xt76t14tj39p https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt76t14tj39p/data/mets.xml Col. Ernest Macpherson 1907  books b92ua2141st19072009 English Kentucky Infantry. 1st Regiment.; Louisville Legion (Ky.).; Kentucky --Militia --History.  : N/A Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. N/A History of First Regiment of Infantry : the Louisville Legion and other military organizations. text History of First Regiment of Infantry : the Louisville Legion and other military organizations. 1907 2009 true xt76t14tj39p section xt76t14tj39p 
  
  
  
  
H ISTORY

OF FIRST

REGIMENT OF INFANTRY

T H E LOUISVILLE LEGION
A N D O T H E R M I L I T A R Y ORGANIZATIONS

Dedicated to

THE

CITIZENS O F

LOUISVILLE, 1 907

KENTUCKY

  
  
T H E L OUISVILLE L EGION
By C O L . E R N E S T M A C P H E R S O N
fudge Advocate Genera/ A". .S". G

W R I T E R of note a nd discernment has ascribed the w ide s pread fame of the B lue G rass S tate m ainly to a trinity of merits so pre-eminent as to be k nown a nd read of all men. Certain it is, the grace and beauty of her women, the bravery and g allantry of her men, and the superiority of her blooded stock have each contributed to give to K e n t u c k y high place in our c oufedracy of s tates. T he first of t hese m arked distinctions is at once a special g race and a "blessing t hat c ometh of the L o r d ; " t he second m ay be ascribed in g reat m easure t o the conditions of early e nvironment and the inherited a ptitudes a nd t aste t hereby i nduced, partly, p erhaps, to climatic and l ocal c auses. T he t hird m ay be traced as direct result equally, of the character o f t he men, and the qualities of the s oil. B e this as it may, these t hree p oints always arise before the memory at the mention o f K e n t u c k y . T h i s sketch, however, has to deal only w i t h t he military character of her men. w hen F r o m t he days of the "dark and bloody ground t he war-whoop and r ifle c rack were more familiar than the d rum-tap and view-halloo of to-day, from the b attle o f N e w O rleans and the memorable and melancholy R aisin, w here " all K e n t u c k y manned her warrior sires," through Buena V i s t a a nd Monterey, and the r eddest fields of M exico, o n to t he c ivil w ar, and through its bloody course, the men of K e n t u c k y h ave ever been at the front when the c ause o f c ountry, or of duty, called. A n d now, though a " p i p i n g time of p eace," t he S tate b oasts a c ommand carefully organized,

a dmirably d rilled a nd disciplined, and which has attained n ational fame as one of the b est, i f n ot,the p remier, regiment, a mong the volunteer forces of the country. N o r is this corps a n ew organization, formed merely for athletic c ontests a nd p rocessional display ; it has a p ast a nd a history. T he F i r s t Regiment, Kentucky S tate G uard, b etter k nown as the L ouisville L egion, w as first organized under a c harter enacted by the Legislature in 1839. In its legionary f orm i t served throughout the M exican w ar, w i n n i n g especial r enown at Monterey and Buena V i s t a , w hich n ames are always inscribed upon its colors, and among the most valued t reasures of the command are a war-drum and flag b orne b y the L egion i n its campaign under General Zachary T a y lor. R eturned to L ouisville, t he organization, under the var y i n g l aws for the government of the m ilitia, w as continued u p to the war between the S tates. In a letter written in 1880 b y t he late General Sherman, speaking of t hat w ar, he used t his language: " I n my opinion no single body of men can c laim m ore honor for the grand result than the officers and men who composed the L ouisville L egion of 1861. 1 would r ather p ossess t heir confidence than t hat o f any other organization of l ike s ize which took p art i n the g reat e vents o f our c ivil war.*' However gratifying it may be to the survivors of the regiment whose merit and bravery received this eminent commendation, the L ouisville L e g i o n , a d ifferent organization, c an s hare n either the pleasure nor the honor. P eculiar s tate p olicy, u nfortunate p olitical d ifferences and o ther c auses, c ombined to prevent the participation of the

* T his article was w ritten i n 181)1 at time C ol. M acphersou was Judge Advocate of the State G uard

  
HISTORY

OF T/lli

FIRST

REGIMENT

Of

INFANTRY,

KENTUCKY

STATE

GUARD.

