The Ruin of Cassville - History of a Virginia Bordertown during the Civil War

 At the time of its creation Cassville was located in Wayne County, Virginia. Today, the town is part of West Virginia and is known as Fort Gay. It was laid out on a 15 acre parcel of land that is situated at the Forks of Big Sandy. After the state won a lawsuit against the original land owners in 1847, the property was turned over to Frederick Moore, a well-to-do merchant in Wayne County who had come to the area from Philadelphia about 1815. He lived in the first house below the proposed town of Cassville. 

Frederick Moore
Image: Collection of author

Moore divided the land into lots and streets. Most of the streets were named after US presidents, with the exception of Front Street which faced the river and Wayne Street which was the direct route from the ferry landing in Cassville to Trout's Hill, the county seat. The ferry, operated by George R. Miller, connected Cassville with Louisa, the county seat of Lawrence County, Kentucky, and landed at the end of Main Street. 

Plat Map of Cassville, Virginia, Sept. 2, 1856

The first lots in Cassville were sold in 1850. Lot No. 1 with the Ferry House was first owned by Minville Thompson. 

Lot No. 2 was bought by John Ferguson, Sr. in 1851. In 1852, William Ferguson, Sr. purchased the neighboring Lot No. 3. Both Ferguson lots were listed with "enclosed buildings." The same year, John Ferguson sold Lot No. 2 to William Ferguson, noting "house and lot where they (John and wife Margaretha) now live." By 1879, Lots No. 1, 2 and 3 were known as the old Henry Property. 

In 1851, James Ferguson purchased lot No. 4 from Moore, "laid out for Ferguson, upon which he has erected buildings." By 1854, the lot had reverted back to Moore who in turn sold it to John Bromley. 

Elias "Aly" Thompson lived on lot No. 5. A store building was fronting Wayne Street. On the back part of the lot was Thompson's home which became known as "Aly Thompson's House." Thompson also owned neighboring Lot No. 6.

No. 7 was known as the "Mitchel lot", likely named after David Mitchell & wife Melvina, who ran a saddler shop.

In 1854, Frederick Moore sold Lots No. 9 & 10 to James Stone. He also owned Lot No. 11. Stone was a merchant. Based on the records, he operated his store on Lot No. 9. This lot was later known as the "grocery lot." His wife Nancy ran a hotel on Lot No. 10. Their residence was on Lot No. 11. In addition to being a businessman, Stone held the office of judge in 1861. In October of 1861, his name appeared on a list of suspected Confederate sympathizers.

Lots No. 15 & 16 were purchased by William Vinson from Frederick Moore. The exact date is unknown since Moore failed to make a deed (an oversight that was corrected in 1873 by his widow Permelia). 

Permelia VanHorn Moore
Image: Collection of author

Some of the remaining lots still owned by Moore had in all likelihood houses, stores, etc. built on them and may have been rented out. Based on the 1860 Cassville, Virginia census, Lot No. 6 may have been where Martin Frasher, a merchant, kept his store. Lot No. 12 was most likely occupied by Washington Ratliff who was a direct neighbor of James Stone. Lot 13 and/or 14 may have been the location of Stephen M. Marcum's blacksmith shop. He also worked as a gunsmith. Martin Coffman was the town's carpenter. It is not clear where his business may have been located but it was near the business section on Wayne Street. Harmon Loar, a prolific businessman, also called Cassville home. His business dealings included shipping agricultural products for area farmers to markets on the Ohio River via the Big Sandy. In return, many of the area families relied on Harmon's suppliers for many of the farm tools and luxury items they needed. So far, the exact location of the homes of these Cassville residents remains unknown.

On September 7, 1855, the first Post Office in town opened and was named Fort Gay. The first postmaster was William Ferguson who held the office until March 12, 1857. He was replaced by Richard F. Vinson who served until July 29, 1857. Andrew Eves was the next postmaster who served for two years until August 4, 1859 when George F. Ratliff took over the office. He was replaced by Ezekiel Stone on November 28, 1859, who was postmaster until February 3, 1860 when the post-office was discontinued. Ezekiel Stone may have been either the father or son of James Stone, so it is very likely that the post office was located either in his store or hotel.

When the Civil War began, active recruiting began almost immediately after the first shots were fired at Fort Sumpter. The political climate in Cassville and the town's immediate neighborhood was overwhelmingly Southern. There were some Union supporters such as Frederick Moore whose son Laban T. Moore was a lawyer and politician who represented Kentucky in the Thirty-sixth Congress until March 1861. He helped raise the first Union infantry regiment in the Big Sandy Valley, the 14th Kentucky Infantry, and served as the regiment's first Colonel.  

William Vinson, the oldest son of James Vinson, was an extensive farmer and saw log dealer. When the Civil War began, it was said that, "he with alacrity flew to the standard of his country, and gave valuable assistance in filling the ranks of the 14th KY, and while not able to do personal service in the field, he was a good loyal Union man until the war closed." It was not uncommon, however, that political divisions existed even within communities and even families. Vinson's younger brother Lazarus "Lace" Vinson joined the Southern cause and served in Swan's Battalion. Stephen M. Marcum's son Thomas Damron Marcum joined the 14th Kentucky Infantry and soon rose to the rank of Captain of Company K, while another son, William W. Marcum, joined the 8th VA Cavalry. Stephen M. Marcum's cousin Jack Marcum also joined the Confederates and soon managed to make a notorious reputation for himself.

One of the earliest Wayne County units was the Fairview Rifles, commanded by James M. Cornes, which later became Co. K, 8th Virginia Cavalry (CS). One of the Fairview Rifles members was Cassville resident James F. Anderson, a timberman who boarded with Harmon Loar. Anderson later became Captain of Company K, 16th VA Cavalry. 

A number of area residents joined the 8th Virginia Cavalry (CS): Thomas Short (s/o Nora/Nary); Ezekiel Stone, Moses and William M. Stone (s/o James); William M. Marcum (s/o Stephen M.); Lewis and Nathan H. Frasher (sons of John L.); John Walker.

In no time at all Cassville became a hotbed of activity. Some of the recruits made forays into Kentucky which at the time was neutral. An eyewitness recalled how in May of 1861, a small party of rebels on recruiting duty were encamped at Cassville. "Every day for about a week a squad of six to ten would come over to Louisa, mounted, and ride through the principal streets of the town. They were in citizen's clothing. At other times we would see one or two around town on foot. They did not appear to be armed, unless with sidearms." 

In the summer of 1861, it was reported that several mails had been robbed in the counties along the Kentucky and Virginia line, "by men, who came from Virginia, across the line, for that purpose." One such incident took place on Wednesday, August 21, 1861, when the mail from Louisa to Warfield, via Cassville (VA), was robbed. Nathan Holt, a wealthy Wayne Co. VA farmer and one of the first local constables, was the mail contractor. The mail boy, his 17 year old son Bernard P. Holt, had left Warfield at 6 o'clock in the morning with the mail and was travelling on the Virginia side of the Big Sandy River toward Cassville. About 5 o'clock in the evening, when within 1 1/2 miles of town, Bernard noticed two men, Alex. Vinson and John Walker, on the roadside waiting for him. The boy was knocked off his horse by Vinson and Walker who swore that they were going to have that Lincoln mail. Bernard Holt engaged in a fight with Walker while Vinson cut the mailbag and took out and destroyed all the mail matter, and then took the horse from the boy. Both men left together

Bernard P. Holt alerted the citizens who made pursuit and captured Vinson about three miles from the place of the robbery. He was brought back to Cassville, and had a hearing before Justice James Stone, who held him over for further trial. Vinson was then put in the custody of Constable Bow, who summoned two citizens as guards to watch Vinson through the night. He however made his escape before morning. The Sandy Valley Advocate noted, "He and Walker are now at large. From what we can learn, all the officers were secessionists, as well as the guard, and therefore do not wonder at the escape of the prisoner."

