentucky, along with [[North Carolina]], also boasted the best educational systems in the South. [[Transylvania University]] 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]] and [[Georgetown College (Kentucky)|Georgetown College]] were gaining prominence.<ref>Klotter in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 13.</ref>

Politically, the Commonwealth had produced some of the country's best known leaders. Former Vice Presidents [[John C. Breckinridge]] and [[Richard Mentor Johnson|Richard M. Johnson]] both hailed from the state, as did [[Henry Clay]], [[John J. Crittenden]], [[John M. Harlan]], U.S. President [[Abraham Lincoln]], and Confederate President [[Jefferson Davis]].<ref name="Klotter p.14" /> However, by the time of the Civil War, Kentucky was in a politically confused state. The decline of the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]], which Clay had founded, had left many politicians looking for an identity.<ref name="harrison4">Harrison, p. 4.</ref> Many joined the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], a few joined the newly formed [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], while still others associated with one of numerous minor parties such as the [[Know Nothing Party]].<ref name=harrison4 /> In the [[1860 United States presidential election|1860 presidential election]], the [[Constitutional Union Party (United States)|Constitutional Union Party]], with Tennessee-native [[John Bell (Tennessee politician)|John Bell]] as its presidential candidate and Massachusetts-native [[Edward Everett]] as its vice-presidential candidate, won the state. The party was composed mainly of former Whigs and Know-Nothings.<ref>[http://onthebrinkofdisunion-theelectionof1860.weebly.com/constitutional-union-party.html Constitutional Union Party] Retrieved March 29, 2016.</ref>

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]], [[Maize|corn]], [[wheat]], [[hemp]], and [[flax]].<ref name=harrison2 /> Geographically, Kentucky was important to the South because the [[Ohio River]] would provide a defensible boundary along the entire length of the state.<ref name=harrison2 />

[[Governor of Kentucky|Kentucky governor]] [[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.<ref>Harrison, pp. 6–7.</ref> 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 division of common territories at the [[37th parallel north#United States|37th parallel]], a guarantee of free use of the [[Mississippi River]], and a Southern [[veto]] over slave legislation.<ref name=harrison7>Harrison, p. 7.</ref> Magoffin proposed a conference of slave states, followed by a conference of all the states to secure these concessions.<ref name=harrison7 /> Due to the escalating pace of events, neither conference was ever held.<ref name=harrison7 />

Magoffin called a special session of the [[Kentucky General Assembly]] on December 27, 1860, and asked legislators for a convention of Kentuckians to decide the Commonwealth's course regarding secession.<ref name=harrison7 /> The majority of the General Assembly had Unionist sympathies, however, and declined the governor's request,<ref name=harrison7 /> fearing that the state's voters would favor secession.<ref name="Rose, p. 26">Harrison in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 26.</ref> The Assembly did, however, send six delegates to a February 4 [[Peace Conference of 1861|Peace Conference]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], and asked [[United States Congress|Congress]] to call a national convention to consider potential resolutions to the secession crisis, including the [[Crittenden Compromise]], authored by Kentuckian [[John J. Crittenden]].<ref name=harrison8>Harrison, p. 8.</ref>

When the General Assembly convened again on March 20, it called for a convention of the [[Border states (Civil War)|border states]] in the Kentucky capital of [[Frankfort, Kentucky|Frankfort]] on May 27, 1861.<ref name=harrison8 /> Again, the call went unheeded. Legislators also passed a [[Corwin Amendment|proposed Thirteenth Amendment]] to the Constitution that would have guaranteed slavery in states where it was already legal.<ref name=harrison8 />

President Lincoln recognized the importance of Kentucky  when, in a September 1861 letter to [[Orville Hickman Browning|Orville Browning]],<ref name=brown79>Brown, p. 79.</ref> he had written:

<blockquote>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.<ref>Harrison, p. 3.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?type=simple;rgn=div2;c=lincoln;cc=lincoln;idno=lincoln4;q1=533;submit=Go;view=text;subview=detail;node=lincoln4%3A1003.1 |title=Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 4 |page=533 |editor1=Roy P. Basler |editor2=Marion Dolores Pratt |editor3=Lloyd A. Dunlap |publisher=University of Michigan Digital Library Production Services |year=2001 |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref></blockquote>

==War breaks out==
[[File:Harpers-CivilWar-kentucky-battle-map.jpg|thumb|280px|right|Civil War battle map of Kentucky, published in ''[[Harper's Weekly]]'' October 19, 1861]]
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.<ref name=harrison8 /> 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 United States|Southern states]]. B. Magoffin"<ref>Powell, p. 52.</ref> Instead, most Kentuckians favored John J. Crittenden's position that the Commonwealth should act as a mediator between the two sides.<ref name=harrison8 /> To that end, both houses of the General Assembly passed [[Kentucky Declaration of Neutrality|declarations of neutrality]], a position officially declared by Governor Magoffin on May 20, 1861.<ref name=harrison8 />

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]] just north of the city of [[Newport, Kentucky]], and [[Camp Joe Holt]] in [[Indiana]] opposite [[Louisville, Kentucky]].<ref name=kleber192>Kleber, p. 192.</ref> Meanwhile, Confederate troops constructed Forts [[Fort Donelson|Donelson]] and [[Battle of Fort Henry|Henry]] just across Kentucky's southern border in [[Tennessee]], and stationed troops fewer than 50 yards from [[Cumberland Gap]].<ref name=kleber192 /> Volunteers from the Commonwealth left the state to join up with whichever side they favored.<ref name=kleber192 /> Some covert recruiting also took place.<ref name=harrison9>Harrison, p. 9.</ref> 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]] represented the secessionists' position, while Crittenden, [[Archibald Dixon]], and S. S. Nicholas advocated the Northern cause.<ref name=harrison9 /> 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.<ref name=harrison10>Harrison, p. 10.</ref> 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.<ref name=harrison10 />

The Commonwealth's military forces, however, proved to be just as divided as the general populace. The State Guard, under the command of [[Simon Bolivar Buckner Sr.|Simon B. Buckner]], largely favored the Confederate cause, while the newly formed Home Guard were mostly Unionists.<ref name=harrison10 /> 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.<ref name=harrison10 />