    LOUISVILLE

LEGION

L egion as a u nit i n the c ivil w a r ; but the g reater p ortion, e arly a nd to the c lose, fought i n t hat s truggle, either i n the famous confederate command known as the " O r p h a n B rigade," o r w ith M organ's n ot less celebrated cavalry. A l arge number o f t hose w ho had been members o f the old c orps at o nce become officers, some attained high rank, o ne, w ho r eached the g rade of L ieutenant-General, i s now G overiinr S imon B . B uckner. T hrough a ll the i ntervening years t o 1878, a f ew of the o ld v eterans of the M exican w a r p reserved t he c ohesion o f the corporate organization. T h e r ailroad riots o f the p receding y ear, w hich e xtended all o ver t he c ountry, a nd the c onsequent destruction of p roperty a nd i nterruption o f b usiness, d isorders happily a nd p romptly suppressed a t L o u i s ville, emphasized the n ecessity o f r e-organizing t he S tate G uard, and in 1878 the L egislature o f K e n t u c k y r e-cast t he l aws i n r elation t o the m ilitia of the c ommonwealth. I n c onformity t o t his act, t hough s till r etaining i ts c harter, the L egion w as r e-organized, a nd to the k eeping of the y ounger men the v eterans t ransferred t he flags, drums a nd r egimental paraphernalia^ t hemselves taking the p osition o f h onorary m embers. T h e new officers were i n the m ain m en of m ilitary e xperience, a nd all a bove t he g rade of l ieutenant h ad h eld c ommissions i n the c onfederate service. T h e r ank a nd file w as composed of the v ery flower o f the y oung m en of L o u i s ville. In t his c ity, t o-day, many m en, the m ost successful a nd prominent i n w ays, professional, commercial, o fficial a nd s ocial, w ill be found the a ctive veteran o r h onorary members of the L ouisville L egion. T he p resent o rganization consists of e ight companies    one of these i s d rilled as a rtillery, a nd, i n a ddition t o its i nfantry e quipment i s a rmed w i t h a G a t l i n g g un and two

r ifled c annon. I t is by law p ermitted t hat o ne c ompany shall a lso be i nstructed as c avalry. S ince i ts r e-organization i t has f allen t o the lot of no A m e r i c a n v olunteer force t o be so f requently called into s ervice,the o fficial r eports disclosing a p eriod o f a ctive duty w hich i f c ontinuous, w ould e xceed a y ear a nd e ight months. I t i s b elieved t here are r egiments i n the r egular army w i t h b riefer a nd far less arduous active service records f or the s ame t ime. Those w ho had w itnessed t he b eautiful camps of i nstruction provided f or t heir m ilitia b y o ther s tates, w i t h g rounds picturesque i n s ituation, w i t h e very appliance o f c omfort a nd c onvenience a nd m uch of l uxury, w o u l d h ave been i mpressed b y the c ontrast h ad t hey visited camps o f the L e gion i n its m ountain campaigns   tents worn a nd w eatherbeaten, cots regarded as c uriosities even i n the h ospital t ent, fare never b etter a nd r arely so g ood as the a rmy ration, a nd e xposure t o h ardships n ot a w h i t less severe than rough campaigns i n the W e s t . B u t , if s oldiers, they w o u l d be p leased w i t h t he d iscipline a nd c leanliness, t he t echnical accuracy o f m ovement a nd p erformance of d uty, a nd the r egularity a nd p romptitude of i nternal administration. E v e r y one k nows t he f orms o f the L e g i o n o n the d rill field, b ut it is k n o w n only t o t hose w h o h ave been p resent at t heir active service e mployments h ow p roficient i s the c ommand i n the i mportant k nowledge of g uard a nd g eneral duties o f the s oldier. B rief m ention should be m ade of s ome of its m ore recent e mployments a nd a chievements. I n O ctober, 1878, a d etachment from t he L o u i s v i l l e L e gion w as o rdered o n d uty for s everal days, t o g uard a p risoner i n the J efferson County j ail a gainst t he a pprehended attack of a m ob. I n D ecember of the s ame y ear Breathitt C o u n t y w as t he scene of g rave disorders, t he f ollowers o f t w o d esperadoes