In early September 1861, two companies of the Fifth Virginia Infantry, under the command of Major Ralph Olmstead, came to Cassville and remained for some two or three weeks, recruiting up Tug River. On September 28, 1861, according to John Frew Stewart, "When on their return, Major Olmstead bringing up the rear, they stopped at the Fred Moore, Sr., house, the first below Cassville. He did not dismount but talked to someone on the porch of the house, when he was shot by the enemy from the graveyard point opposite the house. The ball entered his head back of one ear, coming out just above the eye. He fell from his horse dead." Lieutenant Baisden was mortally wounded and succumbed to his wounds five hours later.

On October 15, 1861, Co. E, 5th WV Infantry was ordered to Cassville, mainly due to the incidents that had occurred there during the previous month. The men encamped in town on October 16. On October 19, they proceeded to Bromley Ridge and attacked a body of 40 rebels at John Jarrell, Sr.'s homeplace, killing nine, taking nine prisoners and nine guns. From there, the men continued scouting the upper part of Wayne for another two weeks.

In the fall of 1861, Jack Marcum began recruiting men from Wayne County as well as Lawrence County, Kentucky. He was able to assemble a group of nearly 100 men and began terrorizing Unionists along the Big Sandy River. On December 16, 1861, in consequence of rumors that a superior number of Confederates under Gen. Humphrey Marshall were advancing upon Louisa from Prestonsburg, the 14th KY Infantry retreated from their camp in Louisa and went to Catlettsburg. After the departure of the regiment, Jack Marcum paid Louisa a visit and rode through town accompanied by only one man, "in broad day light, and no one attempting to take him."

The 14th Kentucky returned to Louisa on December 21, 1861. The following morning, shots were fired from Cassville at the men who were encamped at Camp Wallace. Captain Means noted, "Five of my men were fired on from the Va. side of the river. They were on the Ky side [in the] morning "nobody hurt". five shots were fired - none of my men were armed." 

On December 26th, after finally receiving their guns and equipment, the remaining companies of the 14th Kentucky left Louisa for the mouth of George's Creek to join Garfield's main force on their way to meet Humphrey Marshall's troops. This left Louisa in a vulnerable position. 150 tons of army food were still stored by the river, ready for transportation, but only three companies of infantry were left to protect them. 

J. D. Stubbs related in a letter to Garfield that, “we have intercepted letters which Lead us to believe this place will be attacked from the Virginia side within a day or Two  I think that there is a great probability of it  we have been ___ the past 2 days and the most reliable Letters think a dash will be made Since our Supplies there must be at least 150 Tons here on the Bank of the River.” Captain Barber's men, 42nd OVI, were encamped just beyond the town limits. Shortly before sunset, a messenger arrived with the news that an attack was expected by a force of 300 men under Jack Marcum. 50 men of Barber's company went down to the river to assist in guarding the government stores but the expected attack was not made and the men spent a miserable night in the courthouse. 

On December 29, 1861, Booker Johnson, a private in Co. F, 14th Kentucky Infantry, was shot at Cassville. The bullet ripped through his right shoulder and left side. George W. Kirk was standing within six feet of Johnson when he was shot. Kirk noted that he pulled a piece of blouse from the wound. Johnson survived the attack. Just one day later, on Dec. 30th, 1861, Jack Marcum came within three miles of the Union lines and murdered a Union man in his own home. 

Garfield detailed Captain Thomas D. Marcum of the 14th Kentucky Infantry to lead scouting parties and encountered Jack Marcum on occasion. Despite the fact that both men were related, “Jack and Thomas have exchanged shots a good many times; both are dreaded by the opposite party," according to Lt. Col. Sheldon, 42d OVI.

In March 1862, after Colonel Garfield's Campaign against Humphrey Marshall was successfully concluded, Colonel Jonathan Cranor, 40th OVI, became the ranking Union commander in the Big Sandy Valley. His style of managing the district differed considerably from Garfield's who believed in conciliatory policies when dealing with the local population. Cranor preferred handling rebels with a firm hand which made him quickly unpopular. 

In the early summer of 1862, there were rumors or threats of the burning of Cassville, as revealed in a letter by a female Confederate spy who arrived at Cassville by boat with three heavy trunks, suspected of containing weapons and ammunition. She spent some pleasant time with like-minded friends in town before continuing on her journey into Eastern Kentucky. After her return to Catlettsburg on June 29th 1862, she addressed a letter to "to Miss Marey Mitchell  Miss Edea Stone  Mis Nancy Ann Ratiliff and all the young laidies and Mared [married] ladies and People in Jenerall of Cassvill VA." She wrote, "Deare friends fore as people of Virginia I leave here said and all her people I must call you all friends ... I will bee Back up here in About three Months  I think then I Will have some time  I hope that Nothing has happend to you all thare  I herd that they was A going to burn the town But I hope they Will Not  I Will leave here this morning or to Morrow Morning  I expect I Will let you here from Me at gaine at My Next Post ... fare Well  May godes Love Peace and grace Rest With you all and Keep you from harm  My undieing Love fore the people of Virginia"

Whatever plans may have been in place for the destruction of Cassville, it is quite possible that they originated with Colonel Cranor - or at the very least, he was blamed for them. Shortly after July 18, 1862, when Cranor moved his troops and headquarters from Prestonsburg to Louisa, Kentucky, rumors of an assassination plot against Cranor surfaced. A man named Aldridge was overheard in Cassville making threats against Cranor. According to witnesses, Aldridge devised a plan to assassinate him and, together with James Smith, bought a gun for that very purpose. He hung about the hillsides, watching for Cranor, with the intention of shooting him the first time he came out with his regiment on dress parade. Aldridge's plans, however, never materialized, quite possibly because a large scale Confederate invasion of Kentucky was looming over the state. Cranor would soon have his hands full. Chances are he would be attending to business rather than attending dress parades. 

Humphrey Marshall's troops were at the SW Virginia border, once more threatening the Big Sandy Valley. It was feared he would invade Eastern Kentucky and move toward the Ohio River. By August 2, 1862, Cranor believed that a raid into Southeast Kentucky by Jenkins' cavalry and others was imminent. 

As the situation unfolded, it seems to have stimulated Confederate enlistments in Wayne County and around Cassville. Milton J. Ferguson was recruiting for the 16th Virginia Cavalry. Cassville area men who joined were Ezekiel Stone, (s/o James), with the rank of Sergeant Major; James S. Parks and his sons James and Macajah; Robert Harrison Parks (brother of James S.) and his son Thomas; Lewis Frasher, (s/o John L.) and his uncle Elias Frasher; William Dyer, with the rank of sergeant; William Wellman (s/o James) and his cousins Oliver and William Wellman. 