===Elections of 1861===
[[File:Kentuckians, to arms!!! Dul1.ark 13960 t8bg3gw4f-seq 2.jpg|thumb|"Kentuckians, to arms!!!" Confederate recruitment broadside published Louisville, 1861 (Duke University Libraries)]]
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.<ref name="Rose, p. 26"/> Confederate sympathizers won only the [[Jackson Purchase]] region,<ref>Harrison in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', pp. 26–27.</ref> which was economically linked to Tennessee by the [[Cumberland River|Cumberland]] and [[Tennessee River]]s.<ref name=kleber193>Kleber, p. 193.</ref> Seeing imminent defeat at the polls, many Confederate sympathizers [[election boycott|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.<ref name=harrison11>Harrison, p. 11.</ref> Governor Magoffin was dealt a further blow in the August 5 election for state legislators. This election resulted in [[veto]]-proof Unionist majorities of 76–24 in the [[Kentucky House of Representatives|House]] and 27–11 in the [[Kentucky Senate|Senate]].<ref>Harrison in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 27.</ref>

From that point forward, most of Magoffin's vetoes to protect southern interests were overridden in the General Assembly.<ref>Kleber, p. 603.</ref> 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 of Kentucky|lieutenant governor]], [[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 Fisher Robinson|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, Kentucky|Garrard County]].<ref name="harrison11"/> 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."<ref>Harrison, pp. 11–12.</ref> Governor Magoffin appealed to President Lincoln to close the camp, but he refused.<ref name=harrison12>Harrison, p. 12.</ref> Meanwhile, Confederate volunteers covertly crossed the Tennessee border and massed at [[Camp Boone]], just south of [[Guthrie, Kentucky|Guthrie]].<ref name=harrison12 /> Kentucky's fragile neutrality was nearing an end.

Unionist sentiment while reflecting a solid majority within the state was tenuous at best. This is documented by E.F. Drake, a Louisville resident, who wrote to [[Salmon P. Chase]] in 1861:

{{blockquote|If the late vote of Ky is relied on, as an indication of the strength of the Union party it will deceive you. The vote showed a large majority, but when carefully considered it will be found that nearly all old men are unionists at heart and in action while their sons, living in their fathers houses are heading rebellion. There is another large class, who sympathize with the rebels, yet from policy vote and talk Union, and almost every Union man considers the South aggrieved, and expects an end of the war only by agreeing to any demand by way of guarantee which then South may demand. . . . I am sure Kentucky is only a Union State for fear of the consequences of being the seat of war as a border Confederate State.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Marshall |first=Anne Elizabeth |url=https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/marshall_anne_e_200412_phd.pdf |title="A Strange Conclusion to a Triumphant War": Memory, Identity and the Creation of a Confederate Kentucky, 1865–1925 |year=2004 |degree=PhD |publisher=[[University of Georgia]] |access-date=May 18, 2024}}</ref><ref>Letter from E.F. Drake to Salmon P. Chase, "Letters to Secretary Chase from the South, 1861", ''American Historical Review'', 4 (January 1899): 343–44.</ref>}}

==Neutrality violated==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:1861 abstract return showing Union Forces in Kentucky, commanded by Brig. Gen William T. Sherman.jpg|frame|right|1861 abstract return showing Union Forces in Kentucky, commanded by Brig. Gen [[William T. Sherman]].<ref name="orr"/>]] -->
On September 4, 1861, Confederate [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] [[Leonidas Polk]] violated the Commonwealth's neutrality by ordering [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[Gideon Johnson Pillow]] to occupy [[Columbus, Kentucky|Columbus]].<ref name=harrison12 /> Columbus was of strategic importance both because it was the terminus of the [[Mobile and Ohio Railroad]] and because of its position along the Mississippi River.<ref name=kleber216>Kleber, p. 216.</ref> Polk constructed Fort DuRussey in the high bluffs of Columbus, and equipped it with 143 cannons.<ref name=bailey56>Bailey, p. 56.</ref> Polk called the fort "The Gibraltar of the West."<ref name=bailey56 /> 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]].<ref name=kleber216 /> Each link of the chain measured eleven inches long by eight inches wide and weighed twenty pounds.<ref name=kleber217>Kleber, p. 217.</ref> The chain soon broke under its own weight, but Union forces did not learn of this fact until early 1862.<ref name=kleber217 />

In response to the Confederate invasion, Union [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]] Ulysses S. Grant left [[Cairo, Illinois]], and entered [[Paducah, Kentucky]], on September 6, which gave the Union control of the northern end of the [[New Orleans and Ohio Railroad]]<ref name=kleber216 /> and the mouth of the [[Tennessee River]]. Governor Magoffin denounced both sides for violating the Commonwealth's neutrality, calling for both sides to withdraw.<ref name=harrison13>Harrison, p. 13.</ref> However, on September 7, 1861, the General Assembly passed a resolution ordering the withdrawal of only Confederate forces.<ref name=harrison13 /> Magoffin vetoed the resolution, but both houses overrode the veto, and Magoffin issued the proclamation.<ref>Harrison in ''Kentucky Governors'', p. 79.</ref> The General Assembly ordered the flag of the United States to be raised over the [[Kentucky State Capitol|state capitol]] in [[Frankfort, Kentucky|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]] formed a line in the southern regions of Kentucky and the northern regions of Tennessee, stretching from Columbus in the west to [[Cumberland Gap]] in the east.<ref name=rose15>Klotter in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 15.</ref> Johnston dispatched Simon B. Buckner to fortify the middle of the line in [[Bowling Green, Kentucky|Bowling Green]].<ref name=harrison16>Harrison, p. 16.</ref> Buckner arrived on September 18, 1861, and immediately began intensive drill sessions and constructing elaborate defenses in anticipation of a Union strike.<ref name=harrison17>Harrison, p. 17.</ref> 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."<ref name=harrison17 />

