Morgan County Confederate Soldiers

Morgan County, KY
Lloyd's official map of the State of Kentucky, 1862
Image from Library of Congress
On May 4th, 1867, elections were held in the Ninth Congressional District* for the office of Representative in Congress. The candidates were Samuel McKee, a Republican (or radical) and John D. Young, a Democrat (or conservative) as well as Thomas M. Green. Young won the election by a reported majority of 1,471 votes over McKee. The vote cast for Green was so so small that it did not significantly influence the outcome of the elections in one way or another.

* The Ninth Congressional District consisted of the following counties: Lewis, Greenup, Fleming, Morgan, Rowan, Carter, Boyd, Magoffin, Pike, Johnson, Lawrence, Floyd, Montgomery, and Bath. It was lost to redistricting in 1953.

Samuel McKee subsequently contested Young's election, questioning his opponent's loyalty to the Union during the Civil War. He also challenged the legality of certain votes, claiming they were cast by former Confederates who were ineligible to vote in elections. The President's proclamation of amnesty of May 29, 1865, specially excepted from the benefits thereof, "all persons who left their homes within the jurisdiction and protection of the United States, and passed beyond the federal military lines into the pretended Confederate States, for the purpose of aiding the rebellion." Therefore, on the 4th day of May, 1867, all returned rebel soldiers in Kentucky were not only paroled prisoners of war, but were also unpardoned rebels, whom the reconstruction acts had not affected, as they did not apply to Kentucky. Accordingly, former Confederates were not considered legal voters.
Furthermore, some of the judges of election had been in the rebel army, and were disqualified to act as such judge by the laws of Kentucky.

After establishing the facts of this case, McKee successfully contested John D. Young's election and served in the Fortieth Congress from June 22, 1868, to March 3, 1869.

During the lengthy investigation, a great number of people were questioned and gave affidavits in regard to voters in their respective counties who had served in the Confederate Army. The following information was given in Morgan County, Kentucky.

Deposition of Thomas B. Lovelace, Nov. 13, 1867
"the names of all those who voted for John D. Young ... at the Hampton Mills precinct, in this (Morgan) county, who, during the late rebellion, were in armed rebellion against the government of the United States and citizens of this county."

Hampton Mills Precinct
James Dunaway
Matthew McClure
R. Cock
Samuel H. Osborne
Thomas Perry
Louis Henry
John H. Perry
Levi Montgomery
E. Ratliff
William Burton
R. W. Richardson
Preston Saxton
Louis McClannahan
John Fryett
Joshua Cock
James Cock
James M. Stamper
William Cock
Johnson V. Oahly
William Fugert
A. C. Nichell
W. J. Perry

Deposition of G. W. Stamper, Nov. 13, 1867

Blair's Mill Precinct
Jesse Hall
William Hall
J. M. Hall
D. Jennings
John Jennings
Coleman Brown

River Precinct
Joel Adkins
David Row
James Pennington
Nelson Pennington
James Horton
Jasper Adkins
Elisha Adkins (all that I know about Elisha Adkins is that I saw him a prisoner in the federal hands)
John Click
J. W. Carter
G. P. Carter
John W. Well
S. S. Adkins
Augustus Murry
P. M. Fannin
Rhoda Horton (don't know whether he was in the rebel army; he went off to Virginia during the war)
Daniel DeHart (from general reputation)
H. D. Porter (was taken prisoner and carried to Camp Chase)

The following told me they were soldiers: James Pennington, Nelson Pennington, James Horton, John Click, J. W. Carter, G. P. Carter, and T. M. Fannin; the remainder of the list that I have deposed to I only know from hearsay.

The men whose names I have given were rebel soldiers, as they stated to me, at some time during the war, but whether they were so at its close I do not know.
William Myneer was, before the war, and when it began, circuit court clerk, and W. W. Cox, sheriff of this county. Both are said to have been engaged in the rebellion. I have heard them say so. William Myneer has been, since January last, county judge of this county, and W. W. Cox, the sheriff.

Deposition of Miles W. Nickell, Nov. 13, 1867

John Livingston
M. B. Cox
J. J. Culbertson
Wm. Mynhier
John W. Kendall
W. W. Cox
Joseph Elam
Wm. Ward
John T. Hazelrigg
Marion Jones
M. T. Byrd
Sanford Davis
Allen Barker
Granville Fugett
R. F. Carhy
Lewis Henry, jr.
S. J. May
Wm. Lewis, Jr.
Wm. T. Havens
Edward Murphy
Peter J. Livingston
John T. Williams
James Davis
S. J. Havens
Davis Johnson
John E. Cooper
Luther Johnson
Elijah Prescott
A. J. Parker
Woodson Johnson
John W. Harris
W. W. Burns
Jackson Baily
Geo. W. Phillips

These are the names I remember to have been in the rebellion. Wm. H. Cartmill I saw with the rebel army; he was off with them, but told me he was only a tailor for them. I will add Uriah Elam. Ben. Wells was also with the army; saw him, and he told me he was. A. B. Reed was here at a fight; think he had a gun, but did not do much fighting; heard him say this. Geo. D. Phillips also had a gun, but told me he did not get into the fight; was out on the hill. Judge R. C. Day, who went up the hill with his gun, had his horse shot through the nose. Isaac N. Cottle was also a rebel soldier, and voted for Young. I think the above list comprises all whom I knew.