  
HISTORY

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THE

FIRST

REGIMENT

OF

INFANTRY,

KENTUCKY

STATE

GUARD.

   LOUISVILLE

LEGION

n amed L i t t l e a nd Strong conducting a k ind of guerilla warfare, which terrorized the mountain community and set at defiance the l awful a uthorities, affairs culminating in the m urder of one of the judges. A d etachment of the L egion, i ncluding a p latoon of Battery A mounted as cavalry, was s ent t o aid the c ivil a uthorities, and succeeded in arresting a nd imprisoning the principal offenders, whffi w ere in the c ountry upon their arrival, and i n restoring cpiiet and public c onfidence. There were at this time no facilities of t ransportation, and the d etachment w as compelled to march s eventy miles over the mountains, the men carrying their e quipment (which did not include t ents) a nd bivouacing by n ight in s evere w eather. The Quartermaster's "train" consisted of two wagons, one drawn by horses, the other by t wo yoke of oxen. It required five d ays marching through m ud a nd snow over the h ills a nd mountains to reach Jackson, t he county seat, w here the d etachment w as quartered u ntil l ate in February 1879. T he f ollowing s ummer a nother d etachment, i n charge of the score or more prisoners who had in the meantime been k ept in L ouisville, w as s ent t o Breathitt, and remained t hree w eeks during the session of the C ircuit C ourt. The leaders i n t he -trouble were generally convicted, and the l ocal m agistracy has since been able to m anage s uch disorders as have o ccurred. In these e xpeditions the men cut and hauled the w ood, a nd as a rule did their own cooking. The fact last m entioned may explain the allusion in the o fficial r eport to the " limited v ariety of dishes." H a v i n g at t hat t ime no other, t he men wore d ress u niforms. T h e y had no overcoats u ntil t hey reached M o u n t Sterling, and t hose t here i ssued by the S tate a re credibly averred in the report above mentioned to h ave had only one recommendation   inasmuch as they had d one duty through the war of 1861, and had served for food

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for m oths ever since, they instantly transformed, in a ppearance, the bright fresh recruits into the oldest of veterans. 1 880.   By G eneral Order 4, A . G . O., dated M a y 5, 1880, t hree officers of the S tate G uard, two being Captains of the L ouisville L egion, w ere appointed a Special Board, w ith d irections to consider and report a design for a S tate flag. T he report of the Adjutant-General n otes t he singular fact t hat t he Commonwealth of K e n t u c k y had never prior to this t ime adopted by executive or legislative authority any special d esign for this important emblem of sovereignly, 'flu- de s ign r eported by the Board, and approved by the Governor i n G . O. 5, dated June 15, 1880, was the f ollowing: " B l u e s ilk, w ith the arms of the Commonwealth embroidered in s ilk i n the c enter, s urmounted by an eagle, proper, wings d istended, holding in his beak a s croll i nscribed w ith t he l egend, ' U n i t e d we stand, divided we f all," a nd in his talons, d exter and sinister, respectively, an o live b ranch and bundle of a rrows ;fringe of gold or y ellow s ilk; c ords and t assels o f b lue and white s ilk i ntermixed." This is I l ie r egimental flag; a nd below the arms, in gold embroidery or g ilt, i s the regimental o r battalion number, w ith l etters " K . S. G , " and the n ame of the regiment or battalion, where t here i s other d esignation. F r o m J u l y 19 to 26 inclusive the L e g i o n a ttended the S tate G uard Encampment at Crab Orchard Springs. The first p rize for the b est d rilled i nfantry company of the S tate G uard w as awarded to Companies A and F , each "as the b est d rilled" ( this was the o fficial r eport;) the second prize to Company 1). F i r s t prize in artillery competition was given to the section o f Battery A , and a beautiful S tate f lag t o Company F as " best i n discipline" of the troops in camp. 1 881     An e vent in the history of the country was the c elebration in this year at Y o r k t o w n , V a . , of the "one bun-

