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- Jan 16, 2015
Although no Kentucky units were present at Gettysburg, perhaps several dozen native Kentuckians served in the campaign. In the Union Army of the Potomac, we might expect to find them in units raised in loyal states bordering Kentucky (Ohio, Indiana and Illinois). In the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, several formed part of Company H of the 3rd Arkansas, while others were scattered among various commands. In addition, a number of Gettysburg participants had been educated in Kentucky, notably at the Kentucky Military Institute in Lyndon; Centre College in Danville; and Transylvania University in Lexington.
I am indebted to Geoff Walden, who in 2001 posted the following information at an online site from which I quote verbatim: "Company H of the 3rd Arkansas Infantry was actually formed by Kentuckians. The company, called the 'Blackburn Guards' (for future Kentucky Governor Luke Blackburn, who paid to arm and equip the unit), was formed the early summer of 1861 by Capt. Samuel Reid of Covington. The men apparently came from different parts of the state, with (at least) the following counties represented: Kenton, Lincoln, Bullitt, Hardin, Christian and Mercer. … They apparently acted as an independent company for a while … Reid took his men to Nashville, where the company was mustered into service in June 1861, and assigned to the unit that would become the 3rd Arkansas. Evidently, this unit was passing through Nashville on its way to the Eastern Theater, and Reid's company was assigned at that time. Since Reid's company did not muster a full complement, and there were no other Kentucky infantry units in the area at the time, the authorities must have decided to assign the Kentuckians to the Arkansas unit. In any case, the 'Blackburn Guards' were mustered into service as Co. H, 3rd Arkansas Infantry, on July 5, 1861, at Lynchburg, Virginia. The Kentuckians formed a little over half the company, with Reid as the Captain, and Kentuckians also as the 2nd Lieutenant and 1st Sergeant."
The following list of Kentuckians are highlighted in bold if confirmed to have been present at Gettysburg. Welcome additions to the list.
USA
Brigadier General John Buford. Born in Woodford County on March 4, 1826, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1848 and served on the frontier. At Gettysburg, his cavalry division held back Confederate forces for a critical period on the morning of July 1. He would die on December 16 of that year, soon after learning of his promotion to major general.
Brigadier General William Harrow. Born in Winchester on November 22, 1822, he commanded a brigade at Gettysburg.
Colonel Kenner Garrard, 146th New York. Born in Bourbon County in September 1827, his grandfather was the second Governor of Kentucky. He attended Harvard College for several months before transferring to West Point, where he graduated in 1851. Upon the death of Stephen Weed on Little Round Top, he assumed command of the brigade and was made a brigadier general three weeks later.
Company C of the 27th Indiana was represented by seven Indiana counties and one county in Kentucky.
CSA
Major General John Bell Hood. Born in Owingsville, Bath County on June 1, 1831, he graduated from West Point in 1849. After leading the "Texas Brigade," he was promoted to major general on October 10, 1862. A division commander at Gettysburg, he was wounded by an artillery round early in the fight on July 2 and lost an arm. He became a full general in July 1864.
Brigadier General Jerome Bonaparte Robertson. Born in Woodford County on March 14, 1815, he graduated from Transylvania College in 1835. A veteran of frontier fighting, he served in the Texas House of Representatives and Senate from 1847-1851. In the Civil War, he was a field grade officer in the 5th Texas before his promotion to brigadier general on November 1, 1862, and led the "Texas Brigade" at Gettysburg.
2nd Lieutenant John R. Taliaferro, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. Born in Kentucky around 1832, he enlisted at Tyro, Arkansas on June 15, 1861. He received a gunshot wound to his leg on July 2 that injured the tibia. Following the battle he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant.
3rd Lieutenant Josephus Miles, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. He enlisted as a private in the Blackburn Guards and was elected Third (Junior) Lieutenant on February 15, 1863. The rolls suggest he was probably at Gettysburg; he succeeded Taliaferro as 2nd Lieutenant, to take effect July 2.