==Confederate state government==
{{Main|Confederate government of Kentucky}}
[[File:Seal of Kentucky (Confederate shadow government).svg|thumb|left|The Seal of Kentucky used during the [[George W. Johnson (governor)|George W. Johnson]] administration]]
The elected government of Kentucky being decidedly Union, a group of Southern sympathizers began formulating a plan to create a Confederate [[provisional government|shadow government]] for the Commonwealth. Following a preliminary meeting on October 29, 1861, delegates from 68 of [[List of counties in Kentucky|Kentucky's 110 counties]] met at the [[William Forst House|Clark House]] in [[Russellville, Kentucky|Russellville]] on November 18.<ref name=kleber222>Kleber, p. 222.</ref> The convention passed an ordinance of secession, adopted a new state seal, and elected [[Scott County, Kentucky|Scott County]] native [[George W. Johnson (governor)|George W. Johnson]] as governor.<ref name=kleber222 /> 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.<ref name=cantrell>Cantrell, "George W. Johnson and Richard Hawes: The Governors of Confederate Kentucky"</ref> Being unable to flesh out a complete constitution and system of laws, the delegates voted that "the [[Kentucky Constitution|Constitution]] 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."<ref name=cantrell /> 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.<ref name=rose64>Harrison in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 64.</ref> Kentucky was represented by the central star on the [[Flags of the Confederate States of America#Battle flag|Confederate battle flag]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ngeorgia.com/history/flagsofga.html |title=A Concise History of the Flags of the Confederate States of America and the Sovereign State of Georgia |access-date=November 29, 2006 |last=Irby Jr. |first=Richard E. |work=About North Georgia |publisher=Golden Ink |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109093731/http://ngeorgia.com/history/flagsofga.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Though it existed throughout the war and it controlled more than half the territory of Kentucky having Confederate governance from Bowling Green early in the war, Kentucky's provisional government had very little effect on the events in the Commonwealth or in the war after 1862. 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]].<ref name=rose64 /> Continuing to travel with the [[Army of Tennessee]], the government re-entered Kentucky during [[Braxton Bragg]]'s campaign in the Commonwealth, but was driven out permanently following the [[Battle of Perryville]].<ref name=kleber222 /> From that time forward, the government existed primarily on paper,<ref name=kleber222 /> and dissolved following the war.<ref name=rose91>Harrison in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 91.</ref>

==Confederate line broken==
[[File:ASJohnston.jpg|thumb|left|Albert Sidney Johnston was charged with maintaining a Confederate defensive line in southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee]]
Many small skirmishes occurred in Kentucky in 1861, including "[[Battle of Sacramento (Kentucky)|Forrest's First Fight]]" at [[Sacramento, Kentucky|Sacramento]], but battles of great military significance did not begin in earnest until 1862.

===Battle of Mill Springs===
{{Main|Battle of Mill Springs}}
In January 1862, Union General [[George H. Thomas]] began to advance on [[George B. Crittenden]]'s position at [[Mill Springs, Kentucky|Mill Springs]].<ref name=harrison25>Harrison, p. 25.</ref> In rainy conditions, Thomas' army moved slowly, and Crittenden advanced to meet them before they could be reinforced by forces from nearby [[Somerset, Kentucky|Somerset]].<ref name=harrison25 /> The battle commenced on January 19, 1862, and favored Crittenden's forces early on.<ref name=harrison26>Harrison, p. 26.</ref> However, in the confusion caused by the rain and fog, [[Felix Zollicoffer]], commander of Crittenden's First Brigade, rode into the midst of the Union forces.<ref name=harrison26 /> A Confederate officer galloped in, yelling at Zollicoffer to inform him of his mistake.<ref name=harrison26 /> Upon being identified, Zollicoffer was shot out of the saddle and killed,<ref name=harrison26 /> disheartening the Confederates and turning the tide of the battle.<ref name=kleber193 /> Thomas' reinforcements arrived, and Crittenden's forces were forced to retreat across the flooded [[Cumberland River]].<ref name=harrison27>Harrison, p. 27.</ref> Many drowned in the process, and Crittenden was given the blame for the debacle.<ref name=harrison27 />

===Forts Henry and Donelson===
{{Main|Battle of Fort Henry|Battle of Fort 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]] 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, Kentucky|Columbus]].<ref name="Tucker2006">{{cite book|last=Tucker|first=Spencer|title=Blue & gray navies: the Civil War afloat|date=September 2006|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=978-1-59114-882-1|pages=121–125}}</ref> 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.<ref name=harrison29>Harrison, p. 29.</ref> Union troops began their assault on the fort on February 5, 1862, and Tilghman surrendered the following day.<ref name=harrison29 />

General Johnston countered by ordering Pillow, Buckner, and [[John B. Floyd]] to the defense of Fort Donelson.<ref name=harrison29 /> None of the three was specifically given command, a decision that would prove costly.<ref name=harrison31>Harrison, p. 31.</ref> Grant arrived at Donelson on February 13, and found himself outnumbered by some 3,000 troops.<ref name=harrison31 /> Floyd failed to capitalize on his advantage, however, and Grant was reinforced the next day.<ref name=harrison31 /> On February 15, the Confederates had nearly cleared an escape route to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], but arguments among the generals delayed the retreat.<ref name=harrison31 /> Floyd seized a steamboat and used it to evacuate his forces, while Pillow fled in a rowboat.<ref name=harrison31 /> Buckner, left alone in command, proposed a cease-fire to Grant while terms of surrender were negotiated.<ref name=harrison31 /> 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.<ref name=harrison31 />

===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]].<ref>Harrison, pp. 32–33.</ref> [[Cumberland Gap]], the final piece of Johnston's line, finally fell to Union forces in June 1862.<ref>Harrison, p. 34.</ref>

==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.<ref name=harrison36>Harrison, p. 36.</ref> 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.<ref name=harrison36 /> 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.<ref name=harrison38>Harrison, p. 38.</ref> 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]].<ref>Harrison, pp. 38–39.</ref> 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]].<ref name=harrison39>Harrison, p. 39.</ref>