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HISTORY

OF Tllli

FIRST

REGIMENT

OF INFANTRY,

KENTUCKY

STATE

GUARD.

   LOUISVILLE

LEGION

d redth anniversary o f the s urrender o f L o r d C ornwallis a nd h is forces t o the a llied A merican a nd F rench armies at t hat p lace o n the 21st of O ctober, 1781. M a n y of the s tates m ade most g enerous appropriations for s ending their m ilitia f orces t o p articipate i n the i mpressive p ageant, w hich f ormed a d istinguished feature o f the o ccasion. l int the l egislature of K entucky, always pre-eminent f or s ingle-minded d evotion t o the i nterests of the t ax-payer, contained at the l inn- more than the u sual number of e conomists I t should be s aid t o the c redit of t hat b ody, t he a ppropriation w as defeated only b y the c losest vote. Other provision was, o btained, a nd a c reditable representation w as made o f '.he .State G uard, including a d etachment from t he L ouisville L egion. In O ctober a d etail from the L egion c onsisting o f one c ompany of i nfantry a nd a s ection of B attery A w as w i t h o ther companies of the S tate G uard ordered into active s ervice, the c ommand reporting t o the C ircuit J udge at Catlettsburg, I ioyd C ounty, o n the 3 0th. A m ost shocking crime had been committed n ear A shland, i n the s ame c ounty, some m onths previously; a nd the p eople, becoming impatient f or the summary execution of the c riminals. O ne of these t hree n amed Ellis, often being tried a nd c onvicted, w as h anged b y a m ob, ami the troops were ordered to C atlettsburg during the t rial of X eal a nd C raft t o p revent a s imilar p roceeding in t heir case. O n the 2d of N ovember t he c ourt ordered t he c ommander of the t roops t o c onvey t he p risoners f or safe k eeping to L exington. Thereupon a " committee" waited upon the officers a nd d emanded t he p risoners be d elivered t o t hem. T his b eing refused a l arge number of p ersons assembled w ith t he determination to l ynch the prisoners at all h azards. T o a void a conflict the c ommand a nd p risoners were embarked o n b oard the s teamer G ranite State, an O hio r iver packet, a nd

s tarted down t he B i g Sandy river, a nd t hen o n the O h i o t o M aysyille. T h e mob s eized an e ngine a nd c ars, running o n a t rack parallel w ith the r iver. F i r e , f ortunately harmless, w as opened from t he c ars, b ut was not r eturned. Arriving at A shland, the m ob. emboldened b y i ndulgence, seized a f erry b oat a nd d irected i ts c ourse against t he G ranite S tate a nd c ontinued firing. A n umber o f the t roops being wounded, t hey were ordered t o fire. T h e f erry w as d isabled a nd become unmanageable i n a m oment; some o f the m ob w as k illed a nd a m uch larger number wounded, t he s teamer h aving n ever stopped f or a m oment, went o n its w a y c lown t he r iver w ithout further molestation. 1883.     The t rial of N eal a nd C raft (afterward executed b y t he s heriff) having been set for 7th of F ebruary a t G rayson, i n C arter County, some of the s urvivors o f the a ffair at A s h l a n d t hreatened f urther trouble. T h e c ircuit judge applied for a m ilitary force sufficient t o d iscourage another a ttempt t o l ynch the p risoners, a nd ten c ompanies of i nfantry a nd t wo platoons o f a rtillery were ordered into active service. T h e detail from t he L egion w as c omposed o f t w o c ompanies of i nfantry a nd a s ection from t he b attery. T h e c ommand c amped " i n the m ost wretched weather   ice, sleet, snow a nd m ud, i n s omething l ike e qual proportions   and although t here w as n o c onflict, o r any a ppearance o f one, the s ervice w as e xtremely hard a nd d isagreeable, a nd w ould h ave been a severe t est o f v eteran troops." F r o m t he effects o f e xposure i n t his service o ne m ember o f the L e g i o n d ied a few d ays after his return, several were severely i l l , a nd s ome too dangerously s o to be r emoved from t he h ospital. W i t h t hese t he s urgeon remained u ntil t hey c ould w ith s afety be b rought h ome. 1884.     At L ouisville, i n the m onth of A u g u s t , w as h eld the S tate G uard Encampment; beyond this a nd the u sual

