March 1862. Cavalry, see Confederate Veteran Vol. Quickly, General Johnston sent the 2nd Kentucky infantry and Gravess battery to Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River below the Kentucky border. sheriff of Taylor Co. from 1872-1874. They poured into the ranks from the great belt of counties in central Kentuckyfrom Hardin, Nelson, Mercer, Boyle, Shelby, Anderson, Franklin, Fayette, Harrison, Scott, Woodford, Jessamine and Bourbon, and from a host of others. Company A
(date and place not stated). Fought at Shiloh, where he was wounded and captured,
The diaries and letters of the Orphans reveal that those men were deeply religious; many were firm Southern Baptists, although their commanders were, in large measure, Presbyterians and Episcopalians. The Orphan Brigade veterans, to the last, formed a close fraternity. The loss of officers was horrendous. Died of disease at Lauderdale Springs, 10
record. Sergeant, 13 September 1861. CSA Units: 39: 1st Kentucky Brigade, CSA - The Orphan Brigade : 1st Kentucky Brigade, CSA - The Orphan Brigade - Rosters 1st Kentucky Brigade, CSA - The Orphan Brigade - History 1st Kentucky Brigade, CSA - Orphan Brigade Kinfolk Association 1st Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, Company E, CSA - Reenactors Breckenridge was replaced by Brig. Army. Deserted at Corinth, MS, 1 May 1862. Moved to Alabama and married Annie Herbert in 1864; died in Dallas Co., AL, in
Enlisted either 12
Died in Federal captivity. Sick in hospital in Bowling Green, January 1862. Paroled at Washington,
Charged $55 on payroll of December 1863 for lost gun and bayonet. Married Sue J.
With that act, the four holdout states promptly seceded from the Union, and Southern men and boys flocked to the call for volunteers to defend their homeland. Killed in action at Shiloh, 7 April 1862. his company and fought at Murfreesboro, Jackson, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face
A. J. Promoted to 2nd
Company F
ANDERSON, Winston W. From Green Co. Enlisted 12 October 1861 in Bowling Green,
THOMPSON, Alexander A. Historical Sketch & Roster of the South Carolina 8th Infantry Regiment (South Carolina Confederate Regimental History . at the Kentucky Confederate Home at Pewee Valley, 22 May 1907; buried in the Pewee Valley
By the end of the war, Kentucky had raised 55 Union infantry regiments and numerous infantry and Home Guard battalions, 17 Union cavalry regiments, and 5 batteries of Union artillery from every geographic region of the Commonwealth, including the rich lands of the Bluegrass. Glasgow, KY, cemetery. I have given the order to attack the enemy in your front and I expect it to be obeyed. The officers of the brigade, including Colonel Trabue and General Hanson, denounced the order as suicide. of this information in other web pages must include this page in its entirety, including a
BOSTON, Jesse. Muster Roll for Parole, Co. F, 4th Kentucky Mounted Infantry, Washington, GA, 7 May
The new legislature went so far as to make joining or supporting the Confederate Army a felony. Initially, the Orphans were helmed by Maj. Gen. John C. Breckenridge, who was wildly popular among the men, even after he was promoted and transferred. 13, No. pioneer corps, July-August 1863. Enlisted 2 September 1861 at Camp Burnett, TN, age
(possibly at Oxford, MS). 3 (Spring 1990), pp. "Tobey" From Wayne Co. Enlisted 1 September 1861 at
Joseph E. Johnstons Confederate forces which were forming in Mississippi to relieve Lieutenant General John Clifford Pembertons army then bottled up in the trenches surrounding Vicksburg by General Grants Union Army of the Tennessee. Captain Robert Cobbs Kentucky battery reported the loss of nearly all of its battery horses killed and wounded and 37 of its men wounded. It was then converted to mounted infantry, and opposed Sherman's March to
Learn more. After the war, unit histories and other written documents began commonly referring to the unit as the "Orphan Brigade," although there is little evidence that use of the term was widespread during the conflict. Appears in photo taken at 1905 Louisville Confederate veterans reunion. WILSON, William M. From Green Co. (1860 census - age 19, field hand, son of
Dropped from the rolls by 30 April 1862. Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. wounded in the left hand, 15 May 1864. The Orphans continued their advance in the face of punishing artillery fire until pandemonium reigned along the frozen Stones River. (Notes in his compiled military service record file say his record was
Murfreesboro, Jackson, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face Ridge, and Resaca. In 1880, he became a member of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, and, in 1881, Chief Justice of Kentucky, taking the place of former Orphan Colonel Martin Cofer, who had died. BURTON, George Hector. Later joined 3rd Kentucky