After the Confederate invasion of Kentucky was in full force, the situation in the Big Sandy Valley became unsustainable for Cranor and his men. On September 18, 1862, he was forced to move his troops from Louisa to Catlettsburg. A trooper in McLaughlin's Squadron reported that the unit's relocation from Louisa was necessary because the town was in danger of being surrounded by Marshall's forces. For the next two months, the Big Sandy Valley was virtually swept clean of Union troops. 

According to reports, by October 19, 1862, the rebels were, "in possession of the portion of Northeast Kentucky embracing the counties of Greenup, Carter, Lawrence, and others to the southward as far as Pike, and are committing depredations upon the property and outrages upon the persons of loyal citizens which call for prompt repression. The forces alluded to--mostly guerrillas--are not understood to be large, not exceeding 500 or 600 at most. Another force of about the same strength, said to belong to Floyd's command, is reported to be at the salt-works on the Big Sandy River above Louisa." 

Colonel Cranor did not return to the Big Sandy Valley with his command until November 14, 1862, when they arrived at Catlettsburg. Cranor wasted no time and moved most of his men to Louisa by November 19, 1862. The 84th Indiana Infantry did not join Cranor's troops until a month later. On December 14, 1862, after traveling the Sandy River pike on the Virginia side, the regiment arrived in the vicinity of Cassville at 8 o'clock in the evening. One of the soldiers noted, "the men, worn out by the forced march, and thinking of dropping down by the roadside caught sight of camp fires of the 40th Ohio, about a mile ahead. The band struck up "Hail Columbia," and in a few moments the boys of the 40th were swarming from their bunks to the bank on the opposite side of the river. As soon as the 84th was identified, it was welcomed with roaring cheers from the camp across the river, who graced it the more warmly as their force was thought to be too weak for the place it garrisoned. Col. Cranor of the 40th, who commanded the Brigade, entertained the field officers and held a jubilee at headquarters. Orders came to the 84th to go into temporary camp until morning and, as fence rails were plenty, a few minutes sufficed to illuminate the camp and to prepare supper."

84th Indiana Infantry, Company C
Source: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The next morning, like a herd of foundered horses, the men of the 84th were out limping about camp, performing the usual morning duties and surveying the strange country about them. At the head of the regiment was the little town of Cassville, Virginia." "... it was occupied principally by secesh families ... Cranor gave orders for all to leave except two families," noted another soldier.

"At six o'clock in the morning after our arrival at this God-forsaken portion of America, an order was read to the citizens giving them two hours to vacate the town and move beyond our lines. One family that had furnished a volunteer for the Union army, and a widow with a large family of small children, were the only ones allowed to remain." One can only speculate as to who these two families were that were spared. Stephen M. Marcum's family seems like a logical choice since his son was a captain in the 14th Kentucky and was serving in the Atlanta Campaign during this time. Widow Nary Short may have been the second person whose home was spared from destruction.  

By eight o'clock the town was uninhabited. Then commenced the work of destruction. Cranor "ordered the soldiers to demolish the houses, which was done in double quick." "Every vacated house was torn down except a few reserved for hospital use." "The lumber was used in building bunks, laying floors in tents, etc., etc. At ten o'clock the town was in ruins and the soldiers cosily quartered in a comfortable camp."

New Castle Courier, March 3, 1871

As it turned out, Cassville's destruction was Cranor's last hurrah. He resigned from the 40th OVI on February 5, 1863, on account of disability and accepted a position as Military Claim Agent for the State of Ohio on April 29, 1863. 

The damage Cranor inflicted on the town seems to have been thorough. An 1864 map of Louisa, created by Lt. Col. J. H. Simpson, Corps of Engineers, US, and dated July 1864 to June 1865, shows no trace of Cassville whatsoever, aside for the ferry landing and Wayne Street.

 Lt. Col. J. H. Simpson's map 

With the exception of James Stone, not much is known about the displaced Cassville families. Stone eventually ended up in Catlettsburg by 1864, from where he sold his Cassville lots No. 9 & 10 to William Bartram. Afterwards, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio for some time before returning to Cassville after the war. 

In 1864, the town began slowly to struggle back on its feet. The IRS Tax Lists for 1864-1866 show that the first business to return to Cassville were Moore & Rowe in May of 1864, who partnered in a manufacturing business. In November 1864, Bromley & Wellman began working as butchers of cattle until July 1865, when John L. Frasher took over the job.  

In July 1865, Thomas D. Marcum went into the retail business under the name T.D. Marcum & Co. In August 1865, Z. C. Vinson opened a second retail business in Cassville and David Mitchell returned to operate a manufacturing business, most likely his saddle shop. 1865 also saw the return of Harmon and Peter Loar.

In January 1866, Samuel Short, Jr. bought Lot No. 22, built a two-story dwelling house and opened a retail business. In March 1866, William Bartram established a hotel and in May 1866, Perry, Arnold & Co. opened a retail business. After giving up butchering in 1865, John H. Bromley went into the lumber business in July 1866. In November 1866, Workman & Co. began selling liquor and James Stone finally returned and opened a second hotel in Cassville. Also still in business were T. D. Marcum & Co., Z. C. Vinson and John L. Frasher. 

Despite the progress that had been made, peace did not come easily, especially for Unionists or those who were serving in some official capacity for the new state government of West Virginia. On March 23, 1866, John W. Holt, Assessor of District 2 in Wayne County, wrote a letter to West Virginia Governor Boreman, calling for troops because of continued unrest in town. He noted, "I live and keep my office in Cassville and it is with extreme difficulty and under great danger and hard threats that I am getting along. My entire neighborhood is Reb with the exception of old Squire Bartram and his boys one of which is our high Sheriff and other Capt. Dave which is our Deputy Sheriff. ...We have been beat by mobs and shot at on the streets and desire to help ourselves....We must have from 25 to 50 men here in Cassville or else we must get out of here. This is the landing place for all the lumber men that comes down Tug River. Them big buck Rebbells comes down in time of high water sometimes by the dozens from Logan Co. & from Pike Co. Ky with their __ buckled around them "hurrawing" for Jeff Davis, cussing the government, cursing Union men & then we have to get out. Sir, I frequently see men come in here who are indicted for murder in Kentucky defying any body ... Sir a few days ago they gathered in here and raised a riot with our high Sheriff and fell on him with clubs & weights & tried to kill him and his brother. His brother ran into my house for protection. They stoned my window, knocked two panels out of my door & like to killed my little child. ... If you see fit to protect us send the commitions immediately the men can be raised in a few days ... Sir we have plenty of arms which belongs to the state that can be gathered up."

On March 9, 1867 the Fort Gay Post Office was re-established, with George W. Adkins as postmaster. By June 1868, the situation in and around Cassville remained unstable. Lt. Col. S.W. Crawford, 2nd US Infantry recommended that a company should be stationed at Cassville because "the whole complexion of things is very different from that existing in the interior of West Virginia."   

Accordingly, on July 4, 1868, Company B, 2nd US Infantry, under the command of Captain Francis E. Lacey, marched from their post at Guyandotte via Wayne Court House, to Cassville, where they arrived on July 5, at 11 o'clock in the morning. During the following four months, Lacey and his men remained at Cassville and played the role of peacekeepers. Their assignment ended in October 1868. 