1st Sergeant Napoleon T. Tshear, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. An original member of the Blackburn Guards, he was 32 years old when mustered for the war in the summer of 1861, as a private. Wounded and captured at Gettysburg, he spent over three months at Camp Letterman General Hospital before being transferred to the West's Buildings Hospital in Baltimore. He was paroled on November 12, 1863, and sent to City Point, Virginia for exchange. His service record notes his right arm was amputated at the shoulder.
4th Sergeant James W. "Jack" Castleman, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. Born around 1843, he resided in Hardin County at the time of his enlistment as a private in the Blackburn Guards, on June 10, 1861. Mortally wounded in the thigh and captured at Gettysburg, he died at the division hospital established on the Plank farm. In 1872, his remains were removed to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.
3rd Corporal Richard H. "Dick" Brashear, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. Born around 1843, he was a resident of Jefferson County when he joined the Blackburn Guards in June 1861 as a private. His left ankle was fractured by an artillery round at Gettysburg before the regiment's advance on July 2, and he was left to be taken captive three days later. At Camp Letterman for several weeks, he was paroled from the West's Buildings Hospital in Baltimore on November 12, 1863, having been promoted to sergeant.
Private John Carter, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. Born around 1832, Carter was enrolled with the Blackburn Guards on June 10, 1861. He was marked present on all rolls through June 1863 and was likely present at Gettysburg.
Private Alexander Crittenden Shean, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. A resident of Hardin County, he enlisted in the Blackburn Guards in June 1861 and was present on all subsequent rolls until declared missing then captured at Gettysburg on July 2 or 3. After establishing that he took the Oath of Allegiance as a prisoner at Fort Delaware in April 1864, he was dropped from the rolls.
Surgeon George Rogers Clark Todd, brigade surgeon of Semmes' Brigade. Born July 2, 1825, in Lexington, Todd received his medical degree from Transylvania University in 1850. His older sister, Mary, married a country lawyer named Abraham Lincoln and later became a First Lady.
Private William E. Glassey (or Glassay), Company B, 18th Mississippi. Born in Kentucky, he enlisted at Yazoo City, Mississippi on April 27, 1861. Captured the second day at Gettysburg, he likely returned to his regiment by September, but was soon marked "absent, sick," then "absent without leave," and by April 1864 was labeled a deserter. He was captured in Cooke County, Tennessee on January 31, 1865.
Private Isaac C. Roberts, Company B, 1st Louisiana. A farmer from Kentucky, he enlisted on August 2, 1862, and served until left behind at Gettysburg to attend the wounded. He was held at Fort Delaware until March 7, 1865.
Private Silas S. Tibbetts, Company I, 8th Louisiana. Born in Kentucky, he was employed as a cook at the time of his enlistment on March 4, 1862. At Gettysburg, he was detached to tend to the wounded. Captured on July 5, he may have been allowed to remain at a field hospital for up to three weeks, until sent to West's Buildings Hospital in Baltimore on July 26. On August 21, he was forwarded to Point Lookout, where he was released upon taking the Oath of Allegiance on April 16, 1864.
Private James Williamson, Company G, 10th Louisiana. A native of Kentucky, he spent most of the war on detached service as a teamster, including the period May-August 1863, so he likely participated in the Gettysburg campaign.
Private Charles McNaught, Company C, 14th Louisiana. Born in Kentucky, he was working as a stonecutter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania prior to his enlistment in New Orleans on June 6, 1861. He was killed at Gettysburg on July 3, when his regiment attacked Culp's Hill.
Private John T. Scroggs, Company K, 14th Louisiana. Born in Kentucky, he was a rope maker when he enlisted on June 12, 1861, at New Orleans, at the age of 26. He was captured on July 5 after the Confederate withdrawal from Gettysburg and was held a prisoner at Fort Delaware until March 1865.
Main Sources:
-Kentucky-Born Generals in the Civil War, by Lowell H. Harrison.
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenner_Garrard
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_B._Robertson
-"Blackburn Guards," by Geoff Walden, 4 Jan 2001, Rootsweb Message Boards, Kentucky, 6/24/2001.
-Compiled service records, Fold3.
-Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey.
-Records of Confederate Soldiers from Louisiana, Andrew B. Booth.