  
HISTORY

OP

THB

FIRST

REGIMENT

OF

INFANTRY,

KENTUCKY

STATE

GUARD.

   LOUISVILLE

LEGION

r outine work throughout the year the L e g i o n w as not employed. 1885.     In J une Company F went to " C a m p D u n n , " at M obile, t aking second prize in its very first contest, and a lmost t y i n g t he L o m a x R ifles f or first. I n J u l y C ompany A , after t hree w eeks preparation, entered w ith c redit the competition at FairmOunt Park, P h i l adelphia, a nd in addition to a money prize was awarded    "as the b est c ompany all things considered"   the handsome N ational c olor s ince borne by the L egion. 1886.     Greenwood i s a station on the C incinnati S outhern R ailroad. T he station platform and shed, the stockade enclosing l og structures on a s mall m ountain near the station, m ake up the place. W i t h i n t he stockade the contractors keep the convicts when not employed in w o r k i n g t he c oal m ines. T he e mployment of convicts in this work was bitterly resented by the native miners, and early i n the afternoon of M a r c h 6 th, a force of about 350 natives appeared at the stockade a rmed to the teeth, and demanded of the contractors t hat the convicts be returned at once to Frankfort, and their employment d iscontinued. The contractors were also given to u nderstand t hat u nless the directions were forthwith obeyed, t hey themselves w ould be "disposed of," the stockade burned, a nd the convicts turned loose. A fter s ome parleying time w as given the contractors u ntil n oon the f ollowing d ay to c omply w i t h t he orders of the mob. T a k i n g a dvantage of this r espite the contractors communicated by wire w ith the authorities at Frankfort, whence an order was issued t hat a d etail f rom t he State Guard proceed to Greenwood. The o rder was received at L o u i s v i l l e b y 6:00 p. m. and by 7 :30 t he same evening, the L e g i o n w as by special train on its w ay t o the scene of the trouble. A t day-break the f ollowing m orning t he regiment debarked at Greenwood, camp equipage

a nd the G atling g un were carried or hauled by the men up t he mountain on w hich t he stockade was situated, and here i n a b linding r ain, g uard was mounted, t ents p itched, and p reparations completed for the reception of the visitors. T h e v isit, h owever, for some cause, perhaps on account of the w eather, was i ndifinitely p ostponed. B eyond a few p istol s hots no demonstration was made. A few natives desired to f raternize and one commenting on the situation, said, "wa'al w e got to see the L e g i n , a nyhaow," a delicate compliment to the corps, w hich the ever-hearing sentinels, drenched to the s kin, f ailed t o appreciate. It was thought necessary to keep a d etachment at Greenwood for over two months; the weather w as often bitter c old a nd always disagreeable, but t hreats o f t he natives, and an occasional shot at a sentinel, served to e nliven t he monotony u ntil t he grievances of the miners were a djusted. F o r f our days in J uly, i ncluding t he fourth, the regiment w as in camp at A r t i e S prings, Ind., and for eleven days in A ugust at the Kentucky State Guard Encampment, at Crab O rchard, K y . O n the 2d of the same month Company F bore off the h onors in the competitive d rill, at Lafayette, Ind. 1887.   In the month of A p r i l n ear the hour of noon in a p opulous and fashionable residence portion of the C i t y o f L ouisville, J ennie B owman, a n innocent g irl, w as murdered b y t he negroes, T u r n e r and Patterson. T h e conduct of the g irl w as heroic. T h e b old a nd cruel character of the crime t he minute and sickening details of w hich filled t he columns of t he press, greatly inflamed the public m ind, a nd the excitement was somewhat aggravated by the conduct of o fficials w ho s eemed to anticipate and fear a v isit of Judge L y n c h . T he p erpetrators were soon discovered and apprehended. A f ter being taken to Frankfort they were returned to L ouisville,