Peace eventually returned to Cassville and wounds began to heal. Over time the town began to flourish until the 1880s when it was visited by several fires. In May 1883, ten houses were burned. Less than a year later, in February 1884, arson destroyed two hotels, three business houses and several residences. In October 1888, Samuel Short's two-story dwelling house went up in flames.

173 years later, little is left of Frederick Moore's vision of Cassville. Gone are the ferry and river boats, the hotels and businesses. Only a few of the older buildings remain, keeping the memory of a bygone era alive for just a little while longer.

Empty lot in former Cassville
Image by author, November 2022

Old home in former Cassville
Image by author, November 2022

A special thank you goes to Angel Thompson whose knowledge of local Cassville/Fort Gay history has been of tremendous help. 

Links of Interest

Roster of the 8th Virginia Cavalry

Roster of the 16th Virginia Cavalry

James Aldridge - Outlaw or Avenging Angel?

Dear John ~ The Hazards of Mail Delivery

Researched, transcribed and written by Marlitta H. Perkins, January 2023. Copyright © 2023, All Rights Reserved.

Civil War Burials - Johnson County, Kentucky

 On July 17, 1862, Congress passed an act that those who gave their lives in defense of the Republic should rest forever within the guarded confines of a national cemetery. Immediately following the end of the Civil War in 1865, the Quartermaster Department, being tasked to care for the Army's dead, initiated plans plans to locate and exhume human remains from battlefields and other temporary graves to concentrate them in national cemeteries. General Orders No. 40, issued July 3, 1865, sought lists of interments registered during the war, but only documentation for less than 30 percent of the dead was produced; it then became necessary to review casualty reports. As a result, General Orders No. 65, issued on October 30, 1865, requested the locations of cemeteries and gave recommendations for their preservation.

A joint resolution of Congress, approved April 13, 1866, authorized and required the Secretary of War “to take immediate measures to preserve from desecration the graves of soldiers of the United States who fell in battle or died of disease in the field and in hospitals during the war of the rebellion.” National cemeteries were officially established with the Act to Establish and to Protect National Cemeteries, approved February 22, 1867.

The work of the Quartermaster Department proved to be enormously challenging, especially in regard to making identifications. The vast majority of the graves were marked with temporary wooden headboards which were either decaying, had fallen to the ground  or were completely destroyed. Efforts were made to locate witnesses who could point out the graves and/or identify the soldiers and the circumstances of their deaths. However, only 58% of the disinterred and reburied soldiers were identified. Despite the difficulties encountered the work went forward so rapidly between 1866 and 1870, that the Cemeterial Division had disinterred the remains of nearly 300,000 war dead and laid them to rest in 73 newly created national cemeteries. In September 1871, Assistant Quartermaster J. D. Bingham submitted a report to Quartermaster General Meigs, listing seventy-four national cemeteries containing the remains of 303,536 Union soldiers. Bingham reported that 2,295 Union dead had been removed to the nearest national cemetery that year, and that he believed few, if any, remains were unaccounted for.

While working in the Big Sandy Valley, the Quartermaster Department located four burial sites in Johnson County. The remains of the Union soldiers were taken to New Albany National Cemetery in New Albany, Indiana. The largest site by far was what is known today as the Old Town Cemetry, located on Church Street in Paintsville.

According to records, the majority of soldiers who died in Paintsville served during J. A. Garfield’s Eastern Kentucky Campaign of 1861/1862. The continuous mix of rain, snow and sleet quickly turned the camps into swamps. Crowded living conditions, with 12-15 men cramped into one company tent, quickly aided the spread of disease. Many tents lacked stoves which forced the men to stand around campfires in knee deep mud in order to keep warm. The weather also hampered the food supply and the men had to live on half rations. In consequence, disease became rampant and reduced the ranks drastically. Only the most urgent cases were admitted to the hospital because of lack of sufficient room. Regiments mostly affected were the 14th Kentucky Infantry and 42nd OVI. 

Old Town Cemetery, Paintsville (23 Union burials plus 1 Confederate grave)

 Described as a “public graveyard in an old cultivated field.” The graves in the soldiers’ burial lot were in poor condition and the headboards mostly non-existent (mainly because they were made from wooden boards and deteriorated quickly). With the exception of two graves, none of the twenty-three burials were identifiable and were logged as “unknown.” In addition, the Quartermaster’s burial register also noted a “rebel grave” as well as two citizens graves which were located among the Union burials.

Sketch of cemetery found in the US QM Burial Register

14th Kentucky Infantry (13 deaths)

The highest casualty rate at Paintsville was sustained by the 14th Kentucky Infantry who lost thirteen men. Much can be attributed to the fact that the regiment was ordered to remain in Paintsville until the end of March when Garfield’s campaign ended, in order to guard the stores of the brigade while the remainder of Garfield’s troops moved up the Big Sandy River to Piketon on February 9/10, 1862.

James W. Rose, Co. B - January 18, 1862, wound in the thigh received in Battle of Middle Creek

Jeremiah Fitch, Co. I -  January 22, 1862, typhoid fever

James B. Arthur, Co. C - Camp Buell, Febuary 6, 1862, disease

John Taylor, Co. H - February 7/15, 1862, camp fever

John Keen, Co. F - Camp Buell, February 10, 1862, typhoid fever

Samuel Vermillion, Co. H - February 10, 1862, camp fever

Ambrose Jones, Co. C - February 15, 1862, disease

George Bruner, Co. F - Camp Buell, February 17, 1862, typhoid fever

Lindsey Lambert, Co. C -  February 25, 1862, disease

Isaac Johnson, Co. B - March 3, 1862, congestion of the lungs

Solomon Quillan, Co. K - March 6, 1862, fever

Henry Adkins, Co. C - March 16, 1862, disease

Robert P. Elam, Co. I - Camp Buell, March 24, 1862, accidental discharge of musket

42nd OVI (10 deaths)

William Gardner and Frederick C. Coffin were the first two burials in the regiment which took place on January 14, 1862. Captain Henry noted, “Today the wounded boys of Companies F and G, two of them, were buried. The ceremony was impressive and many looked sad when they saw the escort march up that hill to the graves.” Another comrade stated that they were buried “in the evening with military honors. A very solemn scene.”

 Corporal William Gardner, Co. G - January 12, 1862, wounds received in Battle of Middle Creek. Gardner’s body was buried under a cedar tree. His headboard bore the following inscription: In Memory of Crpl Wm Gardner who was wounded in the battle of Middle Creek and died Jany 12-1862, aged 24 years ~ Co “G” 42# Regt  OV U.S.A

(USVA, grave # 1234, Section B; Find A Grave Memorial ID 3283781)

Frederick C. Coffin, Co. C/F - January 13, 1862, wounds received in Battle of Middle Creek

Frederick C. Coffin had succumbed to his wounds while being transported by boat on the Big Sandy River from Prestonsburg to Paintsville. A head board was not located for his grave. Therefore, he is one of the unknown soldiers in the cemetery.

John Beachley, Co. H - January 22, 1862, measles.

According to a comrade, on January 23, 1862,  “at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Beachley was buried with military honors.” His grave had no headboard.