Enlisted 10 September 1864 at
Biography in Perrin, Battle, &
That was followed by reunions in Lexington in 1883, Elizabethtown in 1884, Glasgow in 1885, Cynthiana in 1886, Bardstown in 1887, Frankfort in 1888, Louisville in 1889, Lawrenceburg in 1890, Owensboro in 1891, Paris in 1892, Versailles in 1893, Russellville in 1894, Bowling Green in 1895, and finally Nashville, Tennessee in 1896. Before then, they always return false. 1877 and awarded a pension from the state of Texas in 1913. In 42 minutes of fighting, the Orphans lost 431 of the 1,197 men taken into battle, over one-fourth of the command. Citing reports from skirmishers that the ground over which the advance would proceed was dominated by Union artillery, General Breckinridge objected, claiming such an attack would be suicide. Enlisted 28 September 1861 in Nashville. at Lauderdale Springs, MS, August-December 1863. G, Company B (info and
See
at Camp Burnett, Tennessee, on 13 September 1861, as part of the First Kentucky Brigade,
Took part in some of the mounted campaign,
wounded on 6 April 1862. John Blakeman. Fought at
Atlanta; at Peachtree, Intrenchment, and Utoy Creeks; and at Jonesboro. On the first day at Shiloh, the brigade lost 75 killed and 350 wounded. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. Re-issued. The Orphan Brigade was the nickname of the First Kentucky Brigade, a group of military units recruited from Kentucky to fight for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. In early 1862, the Orphan Brigade numbered nearly 4,000 officers and men. The stalemate over the occupation by a United States garrison in Charleston Harbor (commanded by a Kentuckian, Major Robert Houston Anderson) erupted in the bombardment of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. to 4th Corporal, 1 October 1864. Shown as Sergeant on roll of 2 September 1862, and 1st Sergeant on roll
September 1866. Committed suicide, 2 February 1922; buried in
Fought in
Inf., Camp Boykins Mills, SC, 28 April 1865,
Listed as druggist in the 1860 Green Co.
Was mortally wounded and captured during the latter battle,
13, No. Sign up for our quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation. Enlisted 1 August 1861 at Camp Boone, age 22. Oldham Co., where he taught school, and later worked in the Louisville Public Works Dept. Charge bayonets. Returned to the 2nd Kentucky after that regiment was
Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, and Dallas; from Dallas to Atlanta; Peachtree,
Roster (complete name roster, by company, ftp site), Field and Staff
By the time the fighting ended, the command suffered losses of nearly 52%. Fought at Shiloh
Married 1st,
Married Mary B. Stockton, 3 June 1856. compiled by Geoffrey R. Walden
Such indictments in areas like Breathitt County in the eastern Kentucky Mountains precipitated some of the feuds among families which lasted for generations. Daniel Blakeman. Transferred to 6th Kentucky Cavalry, 16
mounted infantry, sometimes in the ranks, and sometimes with the party of scouts. No Kentucky commands that fought in the Civil War, save for Brigadier General John Hunt Morgans cavalry, were more well-known and well-respected than those that formed the First Kentucky Brigade, or, as it was affectionately known, the Orphan Brigade. Having detached the 3rd Kentucky and the two battalions from Alabama and Tennessee and now left to his own discretion, Trabue advanced his commandthe 4th, 6th and 9th Kentucky infantry regiments and the 31st Alabama Infantry (with Morgans Kentucky squadron of cavalry abreast) supported by Cobbs and Byrnes batteries across the fields toward the Tennessee River. Discharged 22 September 1862, due to "constitutional debility consequent from
The Orphans soon came under the command of the magnetic Kentuckian, Brigadier General John Cabell Breckinridge. Settled in Oldham Co. as a farmer. [10], As the Union skirmish lines and then the infantry columns slowly withdrew before the ferocious attack, they unmasked Captain John Mendenhalls massed Union artillery batteries 58 guns in all on top of the bluff to the left of the Orphans. September 1861 at Camp Burnett, age 25 (shown as age 26 in 1860 census). Army. 1860 Green Co. census - merchant in business with John Barnett. 14 May 1864). List of Casualties, 4th Ky. Rgt. Macon, GA, September-November 1864 and January 1865. Volunteer Infantry
1865
Within weeks of Abraham Lincolns election to the Presidency, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Livingston, Sumter Co., Alabama. age 33. detachment in January 1865. Andrew Jackson "Jack" Russell
: Roster Co. H, 2 nd Nebraska Cavalry Volunteers Official Roster, Nebraska Troops M. New Hampshire . Paroled at Camp Chase, 24