On their exit from the Commonwealth, the cavalry picked up 50 recruits at [[Richmond, Kentucky|Richmond]].<ref name=harrison39 /> They also stopped in [[Somerset, Kentucky|Somerset]], 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]].<ref name=harrison39 /> 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.<ref name=harrison39 />

==Smith and Bragg advance==
Morgan's exploits encouraged Confederate General [[Edmund Kirby Smith]] to move on Kentucky.<ref name=harrison40>Harrison, p. 40.</ref> After conferring with General [[Braxton Bragg]] at Chattanooga, Smith moved to drive [[George W. Morgan]] from Cumberland Gap in August 1862.<ref name=harrison40 /> Both generals understood that Smith would capture Cumberland Gap, then join Bragg in Middle Tennessee.<ref name=kleber193 /> When the two armies met, Bragg would command the combined force against [[Don Carlos Buell]] in Nashville.<ref name=harrison40 /> Once Nashville was captured, Bragg and Smith would commence an invasion of Kentucky.<ref name=kleber193 />

As the battle at Cumberland Gap wore on, Morgan refused to retreat or surrender his position.<ref name=kleber193 /> 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.<ref name=kleber193 /> The move forced Bragg's hand, and he too entered Kentucky on August 28.<ref name=harrison42>Harrison, p. 42.</ref> As Smith progressed toward Lexington, [[Indiana]] governor [[Oliver P. Morton]] decided that Governor Robinson was doing too little to support the Union cause.<ref name=kleber193 /> He dispatched regiments across the Ohio into Louisville, and considered himself governor of both Indiana and Kentucky.<ref name=kleber193 />

===Battle of Richmond===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Abstract of the return of the Army of Kentucky under Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger in 1862.jpg|left|frame|Abstract of the return of the [[Army of Kentucky]] under Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger in 1862. He was unable to coordinate in time to save Nelson at the [[Battle of Richmond]].<ref name="orr"/>]] -->
{{Main|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.<ref name=kleber193 /> 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.<ref name=rose80>Moody in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 80.</ref>

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.<ref name=rose80 /> 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!"<ref name=rose80 /> Unfortunately for Nelson, he was soon hit twice by Confederate gunfire.<ref name=harrison41>Harrison, p. 41.</ref> Though Nelson was seriously wounded, he escaped the battle as Confederate cavalry moved to cut off the Union retreat.<ref name="harrison42"/> He left behind 206 killed, 844 wounded, and 4,303 missing.<ref name=kleber773>Kleber, p. 773.</ref> With only 98 killed, 492 wounded, and 10 missing, Smith had won one of the most complete Confederate victories of the entire war.<ref name=kleber773 />

===Battle of Munfordville===
{{Main|Battle of Munfordville}}
While Smith was continuing on to Lexington, Bragg was just entering Kentucky, having delayed at Chattanooga until August 28.<ref name=harrison42 /> 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.<ref>Harrison, pp. 42–43.</ref>

Meanwhile, Smith had dispatched Colonel John Scott to look for Bragg.<ref name=harrison44>Harrison, p. 44.</ref> On the night of September 13, Scott encountered [[John T. Wilder]] at Munfordville, and demanded his surrender.<ref name=rose84>Bush in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 84.</ref> Scott requested the aid of [[James Ronald Chalmers|James Chalmers]]' Mississippi brigade,<ref name=harrison44 /> which moved to support Scott throughout the night.<ref name=rose84 /> The assault commenced the next morning, and though outnumbered, Scott's forces inflicted more than 200 casualties in the early fighting.<ref name=harrison44 /> 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."<ref name=rose85>Bush in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 85.</ref>

Wilder was soon reinforced by Colonel [[Cyrus L. Dunham]], who brought a force of 4,000 men.<ref name=harrison44 /> Scott and Chalmers sought assistance from Bragg's main army.<ref name=harrison44 /> Bragg was incensed, but arrived the next day to take charge of the battle.<ref name=harrison44 /> Bragg deployed forces under [[William J. Hardee]] and Leonidas Polk to surround the town, delaying his assault until September 17.<ref name=harrison44 /> Bragg sent another request for the force's surrender.<ref name=harrison44 /> 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.<ref name=harrison45>Harrison, p. 45.</ref> Delighted by this supreme compliment, Buckner obliged, and after surveying the Confederate line, Wilder surrendered.<ref>Harrison, pp. 45–46.</ref>

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.<ref name=harrison46>Harrison, p. 46.</ref> The delay caused by the Confederate victory at Munfordville may well have cost them a much more important prize– Louisville.<ref name=rose86>Bush in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 86.</ref>

===Inauguration of Governor Hawes===
[[File:Confederate-Kentucky-Broadside-Issued-by-James-B.-Clay,-October-1862.png|thumb|left|[[Broadside (printing)|Broadside]] by [[James Brown Clay]], October 1862]]
While Bragg rested his troops and planned his next move, Buell marched north from Bowling Green and arrived in Louisville on September 25.<ref name=harrison46 /> Seeing his primary objective fallen into Union hands, Bragg turned to [[Bardstown, Kentucky|Bardstown]], where he had expected to meet Smith.<ref name=harrison46 /> 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.<ref name=harrison4748>Harrison, pp. 47–48.</ref>

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.<ref name=harrison4748 /> Bragg hoped to rally potential recruits by installing [[Richard Hawes]], governor of Kentucky's Confederate shadow government, in an inauguration ceremony in Frankfort.<ref name=harrison48>Harrison, p. 48.</ref> The elected government fled to Louisville just before the Confederates arrived in Frankfort.<ref name=rose88>Hughes in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 88.</ref>

The ceremony took place on October 4, 1862.<ref name=kleber194>Kleber, p. 194.</ref> First, Bragg addressed the assembled partisan crowd, promising to defend the Commonwealth.<ref name=rose91 /> Then Hawes, who had taken the oath of office months earlier while traveling with Bragg's [[Army of Tennessee]], delivered a lengthy inaugural address.<ref>Harrison in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', pp. 90–91.</ref> 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."<ref name=rose91 />

