Paul Yancey
Sergeant
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2019
- Location
- Kentucky
There was probably not a more hated Union General in Kentucky than General Stephen Burbridge. General Burbridge was born in Scott County, Kentucky in 1831 and was educated at Georgetown College in Kentucky. The following quote regarding Burbridge comes from the book Generals In Blue by Ezra J. Warner : "His administration of Kentucky earned him the enmity of the duly constituted civil authorities as well as the populace. After the Civil War he and his family were socially and financially ostracized. In 1867 he confessed that he was not "able to live in safety or do business in Kentucky" and complained that "my services to my country have caused me to be exiled from my home."
While doing research on the Civil War in Kentucky I came across the following incident which is described in the book Reflections On Frankfort 1751-1900 by Frank W. Sower. I quote from the book:
"On November 2, 1864, four innocent Confederate prisoners were executed in Frankfort by order of General Burbridge in reprisal for the murder of Union supporter Robert Graham of Peaks Mill - all for the gratification of Burbridge, who decided on that form of brutal revenge. Three of the four Confederates were Kentuckians: Elijah Horton (Carter County), Thomas Hunt (Mason County), and Thornton Lafferty (Pendleton County); the fourth was a Captain Jones of a Texas regiment."
"Manacled and guarded, the men were transported from the Federal prison at Lexington and stationed near the depot in Frankfort. From early morning until late afternoon they stood there in the pouring rain. The delay was caused by the refusal of the citizens to allow any of their property to be used as a slaughter pen for Southern sympathizers. About four o'clock in the afternoon, the men were taken to a vacant lot near a stone wall on the northwest corner of Shelby and Todd Streets. The men were placed against the stone fence facing the firing squad. The first volley completely missed Thornton Lafferty. Although ordered to reload and fire again, the Union squad refused on account of Lafferty's age; they wanted to spare his life. So a Michigan squad replaced that one, and as they exchanged places, the women of Miss Sallie Jackson's home pleaded for the life of the gray-haired Lafferty and yelled for him to run to their house for protection. He started toward them but the soldiers threatened to kill the women if they tried to shield him. Lafferty heard the threat and exclaimed, "Don't shoot any women on my account." He then deliberately and stoically walked back to his place against the fence and was shot."
"The burial of the four men took place under the shroud of night - uncoffined, unwept, unhonored, and unsung, with manacles still attached to their limbs. A few months afterwards, Hunt came for the body of his son. After removing the manacles from his hands and ankles, he placed the body in a handsome casket and then took his son home with him to Maysville, Kentucky. The three bodies left in the grave were removed to the Confederate lot in the Frankfort Cemetery following the close of the Civil War, and a cross marking each man's grave was erected."
While doing research on the Civil War in Kentucky I came across the following incident which is described in the book Reflections On Frankfort 1751-1900 by Frank W. Sower. I quote from the book:
"On November 2, 1864, four innocent Confederate prisoners were executed in Frankfort by order of General Burbridge in reprisal for the murder of Union supporter Robert Graham of Peaks Mill - all for the gratification of Burbridge, who decided on that form of brutal revenge. Three of the four Confederates were Kentuckians: Elijah Horton (Carter County), Thomas Hunt (Mason County), and Thornton Lafferty (Pendleton County); the fourth was a Captain Jones of a Texas regiment."
"Manacled and guarded, the men were transported from the Federal prison at Lexington and stationed near the depot in Frankfort. From early morning until late afternoon they stood there in the pouring rain. The delay was caused by the refusal of the citizens to allow any of their property to be used as a slaughter pen for Southern sympathizers. About four o'clock in the afternoon, the men were taken to a vacant lot near a stone wall on the northwest corner of Shelby and Todd Streets. The men were placed against the stone fence facing the firing squad. The first volley completely missed Thornton Lafferty. Although ordered to reload and fire again, the Union squad refused on account of Lafferty's age; they wanted to spare his life. So a Michigan squad replaced that one, and as they exchanged places, the women of Miss Sallie Jackson's home pleaded for the life of the gray-haired Lafferty and yelled for him to run to their house for protection. He started toward them but the soldiers threatened to kill the women if they tried to shield him. Lafferty heard the threat and exclaimed, "Don't shoot any women on my account." He then deliberately and stoically walked back to his place against the fence and was shot."
"The burial of the four men took place under the shroud of night - uncoffined, unwept, unhonored, and unsung, with manacles still attached to their limbs. A few months afterwards, Hunt came for the body of his son. After removing the manacles from his hands and ankles, he placed the body in a handsome casket and then took his son home with him to Maysville, Kentucky. The three bodies left in the grave were removed to the Confederate lot in the Frankfort Cemetery following the close of the Civil War, and a cross marking each man's grave was erected."