Johnsons horse was shot down early in the advance, but he picked up a musket and joined Captain Benjamin James Monroes Company E, 4th Kentucky Infantry, as a foot soldier. news . 1863. Married Mary Ella Gray, 2 April 1868. Timeline of Kentucky in the American Civil War, List of Kentucky Civil War Confederate units, http://www.spaldingcounty.com/historical_markers/picture12_cropped.jpg, "Page 1050 of History of the Orphan brigade - Kentucky Digital Library", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Orphan_Brigade&oldid=1136371693, 1865 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state), Military units and formations established in 1861, Military units and formations disestablished in 1865, Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Kentucky, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Morgan's Men, organized at Bowling Green, November 5, 1861, 41st Alabama Infantry (fought as part of the Orphan Brigade at Murfreesboro, the Siege of Jackson and Chickamauga), 1st Kentucky Cavalry, organized at Bowling Green 1861, This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 01:00. Absent sick at
in Oxford, MS, September-December 1862. April 1862. Kelly marker, Ben B. Scott, D.L. Centre College, Transylvania Law School, Harvard Law School, Yale College, Princeton College, and the United States Military Academy were the schools those four commanders attended. Was wounded
Before noon it began to rain and drizzle. Commanded by Colonel Robert Trabue, the Orphan Brigade was 2,400 men strong and part of General John C. Breckinridge's Reserve Division when it went into the fighting near Shiloh Church on Sunday, April 6, against General Ulysses S. Grant's five Union divisions. Laura Cook: lcook62 (at) hotmail.com. Are the hearts of men who forever shall hear. They ended the war fighting in South Carolina. MARSHALL, Henry W. From Greensburg. Never mind this boys, yelled Breckinridge, press on. Charge them! he cried. Historian, Orphan Brigade Kinfolk Assn. Absent sick and returned to duty,
The Orphans represent the conquest of courage over timidity and sacrifice for the sake of a principle. Served in the McMinnville Guard, March-April 1863. Kentucky Infantry Regiment, 2nd, Confederate States of America. Bridgewater, November 1865, and moved to Marion Co., where he was sheriff in the 1880s. 1 (Frankfort, 1915), pp. most of the major battles of the Army of Tennessee, from Shiloh through the Atlanta
Greensburg Cemetery. The men, beneath their blue, Hardee battle flags, bearing silver discs and hand-painted battle honors, and under a hail of gunfire, negotiated a swollen pond, then crossed the undulating fields alongside the shallow, frozen Stones River, delivering volleys of rifle fire at General Crittendens blue columns which included the 8th, 9th, 11th, 21st and 23rd Kentucky (Union) infantry regiments. On January 19, 1862, while the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th and 9th Kentucky infantry regiments and Cobbs, Gravess, and Byrnes artillery batteries were at Bowling Green, Kentucky, Johnstons right flank was crushed at the Battle of Mill Springs, in Pulaski County, Kentucky, and the Confederacys northern frontier began to collapse. April 1913; buried in Brookside Cemetery, Campbellsville, KY. CROUDUS, John P. 1860 Taylor Co. census - artist, age 20. Edit Details Learn more. WILLOCK, Hartwell T. From Taylor Co. (1850 census - age 11, son of David and
9 reviews Vivid narrative tells the story of the courageous First Kentucky Brigade. Enlisted 28 September 1861 at Camp Burnett. Campaign; fought in the mounted infantry engagements in GA and SC. The Orphans stood tall among the Confederates assaulting Baton Rouge. It was to no avail. All text and tables copyright 1998, Geoffrey R. Walden; all rights reserved,
History of the Orphan brigade : Thompson, Edwin Porter, 1834- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive History of the Orphan brigade by Thompson, Edwin Porter, 1834- Publication date 1898 Topics Confederate States of America. Oath of Allegiance in prison, and dropped from the rolls, September 1863. HARNESS, John R. From Wayne Co. Enlisted 1 September 1861 at Camp
Men would be wounded, return to the brigade only to be wounded again and again, or killed. the orphan brigade. Ky. Died of pneumonia at Burnsville, MS, 10 April 1862. Died
Kentucky eventually declared itself for the Union. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1980. file numbers 1877 and 2791. Killed in action at Shiloh, 7 April 1862. PETTUS, William F. From Taylor Co. Enlisted 15 August 1861 at Camp Burnett,
Fourths Finest Hour," Vol. Possibly captured and took the Oath of Allegiance. BARKER, Hugh B. 1860 census. Fought at Shiloh. Divided into 2 separate assault columns because of the configuration of the enemy breastworks, the Orphan Brigade struck the extreme left wing of the Union army held by Major General George Henry Thomass XIV Corps. Elected 1st Lieutenant on 14 September 1861. Fought at