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.<ref name=rose91 /> Bragg had sorely underestimated Buell's ability to make a rapid advance on his position.<ref name=harrison49>Harrison, p. 49.</ref>  While preparations were being made for Hawes' inauguration, Buell was already forcing the Confederate army from Shelbyville.<ref name=harrison49 /> Bragg ordered Leonidas Polk from Bardstown to attack Buell's flank, but Polk was already under attack and retreating to [[Bryantsville, Kentucky|Bryantsville]].<ref name=harrison49 /> Bragg began a retreat from Frankfort to [[Harrodsburg, Kentucky|Harrodsburg]] to regroup with Polk.<ref name=harrison49 /> Meanwhile, Smith prepared to defend Lexington, where he assumed the bulk of Buell's force would be directed.<ref name=harrison50>Harrison, p. 50.</ref>

===Battle of Perryville===
{{Main|Battle of Perryville}}
[[File:Harpers-perryville-battle.jpg|thumb|280px|right|The Battle of Perryville battlefield as depicted in ''[[Harper's Weekly]]'', November 1, 1862]]
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.<ref name=kleber718>Kleber, p. 718.</ref>

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.<ref>Sanders in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', pp. 94–95.</ref> This gave Bragg's men the advantage of surprise when they opened fire on McCook's forces at 2 PM on October 8.<ref name=rose95>Sanders in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 95.</ref> While McCook was being pushed back on the left flank, the Union center held strong until the right flank began to collapse.<ref name=rose95 />

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.<ref name=kleber718 /> This halted the Confederate advance on McCook north of Perryville.<ref name=kleber718 /> 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.<ref name=rose96>Sanders in ''Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865'', p. 96</ref> 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.<ref name=kleber718 /> From Harrodsburg, the Confederates exited Kentucky through Cumberland Gap.<ref name=kleber718 /> For the remainder of the war, there would be no concerted efforts by the Confederacy to hold Kentucky.<ref name=rose96 />

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==
[[File:1863 abstract return showing Union Forces in Kentucky.jpg|frame|right|1863 abstract return showing Union Forces in Kentucky.<ref name="orr"/>]]
His inability to engage Bragg and Smith on their retreat from Kentucky led to Buell being replaced by General [[William Rosecrans]].<ref>Harrison, pp. 55–56.</ref> 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.<ref name=harrison59>Harrison, p. 59.</ref> 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===<!-- This section is linked to from the redirect "Morgan's Christmas Raid" -->
Morgan's men crossed into Kentucky on December 22 and captured a Union supply wagon bound for Glasgow.<ref name=harrison60>Harrison, p. 60.</ref> 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.<ref name=harrison60 /> Whatever else might happen, they had succeeded in disrupting Rosecrans' supply line.<ref name=harrison60 />

From Bacon Creek, Morgan rode to [[Elizabethtown, Kentucky|Elizabethtown]], arriving on December 27.<ref name=harrison60 /> 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.<ref>Harrison, pp. 61–62.</ref> Again, Morgan destroyed the L&N infrastructure in the area, then began planning an escape back to Tennessee.<ref name=harrison62>Harrison, p. 62.</ref>

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]].<ref name=harrison62 /> Duke was taken to Bardstown for medical treatment, however, and recovered in time to rejoin the Confederate retreat the next day.<ref name=harrison62 />

Freezing rain plagued Morgan's men as they encamped at [[Springfield, Kentucky|Springfield]] on the night of December 30.<ref name=harrison62 /> Worse yet, scouts reported a massive Union force concentrated nine miles away at [[Lebanon, Kentucky|Lebanon]].<ref name=harrison62 /> With [[Frank Wolford]]'s men moving on his position, Morgan made the difficult decision to move out just after midnight in ever-worsening weather.<ref name=harrison62 /> 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]].<ref name=harrison62 /> 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.<ref>Harrison, pp. 62–63.</ref> The following day, they proceeded through [[Columbia, Kentucky|Columbia]], and returned to Tennessee on January 3.<ref name=harrison63>Harrison, p. 63.</ref>

===Morgan crosses the Ohio===
{{Main|Morgan's Raid}}
{{See also|Battle of Lebanon}}
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.<ref>Harrison, pp. 63–64.</ref> Frustrated Union commanders could only react to these unpredictable raids.<ref name=harrison64>Harrison, p. 64.</ref> Morgan would soon do them a favor, however, by raising the visibility of his next raid.<ref name=harrison64 />

It was widely reported that since his December 1862 marriage, Morgan had lost some of his bravado.<ref>Thomas, p. 73.</ref> Morgan, eager to dispel such rumors and weary of guarding Bragg's left flank,<ref name=harrison64 /> proposed a raid through Kentucky and across the [[Ohio River]].<ref>Thomas, p. 75.</ref> Bragg, fearing an attack from Rosecrans, welcomed the idea of a distraction that would take the pressure off his [[Army of Tennessee]].<ref>Thomas, pp. 75–76.</ref> Morgan gathered his men to an area between [[Liberty, Tennessee|Liberty]] and [[Alexandria, Tennessee]].<ref name=thomas76>Thomas, p. 76.</ref> 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]] and possibly [[Ohio]].<ref name=thomas76 /> He confided Bragg's true orders– to halt at the Ohio River– only to trusted confidant Basil Duke.<ref>Thomas, pp. 76–77.</ref>

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.<ref name=harrison65>Harrison, p. 65.</ref> They finally began entering Kentucky on July 2, 1863.<ref name=harrison65 /> 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]]<ref name=harrison66>Harrison, p. 66.</ref> near Campbellsville.<ref name=thomas77>Thomas, p. 77.</ref> 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."<ref name=harrison66 /> Moore's forces won the day, and Morgan, having suffered 71 casualties, decided to bypass the bridge.<ref name=harrison66 />