-Lee's Foreign Legion, A History of the 10th Louisiana Infantry, by Thomas W. Brooks and Michael D. Jones.
-Walker County Messenger, Lafayette, Ga., June 16, 1905, p. 7 (pertaining to Glassey).
I am indebted to Geoff Walden, who in 2001 posted the following information at an online site from which I quote verbatim: "Company H of the 3rd Arkansas Infantry was actually formed by Kentuckians. The company, called the 'Blackburn Guards' (for future Kentucky Governor Luke Blackburn, who paid to arm and equip the unit), was formed the early summer of 1861 by Capt. Samuel Reid of Covington. The men apparently came from different parts of the state, with (at least) the following counties represented: Kenton, Lincoln, Bullitt, Hardin, Christian and Mercer. … They apparently acted as an independent company for a while … Reid took his men to Nashville, where the company was mustered into service in June 1861, and assigned to the unit that would become the 3rd Arkansas. Evidently, this unit was passing through Nashville on its way to the Eastern Theater, and Reid's company was assigned at that time. Since Reid's company did not muster a full complement, and there were no other Kentucky infantry units in the area at the time, the authorities must have decided to assign the Kentuckians to the Arkansas unit. In any case, the 'Blackburn Guards' were mustered into service as Co. H, 3rd Arkansas Infantry, on July 5, 1861, at Lynchburg, Virginia. The Kentuckians formed a little over half the company, with Reid as the Captain, and Kentuckians also as the 2nd Lieutenant and 1st Sergeant."
The following list of Kentuckians are highlighted in bold if confirmed to have been present at Gettysburg. Welcome additions to the list.
USA
Brigadier General John Buford. Born in Woodford County on March 4, 1826, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1848 and served on the frontier. At Gettysburg, his cavalry division held back Confederate forces for a critical period on the morning of July 1. He would die on December 16 of that year, soon after learning of his promotion to major general.
Brigadier General William Harrow. Born in Winchester on November 22, 1822, he commanded a brigade at Gettysburg.
Colonel Kenner Garrard, 146th New York. Born in Bourbon County in September 1827, his grandfather was the second Governor of Kentucky. He attended Harvard College for several months before transferring to West Point, where he graduated in 1851. Upon the death of Stephen Weed on Little Round Top, he assumed command of the brigade and was made a brigadier general three weeks later.
Company C of the 27th Indiana was represented by seven Indiana counties and one county in Kentucky.
CSA
Major General John Bell Hood. Born in Owingsville, Bath County on June 1, 1831, he graduated from West Point in 1849. After leading the "Texas Brigade," he was promoted to major general on October 10, 1862. A division commander at Gettysburg, he was wounded by an artillery round early in the fight on July 2 and lost an arm. He became a full general in July 1864.
Brigadier General Jerome Bonaparte Robertson. Born in Woodford County on March 14, 1815, he graduated from Transylvania College in 1835. A veteran of frontier fighting, he served in the Texas House of Representatives and Senate from 1847-1851. In the Civil War, he was a field grade officer in the 5th Texas before his promotion to brigadier general on November 1, 1862, and led the "Texas Brigade" at Gettysburg.
2nd Lieutenant John R. Taliaferro, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. Born in Kentucky around 1832, he enlisted at Tyro, Arkansas on June 15, 1861. He received a gunshot wound to his leg on July 2 that injured the tibia. Following the battle he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant.
3rd Lieutenant Josephus Miles, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. He enlisted as a private in the Blackburn Guards and was elected Third (Junior) Lieutenant on February 15, 1863. The rolls suggest he was probably at Gettysburg; he succeeded Taliaferro as 2nd Lieutenant, to take effect July 2.
1st Sergeant Napoleon T. Tshear, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. An original member of the Blackburn Guards, he was 32 years old when mustered for the war in the summer of 1861, as a private. Wounded and captured at Gettysburg, he spent over three months at Camp Letterman General Hospital before being transferred to the West's Buildings Hospital in Baltimore. He was paroled on November 12, 1863, and sent to City Point, Virginia for exchange. His service record notes his right arm was amputated at the shoulder.