Reportedly hanged by a lynch mob for molesting a woman in Wahalak, MS, June 1884. Enlisted 20 August 1861 at Camp
Exposed to enfilading fire, Helms attack finally faltered. [9], Up, my men, and charge! shouted General Breckinridge at about 4 oclock that dreary and cold afternoon. November-December 1863. officers, and alphabetically for NCOs and privates. The Orphan Brigade was the nickname of the First Kentucky Brigade, a group of military units recruited from Kentucky to fight for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Ridge, and Resaca. to LaRue Co., KY. Was shot to death in an altercation on Upper Brush Creek,
January 1862. We list here the most important records holdings in Frankfort, with notes on their records of interest to Orphan Brigade research. After its hard years of campaigning, the brigade surrendered at Washington, Ga., on May 6, 1865, receiving generous parole terms those in mounted units kept their horses or mules, and every seventh man was allowed to retain his musket for the journey home. Recollections of a Newsboy in the Army of the Potomac, 1861-1865: His Capture and Confinement in Libby Prison, After Being Paroled Sharing the Fortunes of the Famous Iron Brigade (ca. Sick in hospital at Ringgold, GA, January 1863. Absent
photo of the Orphan Brigade veterans taken at the reunion of Confederate Veterans in
1830 or 1831. The 9th Kentucky was held in reserve as the grand old command stepped off toward its impossible objective. Robert and Catherine Blakeman Wilson). United States arsenals were seized by the seceded states and militias were organized. He was captured at
Camp Burnett, age 19. SC Confederate pension file
48-49; Part 4:
Every member of Old Brecks staff fell in the melee from wounds or the loss of mounts. REED, James D. (also spelled Read) From Green Co. (1860 census - age 20,
Enlisted 15
at Shiloh, Vicksburg, Murfreesboro, and Chickamauga (also listed as sick at Montgomery,
Fought at
and died from the effects at Jonesboro, MS, 7 June 1862. He held the colors upright, refusing any assistance, although he was bleeding profusely from his mouth and nose. Hodge, George B. September 1863, and lost his left hand. Married Sally
Those men would form the nucleus around which was organized the Orphan Brigade. Paroled at Washington, GA, 7 May 1865. The ironclad Arkansas, expected to hold Federal gunboats on the Mississippi at bay, failed to appear. They returned to Kentucky and fought their way back to take a rightful place in their states post-war public affairs. Took the Oath of Allegiance in Nashville, 20 May 1865; described as 5 feet 8 inches tall,
Deserted from hospital at
Infantry, CSA," Green County Review; Part 1: "The Die Is Cast,"
HATCHER, Luther T. 1860 Green Co. census - son of Josiah. feet 1 inch tall, with a fair complexion, light hair, and gray eyes. Fought at Chickamauga, where he was
Paroled at Washington, GA, 7 May 1865. Then, from Dalton, Georgia to Jonesboro and the evacuation of Atlanta, in the face of Major General William Tecumseh Shermans well-fed and well-equipped Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Cumberland, the Orphans earned a place for themselves in the annals of war that beggars description. Louisville, Kentucky, June 1905 (this photo is large and may take some time to load; copy
Chilton Co., AL, 23 April 1897. The 2nd Kentucky lost 108 of its 422 men taken into the fighting. October 1861 at Bowling Green, age 29 (military file shows age 19, apparently incorrect;
to Atlanta; at Peachtree, Intrenchment, and Utoy Creeks; Jonesboro, and in the campaign as
CRUMPTON, William. Cobb's Battery Also known as 1 st Kentucky Battery . field hand for J. Elkin in Allendale, age 21. The Orphans memory lives on. WRIGHT, George W. Enlisted 14 September 1861 at Camp Burnett, age 30. Murfreesboro, Jackson, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, and
While about 1,512 Orphans were present for duty in May 1864 at Dalton, Georgia, only 513 reported present for duty on September 6. The Orphan Brigade lost another commander at the Battle of Chickamauga, when Brig. Edward Ford Spears, First Kentucky Brigade (Orphan Brigade), offer much more than a chronicle of miles marched and battles fought. Took the Oath of Allegiance in Nashville, 20 May 1865. KY. Enlisted 15 August 1861 at Camp Burnett. entries) Enlisted 1 September 1861 at Camp Burnett, age 18. Dallas to Atlanta; and at Peachtree and Intenchment Creeks. Paroled at
Fought at Shiloh, where he was killed, 7 April 1862. Absent sick in Nashville hospital,
), and promoted to 2nd Corporal, 12
1905
Cook. Promoted to 1st Corporal, 1 November
Co., 17 May 1877; buried in the Greensburg Cemetery. In April, with 496 men, it was placed in D.R. - the Pine Mt. Cavalry and paroled at Athens, GA, 7 May 1865. Brother of William B. and Mark O. Moore. From Greensburg, brother of John B. Moore and Mark O.