Reuben Blunt/ Blunot/Blanot, Co. E - January 28, 1862, drowned in the Big Sandy River near Paintsville, by falling overboard a steamboat. His grave is one of two that were positively identified.

(USVA, grave # 1237, Plot Section B; Find A Grave Memorial ID 168793811)

Five more deaths were recorded in the 42nd OVI:

Corporal Julian W. Smith, d. Jan. 29, 1862, hospital, Paintsville

Milton Flint, Co. E - February 1, 1862, hospital

Luke Flint, Co. E - February 7, 1862, hospital

George Sexton, Co. E - February 7, 1862, hospital, disease

Milo A. Hobert, Co. K - February 28, 1862, typhoid fever

1st Kentucky Cavalry (4 deaths)

Wm. John Noland (Andrew J. Nolan), Co. F - January 10, 1862, typhoid fever

Robert F. Raborn (Raybourne), Co. L - January 14, 1862, fever

Moses Teater, Co. G - January 15, 1862, disease

Wm. A. Branch, Co. L -  January 26, 1862, fever (his horse died Feb 10, 1862)

40th OVI Soldiers who died at Paintsville (3 deaths)

James M. Radenbaugh, Co. E - 1862, buried soldiers’ burial lot in Paintsville

Jefferson Postle, Co. C - February 7, 1862, disease, buried soldiers’ burial lot in Paintsville

Charles C. Henderson, Co. A - January 1862, disease (may have died at Ashland; records are inconclusive)

2nd WV Cavalry (2 deaths)

Amos McKee, Co. B - January 8, 1862, kia, body taken home

Albert Leonard, Co. C - January 8, 1862, kia, body taken home

Union Deaths in Paintsville 1862 to 1865

McLaughlin’s Squadron (1 death)

James Bunting, Co. B - Sept. 4, 1862

In December of 1863, sickness raged through the ranks of the soldiers in the District of Eastern Kentucky. For the month of December 1863, the returns to headquarters show 911 aggregate present while the total aggregate present and absent show 1,901 men, a difference of 990 soldiers. A typhoid outbreak among the troops stationed at Paintsville claimed several victims, mostly new recruits, who may have been buried at the Old Town Cemetery.

14th Kentucky Infantry (3 deaths)

Thomas Marshall, Co. F - Dec. 2, 1863, of typhoid fever

Henry C. Power, Co. F - Dec. 8, 1863, typhoid fever

Emanuel J. Hickem, Co. F - Dec. 17, 1863, typhoid fever

45th Kentucky Infantry (1 death)

James Burchett, Co. C - December 4, 1863/Jan. 4, 1864, of typhoid fever. According to the late local historian Janet Horn, James Burchett is still buried in the cemetery although there is no stone marking his grave. No notation is found in the Quartermaster Department’s burial register that a body was left behind in this cemetery. However, there is a slight possibility that his grave may have been overlooked when the bodies were taken up. James Burchett was the 16 year old son of Leonard Burchett and Lydia Osborn who lived in Flatgap, Johnson County, Kentucky. His father served three weeks each in the 5th Kentucky Infantry (CS) and Fields’ Company of Partisan Rangers (CS) during the Civil War.

39th Kentucky Infantry (2 deaths)

Isaac Vicars, Co. C - KIA, April 13, 1864, gun shot wound, a “rebel ball passing through his body.” He was killed during the “Battle of Paintsville.”

Jason Bennett, Co. K - December 13/8, 1864, pneumonia fever, hospital

6th US Colored Cavalry (1 death)

Joseph Nelson, Co. C, d. December 20, 1864, in hospital in Paintsville

Final analysis of the burials in the Old Town Cemetery

During the Civil War, a total of 40 US soldiers died in Paintsville, Kentucky. However, the US Quartermaster burial register document 23 Union graves, two of which were positively identified. The bodies of two men were taken home soon after their death and were probably never buried in the Old Town Cemetery. What remains are 36 casualties yet only 21 graves. Since the remaining 21 burials were marked as unknown, it begs the question who of the 36 men not identified in the register were still in the cemetery, had been taken home or were perhaps buried at an unknown location? It is possible, even though unlikely, that some burials in the cemetery were overlooked by the Quartermaster  Department or that they failed to locate other burial sites in or near Paintsville. Unless more documentation surfaces, these questions may never be answered.

Aside from the Old Town Cemetery, the US Quartermaster Department located three additional burial sites in Johnson County.

Old family cemetery opposite Big Paint Creek (2 burials)

This cemetery contained the graves of two soldiers. The cemetery is described as an “old family grave yard” which was located “600 feet from Bend of River opposite Big Paint Creek.”

Sketch of cemetery found in the US QM Burial Register

Unknown soldier

His grave was enclosed by a fence.  His remains were not taken up by the Quartermaster  Department.

William A. Lackey, Co. I, 39th Kentucky Infantry

Drowned in Big Paint Creek, April 20, 1864. Lackey was on picket duty and after being  relieved, he was returning to camp on the northside of Paint Creek which was much swollen. In attempting to cross, he became disengaged from his horse in deep water and was drowned. The Adjutant was present at the time and assisted in getting his body from the water.

Lackey was buried in his clothes. William N. Randolph, Co. A, 39h KY, Commissary Sergeant, attended the burial and later helped the Quartermaster Department to locate Lackey’s grave and identify him. Lackey's grave was located opposite of the fenced-in unknown soldiers’ grave, and 15 feet south of a Beech tree. A stone with the initials W. A. L. carved into it, was placed at the head of grave.

USVA, grave # 1241, Section B; Find A Grave Memorial ID 3284789

Burial site on George W. Auxier's land, Big Sandy River & Little Paint Creek (1 burial)

“Located on Big Sandy River on left hand side, coming from Piketon, 250 yards below Little Paint Creek, 600 feet from the river and 12 feet west of a small white walnut tree on George W. Auxier's land, on a bluff on the opposite side of River from Auxier's house.”

Sketch of cemetery found in the US QM Burial Register

George Washington Auxier was the son of Nathaniel Auxier and Hester Ann Mayo.

Corporal Keanas F. Lacy, Co. C, 39th Kentucky Infantry 

Keanas F. Lacy drowned in Middle Creek, on March 16, 1864. Stone at head and foot of grave, no marks on them. The grave and soldier was identified by Lindsey Maners (possibly Linsey Manard (wife Martha) from Pike County, Kentucky) who helped bury him. He was buried without a coffin. Lacy was wearing cavalry pants, spurs and “two good boots.”

(USVA, grave #1216, Section B; Find A Grave Memorial ID 3284786)

Jefferson Conley Farm, Little Paint Creek (1 burial)

“Located at Little Paint Creek, six miles south of Paintsville, on Jefferson Conley's farm, 3/4 of a mile west from Mr. Conley's house, on the outside of a fence in bank and 22 feet east from where a branch puts into Little Paint Creek and 35 feet to middle of State Road where it crosses Little Paint Creek and 3/4 of a mile west of bend in River, opposite J. Conley's house.”

Sketch of cemetery found in the US QM Burial Register

Unknown US Colored soldier (possibly 5th or 6th US Colored Cavalry)

Unknown soldier, who “froze to death in December 1864 while returning from raid to Saltville, Va.” He was buried by a citizen. This soldier was possibly a member of the 5th or 6th US Colored Cavalry who participated in Stoneman’s Raid into Southwest Virginia, which lasted from December 10 to December 29, 1864.