4th Sergeant James W. "Jack" Castleman, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. Born around 1843, he resided in Hardin County at the time of his enlistment as a private in the Blackburn Guards, on June 10, 1861. Mortally wounded in the thigh and captured at Gettysburg, he died at the division hospital established on the Plank farm. In 1872, his remains were removed to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.
3rd Corporal Richard H. "Dick" Brashear, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. Born around 1843, he was a resident of Jefferson County when he joined the Blackburn Guards in June 1861 as a private. His left ankle was fractured by an artillery round at Gettysburg before the regiment's advance on July 2, and he was left to be taken captive three days later. At Camp Letterman for several weeks, he was paroled from the West's Buildings Hospital in Baltimore on November 12, 1863, having been promoted to sergeant.
Private John Carter, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. Born around 1832, Carter was enrolled with the Blackburn Guards on June 10, 1861. He was marked present on all rolls through June 1863 and was likely present at Gettysburg.
Private Alexander Crittenden Shean, Company H, 3rd Arkansas. A resident of Hardin County, he enlisted in the Blackburn Guards in June 1861 and was present on all subsequent rolls until declared missing then captured at Gettysburg on July 2 or 3. After establishing that he took the Oath of Allegiance as a prisoner at Fort Delaware in April 1864, he was dropped from the rolls.
Surgeon George Rogers Clark Todd, brigade surgeon of Semmes' Brigade. Born July 2, 1825, in Lexington, Todd received his medical degree from Transylvania University in 1850. His older sister, Mary, married a country lawyer named Abraham Lincoln and later became a First Lady.
Private William E. Glassey (or Glassay), Company B, 18th Mississippi. Born in Kentucky, he enlisted at Yazoo City, Mississippi on April 27, 1861. Captured the second day at Gettysburg, he likely returned to his regiment by September, but was soon marked "absent, sick," then "absent without leave," and by April 1864 was labeled a deserter. He was captured in Cooke County, Tennessee on January 31, 1865.
Private Isaac C. Roberts, Company B, 1st Louisiana. A farmer from Kentucky, he enlisted on August 2, 1862, and served until left behind at Gettysburg to attend the wounded. He was held at Fort Delaware until March 7, 1865.
Private Silas S. Tibbetts, Company I, 8th Louisiana. Born in Kentucky, he was employed as a cook at the time of his enlistment on March 4, 1862. At Gettysburg, he was detached to tend to the wounded. Captured on July 5, he may have been allowed to remain at a field hospital for up to three weeks, until sent to West's Buildings Hospital in Baltimore on July 26. On August 21, he was forwarded to Point Lookout, where he was released upon taking the Oath of Allegiance on April 16, 1864.
Private James Williamson, Company G, 10th Louisiana. A native of Kentucky, he spent most of the war on detached service as a teamster, including the period May-August 1863, so he likely participated in the Gettysburg campaign.
Private Charles McNaught, Company C, 14th Louisiana. Born in Kentucky, he was working as a stonecutter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania prior to his enlistment in New Orleans on June 6, 1861. He was killed at Gettysburg on July 3, when his regiment attacked Culp's Hill.
Private John T. Scroggs, Company K, 14th Louisiana. Born in Kentucky, he was a rope maker when he enlisted on June 12, 1861, at New Orleans, at the age of 26. He was captured on July 5 after the Confederate withdrawal from Gettysburg and was held a prisoner at Fort Delaware until March 1865.
Main Sources:
-Kentucky-Born Generals in the Civil War, by Lowell H. Harrison.
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenner_Garrard
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_B._Robertson
-"Blackburn Guards," by Geoff Walden, 4 Jan 2001, Rootsweb Message Boards, Kentucky, 6/24/2001.
-Compiled service records, Fold3.
-Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey.
-Records of Confederate Soldiers from Louisiana, Andrew B. Booth.
-Lee's Foreign Legion, A History of the 10th Louisiana Infantry, by Thomas W. Brooks and Michael D. Jones.
-Walker County Messenger, Lafayette, Ga., June 16, 1905, p. 7 (pertaining to Glassey).
Bringing the