The following men were soldiers in the confederate army at the close of the war, as they stated to me, to wit: John Livingston, J. J. Culbertson, J. W. Kendall, Joseph Elam, Allen Barker, W. T. Havens, P. J. Livingston, Davis Johnson, L. Johnson, M. B. Cox, Wm. Mynhier, W. W. Cox, Sanford Davis, Lewis Henry, jr., Wm. Lewis, jr., E. Murphy, J. T. Williams and Woodson Johnson. These are all that I now remember of having stated to me they were soldiers at the close of the war.

Deposition of H. W. Vest, Nov. 13, 1867

Hampton Mills Precinct
J. W. Perry
Curtis Cock
George Cock
Reuben Ratliff

Deposition of Henry (Harry) Whitt, Nov. 13, 1867

Caney Precinct
William Lykins
John D. Reed
William Thomas
Cornelius Frisby
William Benton
Moses Whitley
F. W. Purcell
Peter W. Lykins
B. F. Stags
Henry Benker
James Benton
Greenbery Lykins
T. W. Brown
Simpson Debord
Isaac W. Lykins
Hennry Kellgon
Eli Lykins
Leburn Lykins
Levi Lykins
W. B. Lykins
J. D. Taulbee
Lilburn Henry
H. G. Castle
William webb
David J. Lykins
Robert Patrick
William H. Vance

William Lykins, sr., told me he was a chaplain in the rebel army. As to all the remainder, I derive my knowledge from having heard them talk of being in the rebel army, or from having see them myself going off.

Deposition of Walter C. Easterling, Nov. 13, 1867

River Precinct (No. 8)
S. J. May
W. W. Lewis
W. R. Davis
H. Wyatt
Uriah Castle
Thos. Jones
H. Rider
S. Helton
Isaac Perkins
C. T. Adams
J. E. Lacy
J. H. Williams

Deposition of Frank Hunter, Nov. 13, 1867

Little Sandy, Middle Fork Precinct
R. Elliott
J. W. Fryum
John Stevens
L. Osborne
Wm. Bidley
James Eldridge
Sol. Stevens, jr.
Mart. Iron
J. Fields
H. Davis
N. Prince
J. Hargis
John Gillen
J. Osborne
A. Sparks
James Gibson
Thomas Reed
Jesse Terry
Thad. Williams
G. Stevens
H. Stevens
H. W. McGuire
Daniel Stevens
John Kendall
James Greenwood
S. Bailey
H. Adkins, jr.
J. S. Adkins
C. W. Carter, jr.
California Bill Adkins
S. D. Adkins
William Gidons
William Parsons
Joseph Baily
G. G. Adkins
H. G. Adkins

River Precinct
Joel Adkins
Timothy Row
William Mays
William McMillen
Samuel Brown
G. W. Carter
S. F. Gray
James Pennington
Jesse Stafford
James Stafford
Phasoms Holbrook
Nelson Pennington
George Mays
John Howerton
Jasper Adkins
Lewis Garnell
W. D. Mays
William Whitt
John Click
G. P. Carter
L. D. Row
John W. Wells
James Porter
Augustus Murray
A. W. Murray
John W. Adkins
Michell B. Adkins
Phillip Barker
B. S. Hamilton
J. B. Horton
P. M. Larmins
H. C. Porter
Rhoda Horton

Paint Precinct
William Keater
George Larmins
John O'Neal
John B. Hurst
John Hammilton
James Fyffe
D. Iron
Robert Jenkins
James M. Ferguson
J. W. Robins
D. Iron, jr.
Joseph Fyffe
R. Ferguson

Q. - Please state how you know the foregoing voters whom you say voted for J. D. Young for Congress in this district in May, 1867, were in the rebel army?
A. - They went off from my neighborhood in 1861, and a great portion of them were in Captain James Hunter's company.

George Barker, as he told me, was a confederate soldier, but I do not know of anybody else being a confederate soldier at the close of the war. I was in the State of Ohio from 1863 to 1866.

The evidence also showed that at Little Sandy (Middle Fork) precinct, in Morgan County, G. G. Adkins, one of the judges of election, had been in the rebel army, and was disqualified to act as such judge by the laws of Kentucky.


This specific article was researched and written by Marlitta H. Perkins, August 2011, and is under full copyright. Copyright © 2011, All Rights Reserved.