Of the 27 remains located in Johnson County, which excludes the unknown Confederate burial, 26 were taken to New Albany National Cemetery in Indiana. One soldier was left in his original grave, by request of family or friends. Most of the men were re-interred in Sections A and B, with the exception of the US colored soldier who were laid to rest in Section C. 

Links of Interest

Roll of honor; names of soldiers who died in defense of the American union, interred in the national [and other] cemeteries. 27 volumes. (Available on Hathi Trust Digital Library)

Burial Ledgers. The National Cemetery Administration, Washington, D.C. (Original records transferred to NARA: Burial Registers, compiled 1867-2006, documenting the period 1831-2006. ARC ID: 5928352. Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773–2007, Record Group 15. National Archives at Washington, D.C. (Available on Ancestry.com) 

Nationwide Gravesite Locator
National Cemetery Administration, US Department of Veterans Affairs

New Albany National Cemetery
New Albany, Indiana

Researched, compiled and written by Marlitta H. Perkins. Originally published in 2018 by the Johnson County Kentucky Historical Society. Published on-line April 2022. This specific article is under full copyright. Copyright © 2018, 2022, All Rights Reserved.

Events in Magoffin County During the Civil War

Magoffin County, 1862 Lloyd Map of Kentucky
Magoffin County was formed in 1860 from parts of Johnson, Morgan and Floyd Counties. In 1860 the county had a population of 3,485. According to the listing of names on the Magoffin County Civil War Monument in Salyersville, a total of 431 Magoffin County men fought in the Civil War, with 308 serving for the Union and 123 for the Confederacy. Salyersville, the county seat, is located on the Licking River. A settlement was established in 1794, called Prather's Fort and then Licking Station, but the settlers were subsequently driven off by Indians and didn't return until 1800. It was later renamed Adamsville for William "Uncle Billy" Adams, a prominent local citizen. After the formation of Magoffin county in 1860, the name was changed to Salyersville, after Samuel Salyer.

William "Uncle Billy" Adams
During the Civil War, Salyersville was, according to a contemporary source, "a one store, cross-roads town, with a blacksmith shop and about 20 inhabitants". Its location on the Mount Sterling-Pound Gap road, the longest pre-Civil War state road and major overland passage from the Bluegrass region of Kentucky to the mountains of SW Virginia and the east, made the town strategically important and accounted for much of the activity the town saw during the war years. The present highway US 460 follows the approximate route of the original road.

Nearby Burning Springs, ca. 4 miles from the State Road, was noted for its Artesian oil well. It was also place of residence of the illustrious Home Guard Captain Reuben Patrick who played a major role during the Civil War in Magoffin County.

Licking Station was the place of residence of Sarah/Sallie Gardner, wife of the late Benjamin Gardner, who had been a wealthy merchant. Mrs. Gardner and her family welcomed Confederate General General Humphrey Marshall and his troops on more than one occasion on her farm during his campaigns in Kentucky.


Fall 1861
When the Kentucky Legislature had taken steps that amounted to an adherence to the Union, Confederate General Sidney Johnston immediately crossed into Kentucky, and advanced as far as Bowling Green and thence dispatched General Buckner with a division toward Louisville. General Zollicoffer entered the State and advanced as far as Somerset. Licking Station served as a temporary camp for the constant stream of recruits as well as refugees from the interior of the state who were on their way to Virginia or intend on joining the CS Army at Prestonsburg where an additional Confederate force was gathering under "Cerro Gordo" Williams.

October 1861
Union refugees from Magoffin Co. flee from the Confederates via Boone Furnace on Grassy Creek in Carter County, Kentucky, to the Ohio River in Boyd County.

October 23, 1861
During the month of October 1861, Captain, later Colonel, Andrew Jackson May set up a recruiting camp for the 5th KY Infantry (CSA) at West Liberty, Morgan County, Kentucky. After being surprised by General Nelson's Federal troops on October 23, 1861, May fell back from West Liberty on the state road towards Prestonsburg, via Salyersville.


Nelson's Eastern KY Campaign, Winter 1861/1862

Union General William "Bull" Nelson is instructed to collect all men available with the objective of dispersing the Confederate recruiting camp at Prestonburg and thus freeing Eastern KY from the threat of a Confederate presence. In late October, he gathers a force of about half a dozen regiments at Olympian Springs and begins his march toward Prestonsburg. After taking West Liberty in October, Nelson moves with his army to Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Kentucky.

November 2, 1861
General "Bull" Nelson marches with his forces from Hazel Green and cross the South fork of Licking River. Due to recent rains the river is flooded.

November 3, 1861
Nelson's Federal troops arrive at Licking Station and go into camp [Camp Crittenden].

November 5, 1861
Nelson's forces leave Licking Station and move toward Prestonsburg via Paintsville.

Three days later, on November 8, 1861, Nelson engages the Confederates at Ivy Mountain and the following day occupy Piketon in force. The Confederates under Col. John S. Williams fall back into South-West Virginia. Nelson's objective is accomplished. Eastern Kentucky is free from a larger Confederate force, at least temporarily.


December 15, 1861
John Hagins, of Magoffin County, Ky., is arrested in Montgomery County and charged with furnishing supplies of stock to the rebel army under General Williams.


Marshall/Garfield Campaign 1861/1862

More than a month after Confederate Col. John S. Williams left Kentucky, following the fight at Ivy Mountain, Brig. Gen. Humphrey Marshall leads another force into the Big Sandy Valley to resume recruiting activities. From his headquarters in Paintsville in Johnson County, Marshall recruits volunteers and has a force of more than 2,000 men by early January, but is not able to but partially equip them.

In December 1861, Union Brig. Gen. Don Carlos Buell directs Ohioan Col. James A. Garfield to force Marshall retreat back into Virginia.

December 20, 1861
Capt. Shawhan [CSA], as part of General H. Marshall's command in Eastern Kentucky, is stationed at Salyersville and West Liberty, with 200 KY Cavalry, covering the roads which lead in from the direction of Lexington and Paris.

December 22, 1861
Marshall's mounted battalion, ca. 400 strong, at Salyersville.

December 28, 1861
Garfield dispatches a messenger from his Camp at George's Creek [Lawrence County, Kentucky] to Colonel Cranor, 40th OVI [part of Garfield's 18th Brigade],ordering him to proceed to Prestonburg via Hazel Green and Burning Spring. Cranor is accompanied by a cavalry force of 400-500 men which Cranor is instructed to send via West Liberty and Licking Station to drive in the rebel forces on that route and protect Colonel Cranor's flank, and join him again before he reaches Prestonburg.

January 1, 1862
Capt. Shawhan still reported present at Salyersville.

Early January 1862
The 40th OVI passes through Salyersville on their way to join Garfield's main force in the Big Sandy Valley. They rendezvous with Garfield at Paintsville on January 8, 1862.

January 31, 1862
Garfield sends Lieutenant-Colonel Letcher, of the First Kentucky Cavalry, with his command [six companies - 300 men] to West Liberty with instructions to keep up a series of scouting expeditions in that vicinity and towards Whitesburg and Piketon, and keep him informed of all movements of the enemy in that direction, and also to suppress any uprising in Magoffin and neighboring counties.


