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2. Life as a Soldier and Divided Kentucky (January 8, 1863–July 8, 1863)
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35 2 Life as a Soldier and Divided Kentucky ( January 8, 1863–July 8, 1863) After leaving Ohio,McKnight first arrived at Camp Ella Bishop near Lexington, Kentucky, in January 1863. From that point, McKnight traversed much of central and southern Kentucky and camped at several places—Danville, Harrodsburg, Monticello, Stanford, and Somerset—over the next few months. McKnight described numerous engagements throughout Kentucky against Confederate troops under Generals Roy Cluke and John Pegram. In regard to these skirmishes, McKnight rarely missed an opportunity to boast about the Seventh’s accomplishments against the Rebels. On March 28, 1863, for example, McKnight writes that “our Regmt is a teror to the Rebs and pride to us they wont fight the Ohio Boys if they can help it but they dont fear the Ky troops attol.” McKnight not only discusses battles that he participated in during the time but also indirectly mentions two of the most significant events of 1863—Gettysburg andVicksburg.In a letter dated May 24, 1863, McKnight states, “The men generaly wel and in fine spirits as we hear good news this morning from Grants Army beforeVicksburg [Grant would takeVicksburg on July 4, 1863].The news of the success of our arms is cheering to evry Union loveing heart and to none more so than the soldier who has left home and evrything thing near and dear to him and Perils his life for his Countries sake.” You are reading copyrighted material published by Ohio University Press/Swallow Press. Unauthorized posting, copying, or distributing of this work except as permitted under U.S. copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. life as a soldier and divided kentucky 36 In addition to the accounts of military engagements, McKnight offers several descriptions of landscapes in Kentucky. McKnight on February 1, 1863, writes, “but there is a peculiar[ity] about this part of Ky that I never seen in any other place. There is great hoppers in the ground with sometimes an ackre or more that have no appearant outlet but after you pass several of these you wil sometimes come to a spring of water that would turn a mill.” In the spring of 1863, McKnight made his first trip back to Ohio. McKnight’s personal diary provides many of the details regarding this trip. McKnight writes, for example, that on April 16 he“received leave of absence.” Later, McKnight notes that he took the“steamer St.Patrick”from Pomeroy,Ohio,to Cincinnati onApril 29–30 and arrived back in camp near Stanford,Kentucky, on May 2. Just two months after his return to Kentucky and the Seventh, Samaria delivered twin girls on July 4, 1863. Kentucky played a pivotal role in the war and had maintained an official policy of neutrality until just months before McKnight’s arrival. At the beginning of the war, Unionists in the state declared that Kentucky “ought to hold herself independent of both sides, and compel both sides to respect the innviolobility of her soil.”1 Neutrality was respected by both sides for several months in part because “each feared that an overt violation might drive Kentucky into the other camp.”2 President Lincoln clearly recognized Kentucky’s importance and stated, “I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game. Kentucky gone,we cannot hold Missouri,nor,as I think,Maryland. These all against us, and the job on our hands is too large for us. We would as well consent to separation at once, including the surrender of the capital.”3 Kentucky’s strategic location and resources—agricultural products (in particular, horses and mules)—were central to the end of neutrality.Confederate and Union generals both realized that capturing Kentucky meant controlling the Cumberland, Mississippi, and Tennessee rivers. By late summer of 1862, Confederate generals Gideon Pillow, Leonidas Polk, and Felix Zollicoffer had moved into the state, occupying several key positions. At the same time, U. S. Grant seized Paducah, and Union troops took control of other Ohio River towns. You are reading copyrighted material published by Ohio University Press/Swallow Press. Unauthorized posting, copying, or distributing of this work except as permitted under U.S. copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. [18.209.63.120] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 18:26 GMT) January 8, 1863–July 8, 1863 37 In September 1862, the Kentucky House of Representatives and Senate voted for the Confederate troops to withdraw—a measure that...