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and placed in j ail on W ednesday, the 27th of A p r i l . T hat night c rowds g athered in the v icinity of the j ail a nd court house, but were easily dispersed by the p olice. T he following e vening, f earing m ore serious consequences, the entire day and night p olice force and the double set of turn-keys at the j ail w ere 'Mi d uly. A boul ten o'clock', w hile a b rilliant G erman was in p rogress at the L egion A r m o r y , s ome t hree h undred men assembled in front of the b uilding w ith the intention of s eizing the arms and cannon to be used in an attack upon the j ail. Rocks w ere thrown against tli.e a rmory doors, and several p istol s h6ts fired from the outside. The usual guard w hich a ttended the s ocial g athering (the latter was not' disturbed) easily p revented an e ntrance by the rioters though it was n ecessary to handle some of them a l ittle r oughly. In the a fternoon of the f ollowing d ay a dense m ass o f seething and t urbulent humanity packed every avenue at the j ail, w hich, h owever, the c ivil force managed to protect; The L e g i o n , m eanwhile, u pon order of the Governor and C ircuit J udge, had a ssembled at the armory. The riot act was received w ith g roans and hootmgs, and the efforts of the Magistracy to r estore o rder were derided. The situation had become so g rave that a r epetition of the scenes o f the C incinnati r iot were feared ; and darkness adding to the courage and numbers of the mob. the L egion w as ordered to proceed to the j ail, w hich it did at once in d isciplined s ilence and in beautiful o rder. P osition w as taken so as to protect the j ail, a nd t hat there m ight be no misapprehension as to the k ind of work to be expected, the order was instantly g iven t o l oad w i t h b all c artridge. T he ominous c lick of the r ifles, as the order was obeyed'j had a most wholesome effect w hich ceased for a time i ts t hreatened a ttack. T li c c ommand was nevertheless subjected to the fatigue of one position for several hours. L a t e r the mob re-assembled and became too weighty to be man-

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a ged by the p olice, a nd a y e l l i n g c rowd o f about 500, the men i n t he front rank bearing a section of a telegraph pole w i t h w hich t hey i n t u i t e d to b atter the j ail, a nd firing p istols and t hrowing s tones, bore down upon the p olice w hich b egan to g ive w ay. The order was then g iven f or the L e g i o n t o advance. F o r the first time the drums in the rear of the l ine beat as the order was obeyed   the mob f alling b ack as the L egion m oved forward. 'Phis advance was made under c ircumstances of g reat a ggravation. Thoughtless people in t he rear of the c rowd t h r o w i n g bricks and sticks w hich s truck officers a nd men. The d iscipline o f the command prevented t iring b y the troops. One soldier whose finger was broken d id not even take his hand from h is g u n ; another who was so injured, as to be unable to w alk for ten days afterwards, m ade no complaint u ntil he fell from t he ranks when the c ommand h ad returned to the j ail. O ther demonstrations o ccurred t hroughout the night, but were properly considered as nothing more than the feints or t hreats of drunken men. T he r egiment was kept under arms for nine days when the f olly of the leaders in the disturbance dawned upon them, a nd the excitement d ied a way. The murderers were afterwards hanged by law. T h i s w as an extremely distasteful service to the members o f the regiment,who c ould h ave no sympathy for the c owering w retches they were required to defend. A t the s ame l ime t hey appreciated keenly the disgrace t hat w ould h ave attached to the corps had the effort at l y n c h i n g b een p ermit ted by them t > s ucceed. < T h e m onth of M a y found the L e g i o n at C a m p D u n n , n ear t he W a s h i n g t o n monument, a participant in the ' MuterState E ncampment and P rize D r i l l at the N ational C apital." In the various c ontests t he regiment took h igh r ank, though g rieviously d isappointed in w i n n i n g o nly s econd prize in the