June 1862: William "Uncle Billy" Adams reports the Magoffin Co. militia force as 597.


Bragg's Invasion of KY, Summer/Fall 1862

Early in August, 1862, the Confederate forces under Gens. Bragg and E. Kirby Smith unite for an invasion of Kentucky in hopes of forcing the state to secede from the Union. General Humphrey Marshall is ordered to enter Kentucky from Southwest Virginia and move in support of Bragg and Smith. He arrives at Pound Gap September 9, 1862, enters the state on the 10th and moves through Whitesburg [Letcher County, Kentucky] and Beaver Creek [Floyd County, Kentucky] on September 12, 1862.

September 13 - 15, 1862
CSA forces under General Humphrey Marshall move from Prestonsburg to Salyersville. They march from Middle Creek to the head of Burning Forks of Licking River, down the valley of Licking, cross the State road, pass Burning Spring, through the town of Salyersville and down to Licking Station. The men pitch their tents near Mrs. Gardener's house and the staff camps in the Gardener's peach orchard. Colonel May's 5th KY Infantry holds a dress parade and Humphrey Marshall gives a speech.

Gardner House
September 15, 1862
General Marshall court martials Harvey Childress and 35 other Union Home Guards at Licking Station. Childress is condemned to death by the Court, pardoned by Marshall, but killed within a day by "some unknown, avenging hand."

September 18, 1862
The 43rd TN Inf. [CSA] moves from Salyersville to West Liberty.

September 21, 1862
CSA forces under General Humphrey Marshall are ordered from Salyerville to Mt. Sterling to join with CS forces under General Kirby Smith to intercept Federal General Morgan's march from Cumberland Gap to the Ohio River.

After the Battle of Perryville, Bragg's and Smith's forces begin their retreat from Kentucky. This includes Marshall and his little army who are reported back in Salyersville on October 25, 1862.

October 25, 1862
Marshall's troops reported at Salyersville [ca. 10, 000 men]

December 7, 1862
While the 39th KY Infantry [US] is recruiting on Beaver Creek in Floyd County, Confederate Col. Clarkson's force moves upon them. Co. F, 39th KY Infantry retreats from Beaver by way of head of Licking River. During the retreat, John Sizemore is accidentially shot and fatally wounded by his son Thomas Jefferson Sizemore, near Reuben Arnett's house, where he dies a few hours later.


Marshall's 1863 Eastern KY Campaign and Cluke's Raid

In early March 1863, General Marshall proposes to his superiors to make an expedition into Kentucky with his command, with a view of collecting supplies for the use of the CS Army, such as horses, mules, cattle, &c., Marshall's plans meet with favorable a response by the Confederate War Department and soon Marshall enters Kentucky by way of Pound Gap.

Marshall's Force [1,800 mounted men]
4th KY Cav = Giltner's
10th KY Cav = May's
11th KY Cav
1st KY Mtd. Rifles = Clay's
2nd KY Mtd. Rifles = Johnson's [Capt. Bradshaw]
Squadron under Capt. G.M. Jessee


March 19, 1863
Marshall arrives in Magoffin County. A US Cavalry force of about 2000 men is reportedly camped at Hammond's Mill, 5 miles below Salyersville on the Licking River [possibly the 10th KY Cav and the Second Battalion Ohio Cavalry]. Upon Marshall's arrival, the Union cavalry retreats to Hazel Green, pursued by Clay's 1st KY Mtd. Rifles, CSA. [He catches up with the Federals on Mar. 21, at Hazel Green. 2 CS killed, 7 US casualties]
Guerrant, Humphrey Marshall's adjutant, notes in his diary that he is camped in a cabin belonging to a man named Puckett.

Also in the vicinity of Salyersville is Confederate Colonel Roy Cluke, with the 8th KY Cavalry, one of John Hunt Morgan's units, who is also operating in Eastern Kentucky with the objective of collecting supplies.

March 20, 1863
General Humphrey Marshall's CS troops arrive at Ivyton and go into camp. During the night, Union Home Guard Captain Reuben Patrick, whose residence is only a few miles away, steals into Marshall's camp and waits until the sentinel falls asleep. Roaming through the sleeping camp, Patrick finds Humphrey Marshall's Williams Rapid Fire Gun and decided to relieve the general of this rare piece of artillery. Being afraid that rolling it out of camp would awaken the enemy, Patrick quietly unscrews the cannon from its frame, lifts it from its carriage and carries it into the nearby woods and lays it alongside of an old log, carefully camouflaging it with leaves.

March 21, 1863
The next morning the Confederates are astounded when they find the carriage but not a trace of the cannon barrel. A thorough search is conducted but nothing is found and thus Marshall grudgingly moves on empty-handed. Marshall establishes camp at Mrs. Gardner's house, at Licking Station, where he remains until March 23, 1863.

March 22, 1863
Captain Patrick returns, takes charge of the carriage that had been left behind, reassembles the cannon and rolls it to his home on Burning Fork.

Captain Reuben Patrick with his captured William Gun
March 23, 1863
Marshall leaves in direction of Louisa, Lawrence Co., KY.
[Marshall arrived near Louisa on the 25th. After a skirmish at Smokey Valley he advanced on Louisa but withdrew the next following day without firing a single shot. He retreated to West Liberty, Owingsville [where he encountered Cluke once more who had been much more successful obtaining supplies than Marshall], Winchester, Hazel Green and finally fell back into Virginia, basically empty-handed]

April 13, 1863
U.S. Cavalry at Salyersville

April 15/17, 1863
George M. Venters [Co. B, 5th KY Inf.] captured in Magoffin Co.

April 30, 1863
Ambrose Watkins [10th KY Cav, CS] captured by Reuben Patrick in Salyersville.

May 3, 1863
Lark Howard [Co. B, 5th KY] captured on Puncheon Creek.
William C. Riggs [Co. F, 13th KY Cav] captured by Lt. Gardener, 14th KY Inf. on Licking River.

May 4, 1863
Jonathan F. Jones [Co. C, 5th Ky Inf.] captured by Lt. Gardener, 14th KY Inf. and sent to Louisa.

October 10, 1863
On the evening of October 10, 1863, a detachment of the 14th KY Infantry, Co. I, [80 men]under command of Captain Wiley C. Patrick, on a scout through Magoffin County, arrives at Salyersville and encounters 150 men of Colonel Prentice's 7th Confederate Battalion. After a brisk fight of 1 1/2 hours, Prentice retreats and the 14th KY Infantry pursues the enemy to Breathitt County where Prentice makes his escape into Virginia. 25 prisoners captured by the Federal troops.

October 11 - 20, 1863
Federal reinforcements arrive from Louisa, 300 men under command of Lt. Colonel Orlando Brown, Jr., 14th KY Infantry. Brown's men march up the Burning Fork of Licking River and on to Quicksand in Breathitt County, and back to Salyersville. From here, Brown's men leave for Crackerneck and then return to Louisa on October 20, 1863.

October 16, 1863
A. J. Salyer [5th KY Inf., Co. C] captured in Magoffin County.

Ivy Point Historical Marker
Nov. 8, 1863
John Wesley Barnett [Co. C/E, 5th KY Inf.] and Joshua Pennington captured in Magoffin Co.