[[File:Brandenburg Morgan marker.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Historical marker noting Morgan's activities at [[Brandenburg, Kentucky]], where his forces captured two [[steamboat]]s, the ''John B. McCombs'' and the ''[[Alice Dean]]'', before crossing the [[Ohio River]] into [[Indiana]]]]
Morgan again encountered resistance at Lebanon where, despite the Confederate victory, his nineteen-year-old brother Tom was killed.<ref name=harrison67>Harrison, p. 67.</ref> 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.<ref name=harrison67 /> Morgan had the advantage of surprise, however, having selected [[Brandenburg, Kentucky|Brandenburg]] as his target instead.<ref name=harrison67 /> 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]]''.<ref name=harrison68>Harrison, p. 68.</ref> By midnight, all of Morgan's men were on Indiana soil.<ref name=harrison67 />

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.<ref name="harrison68"/> 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.<ref>Harrison, pp. 68–69.</ref>

Morgan was taken to a penitentiary in [[Columbus, Ohio]], but escaped with several of his officers in November 1863.<ref name=harrison69>Harrison, p. 69.</ref> 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.<ref name=harrison69 />

==Forrest raids Paducah==
[[File:Abstract of the Returns of the XXIII Corps, Department of the Ohio, responsible for the Military District of Kentucky (1st and 2nd Divisions), and the District of Western Kentucky (American Civil War).jpg|frame|left|Abstract of the Returns of the XXIII Corps, Department of the Ohio, responsible for the Military District of Kentucky (1st and 2nd Divisions), and the District of Western Kentucky<ref name="orr">The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies. / Series 1 – Volume 39 (Part III)</ref>]]
{{Main|Battle of Paducah}}
Following Morgan's capture in the summer of 1863, there were no major engagements fought in Kentucky until spring of 1864.<ref>Harrison, pp. 69–70.</ref> 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.<ref name=harrison70>Harrison, p. 70.</ref> In response, [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]], 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.<ref name=kleber706>Kleber, p. 706.</ref>

On March 25, 1864, Forrest commenced his attack.<ref name=kleber706 /> He met Colonel [[Stephen G. Hicks]] at [[Fort Anderson (Kentucky)|Fort Anderson]] and demanded an unconditional surrender.<ref name=kleber706 /> Knowing that Forrest's main objectives were to obtain supplies and horses, Hicks declined.<ref name=harrison71>Harrison, p. 71.</ref> 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.<ref name=harrison71 /> Forrest held the city for ten hours, destroying the Union headquarters, as well as the buildings housing the quartermaster and commissary.<ref name=kleber706 /> Forrest also captured a total of 200 horses and mules before withdrawing to [[Mayfield, Kentucky|Mayfield]].<ref name=kleber706 /> Following the raid, Forrest granted [[furlough]] to the Kentuckians under his command so they could secure better clothing and mounts.<ref name=kleber706 /> As agreed, every man reported back to [[Trenton, Tennessee]], on April 4.<ref name=harrison71 />

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.<ref name=harrison71 /> Furious, Forrest ordered Buford back into Kentucky.<ref name=harrison71 /> 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.<ref name=harrison71 /> They then rejoined Forrest in Tennessee.<ref name=harrison71 /> 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]].<ref name=kleber706 />

== 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.<ref name="louisville.edu"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Administration|first=National Cemetery|title=Camp Nelson National Cemetery - National Cemetery Administration|url=https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/campnelson.asp|access-date=2020-06-22|website=www.cem.va.gov|language=en}}</ref> Approximately, 24,000 Black Kentuckians, free and enslaved, served as Union soldiers.<ref name="Eblen-2017" /><ref name="louisville.edu" />

==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".<ref>Louis De Falaise, "General Stephen Gano Burbridge's Command in Kentucky", ''Register of the Kentucky Historical Society'', April 1971, Vol. 69 Issue 2, pp. 101-127.</ref>

It is important to take note that due to the Emancipation Proclamation, the severity of Martial Law under Burbridge and the enlistment of Kentucky slaves into Union regiments (Kentucky had the 2nd largest African American Union enlistment only behind Louisiana) Union support among native Kentuckians greatly diminished by war's end.  This is documented in Louisville by a prominent Washington DC journalist, Whitelaw Reid who accompanied Chief Justice [[Salmon P. Chase]] for a tour of the south from May 1, 1865, to May 1, 1866 .
Reid observed in 1865  “At Louisville a pleasant dinner party enabled us to meet the last collection of men from the midst of a Rebel community. At that time there was more loyalty in Nashville than in Louisville, and about as much in Charleston as in either. For the first and only time on the trip, save while we were under the Spanish flag, slaves waited on us at dinner. They were the last any of us were ever to see on American soil.”  This sentiment is also evident in the daily violence between Louisville citizens and the Union soldiers mustering out of the city to their home states during this period in what was known as the “war after the war” throughout the state.<ref>After the War: A Southern Tour, by Whitelaw Reid</ref><ref>Courier Journal "Thanksgiving 1866: Ky's wounds of war unhealed"  Nov. 21, 2016</ref>

==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.<ref>McKeever, C. ''Civil War Battle Flags of the Union Army and Order of Battle''. Knickerbocker Press: New York, 1997.</ref>

===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]].

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
|-
|colspan="3" align=center |'''Army of Kentucky'''<br />Maj. Gen. [[Gordon Granger]]
|-
| 1st Division<br />Brig. Gen. [[Andrew Jackson Smith|A.J. Smith]]||2nd Division<br />Brig. Gen. [[Quincy Adams Gilmore]]||3rd Division<br />Brig. Gen. [[Absalom Baird]]
|-
| 1st Brigade<br />Brig. Gen. Stephen Gano Burbridge||1st Brigade<br />Brig. Gen. [[Green Clay Smith|G. Clay Smith]]||1st Brigade<br />Col. John Coburn
|-
| 2nd Brigade<br />Col. William A. Landram||2nd Brigade<br />Col. Samuel A. Gilbert||2nd Brigade<br />Col. Peter T. Swain
|}
:*Granger's command also included garrisons at [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]], [[Danville, Kentucky|Danville]], [[Falmouth, Kentucky|Falmouth]], [[Nicholasville, Kentucky|Nicholasville]], and [[Frankfort, Kentucky]]