Absent
After the surrender, Hewitt brought the boxes back to Kentucky with him, and in 1887 he donated them to the U.S. War Department. Gen. Benjamin Hardin Helm was also mortally wounded during the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863. 1841 in Mercer Co., KY;
Born 1 January 1841 in Green Co. 1860 Green Co. census -
the orphan brigade. Married Mary Ellen (Mollie) Gaddie, 19 December 1867. Son of Elhannon Winchester Daffron and
Married Annie
The Uncertain Origins of an Iconic Nickname. he was wounded on 22 July 1864, and his right arm was amputated. Married 1st, Eliza Jane Moore (sister of
Absent sick at Meridian, MS, July-December 1863. 20 August 1861 at Camp Burnett, age 30. Buried in the Confederate Section
Enlisted 15 August 1861 at Camp Burnett, age 22. Enlisted 18
There were town boys, but, more often than not, those who served in the Orphan Brigade were yeoman farmers; rugged, independent and self-reliant. Mr. & Mrs. Harley T.
without the permission of the owners. Settled in Green Co. Died 26 June 1916 of cancer
Brigadier Generals Roger Weightman Hanson of Winchester, Kentucky and Joseph Horace Lewis of Glasgow, Kentucky were mostly self-educated lawyers prior to the war. Fought at
Died 16 January 1908; buried in the Greensburg
BARNETT, James. better known by its post-war name "Orphan Brigade." From St. Louis, MO. Fought at Baton Rouge, Jackson, and Chickamauga. (all used by permission). He
1861 at Camp Burnett, age 21. The Orphans slammed into Brigadier General Benjamin Mayberry Prentisss hastily-assembled Union lines along a sunken farm lane in an area covered with scrub trees and underbrush known to the soldiers as the Hornets Nest. As the fighting intensified, General Breckinridge, fearing the brigade was being prematurely withdrawn, led the Kentuckians himself. Was sent to prison at Camp Douglas, and exchanged 10 November 1862. Double-quick, forward, march! yelled General Hanson. courtesy the late Garnett Thompson, via Steve Walton. Product details Publisher : University of South Carolina Press (February 1, 1997) Language : English Paperback : 184 pages ISBN-10 : 1570031649 or 24 May 1862. Fought at Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and in the mounted campaign. Gen. Benjamin H. Helm, Abraham Lincoln's brother-in-law, was mortally wounded on September 20, 1863, and died the following day. Moore's Grave Marker in the
SMITH, Harley Thomas. Soldiers homes, like the one at Pee Wee Valley, Kentucky would shelter some of the once sturdy Orphans. Died 18 May 1922; buried in the City Cemetery in
During fighting on August 5, they lost more than 100 killed or wounded. LATIMER, William Dizzard. In every way, those old Orphans became the idols of Kentuckians. Listed as laborer in household of G.W. Camp Burnett, age shown as 29 (age shown as 21 on roll of September 1862). Mechanicsburg PA: Stackpole Books, 1993. Absent sick at Macon, GA, September 1864. No further information. Married Laura L. Baker, 1 June
Born 23 December 1842 in Columbia, Adair Co.,
Fought at Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chickamauga,
DURHAM, Robert P. From Taylor Co. Enlisted 15 August 1861 at Camp Burnett,
Served in the McMinnville Guard, March-April 1863. (where he was severely wounded in the head on 7 April 1862), Vicksburg, Baton Rouge,
Absent sick at Bowling Green in January 1862. [13], In 1912, Lot Dudley Young, formerly a lieutenant in the 4th Kentucky infantry, visited the site of the attack at Murfreesboro while attending a Confederate Memorial Day celebration. Old Joe Lewiss 6th Kentucky Infantry was on the extreme left of the brigade, with Old Tribs 4th Kentucky on the right, and the 2nd Kentucky in the center. Names Thompson, Edwin Porter, 1834- [from old catalog] George Hector Burton, ca. Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives 300 Coffee Tree Road P.O. and with the dismounted detachment during the campaign as mounted infantry. of Kentucky Confederate veterans taken at the 1905 reunion in Louisville. Another possible derivation for the name stems from the brigade's repeated loss of commander.