Captain Everett's 1863 KY Raid

November 30, 1863:
During the latter part of November 1863, part of the 14th KY Infantry Infantry, namely companies A, D, F, and I are stationed at Salyersville, KY. A recruiting camp of the 45th Kentucky [Co. D] is situated nearby, at Ivy Point.

In the early morning hours of November 30th, 1863, a group of three or four hundred Confederate Cavalry under the command of Captain Peter M. Everett, Third Battalion Kentucky Mounted Rifles, arrives at Salyersville.
The first casualty is 2. Lt. Richard Minifee Elam, Co. I, 14th KY, who is shot by one of Everett's scouts while standing near the Gene Arnett store in Salyersville, fatally wounding him. Cpl. Jilson Power, Co. I, 14th KY, is wounded next, by a gunshot in the right breast, but not fatally.
Meanwhile, the main body of Everett's command begins crossing the ford of the Licking River, and advances toward the recruiting camp of the 45th KY which throws the men into utter disaray and panic, scattering the troops up the hill and into the woods.
Casualty reports listed 1 officer killed, 1 man wounded and 9 men of the 14th KY as missing. The loss of the 45th Kentucky was given as 1 man wounded and 17 missing. Most of the missing men are chased for miles, captured and subsequently transported to Southern prison camps. A great number of them died in Southern prisons.


December 4, 1863
John Jackson [45th KY Inf., Co. D] captured in Magoffin Co.

February 10, 1864
Scouts of the 45th KY Mtd. Inf. [US] at Salyersville

February 22 - 28, 1864
Captured by a detachment of the 14th KY Infantry, under command of Reuben Patrick, "15 guerillas and horse thieves"

April 4, 1864
Captain Reuben Patrick, with a detachment of 17 men from Co. I, 14th KY Infantry, are sent from Paintsville to watch the Magoffin County border

April 10, 1864
45th KY Infantry has a strong scout at Salyersville.

April 12, 1864
A small detachment of the 14th Kentucky Infantry in Salyersville

April 13, 1864:
A Confederate force, not exceeding 600, reported at Salyersville at night.
During the night, Colonel E. F. Clay, 1st Kentucky Battalion, [CSA] arrives in the vicinity of Salyersville after withdrawing from a battle with Federal forces at Paintsville.
In the afternoon, the Union forces at Paintsville under command of Colonel Gallup begin a pursuit of Clay. Gallup's command consisted of at least five companies of the 14th Kentucky Infantry, and between three to five mounted companies of the 39th Kentucky Mounted Infantry under Colonel David Mims.

April 14, 1864 - Battle of Half Mountain
In the morning Clay moved three miles to Licking Meadow and up Puncheon Creek where he established a temporary camp, about 13 miles above Salyersville. Meanwhile, Gallup's command had moved along Jenny’s Creek, then down Gun Creek and finally crossed Little Half Mountain to the mouth of Puncheon Creek. Four companies of Clay's men were out on scout, while other details were out foraging. Most of the men still in camp were lying asleep beneath the trees when Gallup suddenly attacked the camp around 3 P.M. from the front and rear. A fierce fight ensued, and the Confederates held on until near dark when their ammunition was nearly expended. The Confederates retreated up Puncheon Creek through Rough and Tough Gap and crossed into Floyd County, while some crossed over to Salt Lick Branch, the next creek south of Puncheon. An old log house located at some point along Puncheon Creek was used after the battle as a make-shift infirmary. It was said that until the house was torn down within recent memory, the bloodstains from the soldiers wounded in action here were still visible on the floorboards. Colonel Clay was struck by a pistol ball to the face, hitting about the bridge of his nose and passing below his right eye, destroying his sight in that eye. Miracleously, Clay survived and was escorted to Louisville as a prisoner of war! The Battle of Half Mountain lasted between three and five hours. According to Gallup, the Union forces captured over 100 horses, 200 saddles, 200 stand of arms; had killed and mortally wounded 25, took 50 prisoners, and killed many horses. Union loss was 4 wounded, 1 seriously, none killed. Local history claims that two of the Confederates were buried in the area and that their graves can still be located.

Battle of Half Mountain Historical Marker
April 16, 1864
Skirmish at Salyersville

April 16 - 19, 1864
Colonel C. J. True, 40th KY Infantry [US] and the 11th Michigan are in Salyersville as reinforcements.

John Hunt Morgan's Last Ky Raid / Burbridge's Pursuit

In May of 1864, information reached the Federal commanders in KY that Morgan was planning another raid into Kentucky. Burbridge and Hobson worked on a plan to stop Morgan. They left the Bluegrass with the First Division, District of KY, [23. A.C.,] on the 20th and 22nd, respectively, and arrived in the Big Sandy Valley and moved down the river to set up camp at the mouth of Beaver Creek, Floyd Co., KY.

Hanson's Brigade had been ordered to move from Lexington and meet Burbridge's main force at Beaver Creek via Irvine, Mt. Sterling, Salyersville, etc.
He leaves Mt. Sterling around the 24th of May, proceeds through Salyersville and finally arrives at Beaver Creek on the 27th of May, 1864.

On May 31, 1864, Morgan set out from VA across the Cumberland mountains for his famous "Last Raid" through Kentucky. He entered the state through Pound Gap on June 4, 1864 after a brief skirmish with a detachment of General Burbridge's troops. Morgan then traversed more than 150 miles of rugged mountains in direction of the Bluegrass region, moving on a route parallel to the State road [Pound Gap/Mt. Sterling Road].

June 6, 1864
The 45th KY Mtd. Inf. and a detachment of the 39th Ky Mtd. Inf., sent out ahead of Burbridge's main army with orders to scout and to keep an eye on Morgan's movements, camp for a while at Grassy Creek of Licking

June 7, 1864
The 45th KY Mtd. Inf and a detachment of the 39th Ky Mtd. Inf. move through Salyersville.

June 7, 1864
Burbridge gives the order to move from Floyd Co. and pursue Morgan to Mt. Sterling
Burbridge's Division moves through Salyersville in direction of Mt. Sterling.

On June 12, 1864, General Burbridge finally engages Morgan's force in strength at Cynthiana. He completely routs Morgan with heavy loss, and drives him out of the State, via Flemingsburg and West Liberty and back to Abingdon, VA, where he arrives on June 20, 1864.


Burbridge's Saltville Expedition to Southwest Virginia

In September 1864, an expedition under General Burbridge was sent to destroy the salt-works at Saltville, Va.

Sept. 22, 1864
Burbridge, with 8,000 - 10,000 mounted men and 3,200 pack mules reported at Salyersville, ready to move for Pound Gap

He met the enemy on October 2, 1864 but after day-long fighting, Burbridge retired without accomplishing his objective.


Dec. 9, 1864
The 14th KY Infantry is reported with two companies at Salyersville, quietly holding the town.

January 16, 1865
Lt. David L. Evans leads a detachment of 25 men of the Sandy Valley Battalion on a scout through Johnson, Morgan and Magoffin County for guerrillas. The troops are attacked and skirmish repeatedly with rebels at Salyersville.

Ca. April 28, 1865
Part of Giltner's command [CSA] reported to be falling back from Mt. Sterling to Salyersville to disband and try to save their horses.


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