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
|-
| colspan="3" align="center" | Forces at [[Bowling Green, Kentucky]]<br />Brig. Gen. [[Mahlon D. Manson]]
|}
:*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
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
|-
| colspan="2" | {{center|1st Division—XXIII Corps<br />Created G.O. No. 103. A.G.O. April 27, 1863. Reorganized April 1864.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />[[Samuel D. Sturgis|S.D. Sturgis]], Brigadier General, June 1863<br />[[Samuel Powhatan Carter|S.P. Carter]], Brigadier General, July 10, 1863<br />[[Jeremiah Tilford Boyle|J.T. Boyle]], Brigadier General, August 6, 1863}}
|-
| U.S. Forces, So. Cent. Ky.—1st Division, XXIII Corps<br />Organized October 1863. Discontinued January 1864. Transferred to Dept. of the Ohio.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />E.H. Hobson, Brigadier General, October 1863||U.S. Forces, Eastetern Ky.—1st Division, XXIII Corps<br />Organized October 1863. Discontinued January 1864. Transferred to Dept. of the Ohio.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />G.W. Gallup, Col. 14th KY. Vols., October 1863
|-
| U.S. Forces, Somerset, Ky.—1st Division, XXIII Corps<br />Organized October 1863. Discontinued January 1864. Transferred to Dept. of the Ohio.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />[[Theophilus Toulmin Garrard|T.T. Garrard]], Brigadier General, October 22, 1863||U.S. Forces, No. Cent. Ky—1st Division, XXIII Corps<br />Organized October 1863. Discontinued January 1864. Transferred to Dept. of the Ohio.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />[[Speed S. Fry|S.S. Fry]], Brigadier General, October 1863
|-
| colspan="2" halign="left" | U.S. Forces, S.W. Cent. Ky—1st Division, XXIII Corps<br />Organized October 1863. Discontinued January 1864. Transferred to Dept. of the Ohio.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />C. Maxwell, Col. 26th Ky. Vols., October 1863
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
|-
| align=center| District of Columbus, Ky (6th Division, [[XVI Corps (ACW)|XVI Corps]])<br />Denominated 6th Division, XVI Corps, March 1863.<br />Changed to 3rd Division, 16th Corps, January 1864.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />[[Alexander Sandor Asboth|A. Asboth]], Brigadier General, January 1863<br />[[Andrew Jackson Smith|A.J. Smith]], Brigadier General, August 5, 1863
|-
| 1st Brigade—6th Division–XVI Corps<br />Organized July 14, 1863. Transferred to Cavalry Division, December 1863.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />Geo. E. Waring Jr., Col. 4th Mo. Cav., July & October 1863<br />C.H. Fox, Col. 101st Ills. Vols., August 22, 1863<br />J.K. Mills, Col. 24th Mo. Vols., September 3, 1863
|}
:*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]].

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
|-
| colspan="2" align=center | 5th Division, [[XXIII Corps (ACW)|XXIII Corps]] or District of Kentucky<br />Organized April 1864.<br />Transferred to Department of the Cumberland, January 1865. G.O. No 5, A.G. O.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />S.G. Burbridge, Brigadier-General, April 1864
|-
| align=center | 1st Division, District of Kentucky<br />Organized April 10, 1864.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />[[Edward H. Hobson|E.H. Hobson]], Brigadier General, April 9 & December 9, 1864<br />[[Nathaniel Collins McLean|N.C. McLean]], Brigadier General, July 6, 1864
| valign="top" align=center | 2nd Division, District of Kentucky<br />Organized April 1864<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />[[Hugh Ewing]], Brigadier General, April 7, 1864
|-
| 1st Brigade—1st Division–Dist. of Kentucky<br />Organized April 1684.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />G.W. Gallup, Col. 14th Ky Mtd. Inf., April 13, 1864<br />S.B. Brown, Col. 11th Mich. Cav., May 13, 1864<br />E.H. Hobson, Brigadier General, July 6, 1864<br />C.J. True, Col. 40th Ky Vols., October 6, 1864|| valign="top" |1st Brigade—2nd Division–Dist. of Kentucky<br />Organized April 1864.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />[[Sanders D. Bruce|S.D. Bruce]], Col. [[20th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry|20th Ky. Vols.]], April 1684<br />T.B. Fairleigh, Lt. Col. [[26th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry|26th Ky. Vols.]], May 1864
|-
| 2nd Brigade—1st Division–Dist. of Kentucky<br />Organized April 1864.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />C.J. True, Col. 40th Ky. Mtd. Inf., April 1864<br />J.M. Brown, Col. 45th Ky. Mtd. Inf., July 6, 1864<br />F.N. Alexander, Col. 30th Ky. Vols., September 1864|| rowspan="3" valign="top" |2nd Brigade—2nd Division–Dist. of Kentucky<br />Organized April 1864.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />C. Maxwell, Col. 26th Ky. Vols., April & September 1864<br />J.H. Grider, Col. 52nd Ky. Vols., July 1864<br />S.P. Love, Col. [[11th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry|11th Ky. Vols.]], November 1864<br />D.J. Dill, Col. 30th Wis. Vols., December 1864
|-
| 3rd Brigade—1st Division–Dist. of Kentucky<br />Organized April 1864<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />C.S. Hanson, Col. 37th Ky. Mtd. Inf., April 13, 1864<br />B.J. Spaulding, Lt. Col. 37th Ky. Vols., October 1864
|-
| 4th Brigade—1st Division–Dist of Kentucky<br />Organized April 1864<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />J.M. Brown, Col. 45th Ky. Mtd. Inf., April 1864<br />R.W. Ratliff, Col. 12th Ohio Cav, July 1864
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
|-
| colspan="2" align=center | District of Western Kentucky<br />Organized August 1864. Discontinued January 1865.<br />Commander, Date Assigned<br />[[Eleazar Arthur Paine|E.A. Paine]], Brigadier General, August 1864<br />[[Solomon Meredith|S. Meredith]], Brigadier-General, September 12, 1864
|}