  
HISTORY

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FIRST

REGIMENT

OF

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KENTUCKY

STATE

GUARD.

   LOUISVILLE

LEGION

b attalion drill   the first place going to the fine home battalion, t he W a s h i n g t o n L i g h t I nfantry, after what one of the j udges c haracterized as a "hard p ull." T he b atter) ' section, drum c orps and e ntries i n the i ndividual m anual competition also a ll w o n prizes. A p leasing incident of this encampment was the review o f P resident Cleveland of the 6,000 soldiers at Camp D u n n . In t his review was seen the admittedly b est d rilled o f the "crack" c orps from M a i n t o Texas. T h e day was perfect, and the l ong c olumn of brilliant uniforms as it marched up Pennsylvania a venue m ade a s plendid spectacle. T h e dancing p lumes of the L egion, the lines straight as the mathematician's r ule, t he graceful and confident s tep, a c hallenge to the ovation the command received. M i l i t a r y c ritics complimented t he accuracy of tactical detail, and the President was pleased ' t o say the L e g i o n w as the h andsomest b ody of troops he had seen, and, the review concluded, he gave the officers a private r eception at the executive mansion. R o w a n C ounty, since 1884, had been the t heatre of a p artisan warfare, which attained much notoriety and brought g reat d iscredit upon the community. F r o m the first M o n d a y i n A ugust, 1884, to the 22d of J une 1887, twenty-three men h ad been k illed. T he trouble in the beginning was somewhat c onnected w i t h politics, but afterwards assumed the form of o rganized brigandage. M u c h o f the blame for the long continuance of the disgraceful condition of affairs in Rowan has b een attributed to o fficial d ereliction, "but t hat i s a nother s tory." A n e xciting r ace for " H i g h S heriff" of the county occurred i n A ugust. 1884. In the afternoon of election day a riot occurred and one Bradley was k illed, a nd o thers w ounded. S oon a fterwards John M a r t i n s lew F l o y d T olliver, a nd was c ommitted to the C lark C o u n t y j ail f or security. W h i l e t hus

   

   

   

   
   

       

   

   

c onfined C r a i g T olliver, a ccompanied by several friends, presented to the jailer a forged p aper p urporting to be an order for t he delivery of M a r t i n , w ho was to be taken to Morchead for t rial. P ossession of M a r t i n b eing obtained, the parties s tarted b y train, apparently for Morehead. A t Farmer's Station one of the "custodians" of the prisoner leveled a pistol at the engineer and stopped the train, while the o thers shot M a r t i n t o death. N o one was indicted for the murder. The t rouble had lost all p olitical s ignificance, and plain diablerie b ecame n ow the ruling principle. The T olliver f action terrified the community, prohibiting c riticism and defied authority, C r a i g T o l l i v e r a nd his faction obtained the a scendant, a nd he b ecame as much the a utocrat of Morehead as the Czar at St. Petersburg; the only difference was in the method. T olliver w as an unlettered desperado, but his m ethods w ere n one the less effective and original. It occurred to him t hat i t would be desirable to hold the office of Police Judge, a nd he announced t hat s uch was his intention, l i e was elected. A neighboring hotel was thought a b etter l ocation than h is own. One night the front windows of the coveted hotel w ere broken. T o l l i v e r s hortly after called upon his neighbor a nd expressed a wish to rent the hotel, T o l l i v e r n aming the p rice. T he hotel man refused to let. and one evening there a fter his front door was employed as a t arget b y certain experts i n pistol practice. T o l l i v e r r ented the hotel. T h e saloon b usiness was then considered profitable in Rowan county, a nd t hat of T o l l i v e r i s said to have been the only licensed b ar. A t his command men were slain, or exiled, and men a nd women, too, were imprisoned. T w o y o u n g men having the misfortune to w itnesses against some members of the T o l l i v e r J udge issued his warrant for their a rrest, a nd ducted the p osse w hich included the marshal be supposed f action, this himself conand deputy

