The Civil War in Kentucky

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The civil War in Kentucky

Introduction

Kentucky was one of the "b states " in the Civil War , both geographically and politically . It was situated on the dividing line between the northern and southern regions of the United States . And it was one of only a few slave states that opted to stay in the Union Though the Commonwealth was officially neutral , its citizens were deeply divided over the issues that caused the Civil War , and over the war itself -- a division

symbolized by the fact that both Civil War presidents , Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis , were Kentucky native sons (Lowell 1987

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 . 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 . 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 (Lowell 1987

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 were gaining prominence (Lowell 1987

Politically , Kentucky was proud of its role in preserving the Union . It was also proud that Commonwealth had produced some of the country 's best known leaders . Former Vice-Presidents John C .Breckinridge and Richard M . Johnson both hailed from the Bluegrass state , as did Henry Clay and future president Abraham Lincoln . However by the time of the Civil War , the Commonwealth was in a politically confused state . The decline of the Whig Party , which Clay had founded had left many politicians looking for an identity . Many joined the increasingly popular Democratic Party a few joined the newly-formed Republican Party , while still others associated with one of numerous minor parties such as the Known Nothing Party (Lowell 1987

Through the work of the Great Compromiser , Kentucky Senator Henry Clay conflict was prevented for more than 30 years , even though bitter feelings between the Northern and Southern states over tariffs , states rights , and the slavery issue threatened to rip the country apart . At the time of the Civil War , the Kentucky governor , Beriah Magoffin , was a Southern sympathizer , while the representatives in the legislature supported the Union . When the time came for the legislature to vote whether to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy or agree to provide troops for the Federal army , the representatives voted to remain neutral , angering many Kentuckians who supported the South (Lowell 1987

By law , Kentucky was a slave state...