==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]]
* [[History of slavery in 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]]
* [[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]]
* [[Battle of Cynthiana]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Bailey |first=Bill |title=Kentucky State Parks |publisher=Glovebox Guidebooks of America |location=[[Saginaw, Michigan]] |year=1995 |isbn=1-881139-13-1}}
* {{cite book |title=The Civil War in Kentucky: Battle for the Bluegrass |editor=Kent Masterson Brown |publisher=Savas Publishing Company |location=[[Mason City, Iowa]] |year=2000 |isbn=1-882810-47-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Cantrell |first=Doug |title=Kentucky Through the Centuries: A Collection of Documents & Essays |publisher=Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company |location=[[Dubuque, Iowa]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-7575-2012-X |author2=Thomas D. Matijasic |author3=Richard Holl |author4=Lorie Maltby |author5=Richard Smoot }}
* {{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Kentucky |publisher=Somerset Publishers |location=[[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]] |year=1987 |isbn=0-403-09981-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Harrison |first=Lowell H. |author-link=Lowell H. Harrison |title=The Civil War in Kentucky |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=[[Lexington, Kentucky]] |year=1975 |isbn=0-8131-0209-X |url=https://archive.org/details/civilwarinkentuc00harr|url-access=registration }}
* {{cite book |title=''Kentucky's Governors'' |editor=[[Lowell H. Harrison]] |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=[[Lexington, Kentucky]] |year=2004 |isbn=0-8131-2326-7}}
* {{cite book |editor=Kleber, John E. |others=Associate editors: [[Thomas D. Clark]], [[Lowell H. Harrison]], and [[James C. Klotter]] |title=The Kentucky Encyclopedia |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |isbn=0-8131-1772-0}}
* {{cite book|title=Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865|author-link=James C. Klotter|last1=Klotter|first1=James C.|last2=Harrison|first2=Lowell|author-link2=Lowell H. Harrison|last3=Ramage|first3=James|last4=Roland|first4=Charles|last5=Taylor|first5=Richard|last6=Bush|first6=Bryan S|last7=Fugate|first7=Tom|last8=Hibbs|first8=Dixie|last9=Matthews|first9=Lisa|last10=Moody|first10=Robert C.|last11=Myers|first11=Marshall|last12=Sanders|first12=Stuart|last13=McBride|first13=Stephen|editor-last=Rose|editor-first=Jerlene|year=2005|location=Clay City, Kentucky|publisher=Back Home In Kentucky, Inc.|isbn = 0-9769231-1-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Powell |first=Robert A. |title=''Kentucky Governors'' |publisher=Kentucky Images |location=[[Frankfort, Kentucky]] |year=1976 |oclc=2690774 }}
* Smith, John David. "Whither Kentucky Civil War and Reconstruction Scholarship?." ''Register of the Kentucky Historical Society ''112.2 (2014): 223–247. [http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/register_of_the_kentucky_historical_society/v112/112.2.smith01.html online]
* {{cite book |last=Thomas |first=Edison H. |title=John Hunt Morgan and His Raiders |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=[[Lexington, Kentucky]] |year=1975 |isbn=0-8131-0214-6}}
{{Div col end}}

==Further reading==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* Astor, Aaron. ''Rebels on the Border: Civil War, Emancipation, and the Reconstruction of Kentucky and Missouri'' (Louisiana State University Press; 2012) 360 pp
* {{cite book |first=Bryan S. |last=Bush |year=2008 |title=Butcher Burbridge: Union General Stephen Burbridge and His Reign of Terror Over Kentucky |publisher=Acclaim Press |location=[[Morley, Missouri]] |isbn=978-0-9798802-5-4}}
* Brown, Kent Masterton. ''The Civil War in Kentucky: Battle for the Bluegrass State'' (Da Capo Press, 2007)
* {{cite book |first=Bryan S. |last=Bush |title=The Civil War Battles of the Western Theatre |year=1998 |publisher=Turner Publishing, Inc. |location=[[Paducah, Kentucky]] |edition = 2000 |isbn=1-56311-434-8}}
* Bush, Bryan S. ''Louisville and the Civil War: A History and Guide'' (2008) [https://www.amazon.com/Louisville-Civil-War-History-Guide/dp/1596295546/  excerpt and text search]
* Cotterill, R. S. "The Louisville and Nashville Railroad 1861–1865," ''American Historical Review'' (1924) 29#4 pp.&nbsp;700–715 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1841233 in JSTOR]
* Coulter, E. Merton. ''The Civil War and Readjustment in Kentucky'' (1926), the standard scholarly study [https://archive.org/details/civilwarreadjust0000coul 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) 391 pp; 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 overview [https://archive.org/details/civilwarinkentuc00harr online]
* Harrison, Lowell H.  "The Civil War in Kentucky: Some Persistent Questions." ''The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society'' (1978): 1–21. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/23378644 in JSTOR]
* Howard, Victor B. "The Civil War in Kentucky: The Slave Claims His Freedom." ''Journal of Negro History'' (1982): 245–256. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2717389 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. [http://mtw160-198.ippl.jhu.edu/journals/civil_war_history/v006/6.1.mcwhiney.pdf 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)
* [[Frances Dallam Peter|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) [https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=61648056 online]
* Wooster, Ralph A. "Confederate Success at Perryville," ''The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society'' (1961) 59#4 pp.&nbsp;318–323 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/23374696 in JSTOR](University 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. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/23386623 in JSTOR]
{{Div col end}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
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* [http://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt734t6f2x70/guide 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
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120210211155/http://www.bryansbush.com/hub.php?page=articles&layer=a0807 "Guerilla Warfare in Kentucky"] – Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush
* [http://www.bencaudill.com 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.]
* [http://kygermanscw.yolasite.com Kentucky's German Americans in the Civil War]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120206190551/http://www.bryansbush.com/hub.php?page=articles&layer=a0607 "Major General Stephen Gano Burbridge: 'The Scourge of Kentucky'"]  – Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120218040024/http://www.bryansbush.com/hub.php?page=articles&layer=a0912 "Morgan's Christmas Raid"] – Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush
* [http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/KYmap.htm National Park Service map of Civil War sites in Kentucky]
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{{Kentucky in the Civil War}}
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