  
  
HISTORY

OF THE

FIRST

REGIMENT

OF INFANTRY,

KENTUCKY

STATE

GUARD.

   LOUISVILLE

LEGION

s heriff t o the h ome of t hese y ouths   a l o g c abin about t wo m iles f rom Morehead. T he y oung m en w ere decoyed from the house a nd d eliberately murdered. Their cousin, Boone L ogan, a y oung lawyer, having c riticised t he k i l l i n g w as b anished. H e t hen organized a p arty, a nd on the 22d of J une s urrounded Morehead when a p itched battle w as f ought. C r a i g T o l l i v e r a nd t hree of his f ollowers were k illed. A fterwards an a rmed organization took possession a nd h eld the t own. T h e c ircuit court w as to c onvene t he first of A ugust. A d etachment from the L ouisville L e g i o n w as ordered t o M orehead a nd r emained five w eeks. I t was an e xciting session a nd t he l ast attended b y t roops i n t his county. T h e f actions w ere deprived of t heir arms, even t hose w h o p rofessed a s olicitude t o a ssist t he t roops. N o s erious disturbance o ccurred, t he p resence of the s oldiers g i v i n g c onfidence a nd q uiet. I t was t hought good p olicy u pon the a djournment of t he court, t hat s ome of the g uns a nd a mmunition taken at M orehead s hould be b rought t o F rankfort. There were t hose w ho affected t o c onsider the c onduct, of the m ilitary as extremely insubordinate t o the c ivil a uthorities. A p roper reply i s the s oldiers kept t he peace a nd p reserved order. A l egislative i nvestigation f ollowed t he r eport of the p roceedings at M orehead, a nd o fficial c hanges were provided f or R owan c ounty, t hose i ndicted for the k i l l i n g o n the 22d of J une were pardoned, a nd the c ommunity has s ince been p eaceable. I n O ctober t he L e g i o n w as for s even days at W e s t Side P ark, C hicago i n the " International Encampment a nd P rize D r i l l . " T h i s contest w as a ttended b y q uite a n umber of officers f rom E uropean armies, infantry, artillery a nd c avalry o f t he r egular army, a nd t roops from many s tates, i ncluding I ndians from N ew M exico. In the b attallion d rill w hich w as w itnessed b y an i mmense audience, the first prize over three

I
   
   f +

c ompetitors w as won by the L ouisville L egion, a nd h andsome medals were awarded t he officers. I n the c ompetition of i ndividual s oldiers the t hree e ntries from the L egion a ll r eceived p rizes. I t m ust be r emembered that i n these d rills t here i s no o pportunity for p revious practice i n the p rogramme w hich is h anded the c ommanding officer i n s uch t ime as to a llow h im only to read it ; the b attallion o r c ompany i s e xpected t o e nter t he d rill field p repared t o e xecute a ny m ovement i n the t actics that m ay be c alled for by the s chedule. A t C hicago the d rill s chedule embraced a ll the m ore difficult m ovements i n the s chool of the B attalion a nd its e xecu t ion b y the L egion w on enthusiastic cheers from t he a udience a nd hearty a nd m ore valued p raise b y officers of the R egular a rmy. T h e m oney value of p rizes w on t his year b y the L egion w as $6000.00. 1888.   In M a y the L egion d rilled w ith i ts u sual success at N ashville, T en.,and w as t hedelighted recipient of the grac