398 



KENTUCKY. 



ping the running of cars on the railroad alto- 

 gether, and by doing this in such a manner as 

 to seriously injure a great interest in Kentucky. 



Of this proceeding we have the following 

 account : 



The Louisville and Nashville Railway is 286 

 miles in length, forty-five miles of it lying in 

 Tennessee. These forty-five miles cost $2,025,- 

 000, of which Tennessee contributed in all bonds 

 to the amount of $1,160,500, the remaining 

 $864,500 being raised by the Kentucky owners. 

 On the first of July a Tennessee General, named 

 Anderson, ordered the company to keep a larger 

 amount of its rolling stock at Nashville. James 

 Guthrie, president of the company, stated, how- 

 ever, that "there being no provision in the 

 charter to the effect that the company should 

 be subject to the military orders of Tennessee, 

 the order was not complied with." On the 4th 

 of July, General Anderson seized two trains 

 that were about to leave Nashville, and one that 

 came in, together with such machinery as could 

 be found in Tennessee, and then called for a fair 

 division of the rolling stock of the road, and 

 agreed that while arrangements were in prog- 

 ress for this end the trains should be uninter- 

 rupted ; but to this Mr. Guthrie astutely made 

 answer that he could thus have no guarantee 

 against the interference of others besides Gen- 

 eral Anderson, who was supposed to be acting 

 under orders. This brought out the Governor 

 of Tennessee as the real actor in the matter, for 

 he at once replied to Mr. Guthrie with a prop- 

 osition to continue the use of the road while 

 a division of property was made. Mr. Guthrie 

 at once rejoined, disproving the charge made 

 by the Tennessee authorities, that their end of 

 the road had not hitherto had its share of the 

 rolling stock, and showing the impossibility of 

 managing the road under Governor Harris's 

 proposition. 



The result was that the road was closed. 

 The Kentucky stockholders declared that their 

 chartered rights in Tennessee had been no pro- 

 tection to their property, and refused to risk 

 any more property within the limits of that 

 State. All questions as to the blockade upon 

 this route were therefore disposed of by the 

 breaking up of the route itself. The secession- 

 ists felt the extent of their error, for they urged 

 Governor Magoffin to seize the Kentucky end 

 of the road, and to run it in connexion with 

 Governor Harris ; but it was evident that such 

 a step would only serve to remove the last 

 scruple on the part of Union men as to forcible 

 resistance to the bold plans of the secessionists 

 in Kentucky. 



The question as to the transit of provisions 

 to the South by this railroad was thus settled, 

 and, although it did not close other routes 

 through Kentucky, which were equally im- 

 portant, the controversy which had sprung up 

 took such a turn as to have an important effect 

 throughout the State, stimulating the Union 

 men everywhere to a more active support of 

 the Government. A small encampment of 



Federal troops was formed in Garrard County, 

 which occasioned some excitement, as it was 

 an infringement of the neutrality assumed by 

 Kentucky. Letters were addressed to tlie com- 

 manding officer, Gen. Nelson, asking the spe- 

 cial object which the Government had in view 

 in the establishment of the camp called " Camp 

 Dick Kobinson." In reply, the commanding 

 officer said, " The troops assembled here have 

 been called together at the request of Union 

 men of Kentucky. They are intended for no 

 hostile or aggressive movement against any 

 party or community whatever, but simply to 

 defend Kentucky in case they are needed for 

 that purpose, preserve its tranquillity, and pro- 

 tect the rights of all the citizens of the State 

 under the Constitution and the laws ; and the 

 object of myself and all the officers in command 

 will be, by all honorable means, to maintain 

 that peace and tranquillity." Commissioners 

 were then sent by the Governor to President 

 Lincoln to insist on the neutrality of the State. 



Governor Magoffin, in his letter to the Presi- 

 dent, said : " In a word, an army is now being 

 organized and quartered in this State, supplied 

 with all the appliances of war, without the con- 

 sent or advice of the authorities of the State, 

 and without consultation with those most 

 prominently known and recognized as loyal 

 citizens. This movement now imperils that 

 peace and tranquillity which from the begin- 

 ning of our pending difficulties have been the 

 paramount desire of this people, and which, up 

 to this time, they have so secured to the State. 



" Within Kentucky there has been, and is 

 likely to be, no occasion for the presence of mili- 

 tary force. The people are quiet and tranquil, 

 feeling no apprehension of any occasion arising 

 to invoke protection from the Federal arm. 

 They have asked that their territory be left 

 free from military occupation, and the present 

 tranquillity of their communication left unin- 

 vaded by soldiers. They do not desire that 

 Kentucky shall be required to supply the bat- 

 tle-field for the contending armies, or become 

 the theatre of the war. 



" Now, therefore, as Governor of the State 

 of Kentucky, and in the name of the people I 

 have the honor to represent, and with the sin- 

 gle and earnest desire to avert from their peace- 

 ful homes the horrors of war, I urge the re- 

 moval from the limits of Kentucky of the milita- 

 ry force now organized and in camp within the 

 State. If such action as is hereby urged be 

 promptly taken, I firmly believe the peace of 

 the people of Kentucky will be preserved, and 

 the horrors of a bloody war will be averted 

 from a people now peaceful and tranquil." 



To this the President replied : " In all I 

 have done in the premises I have acted upon 

 the urgent solicitation of many Kentuckians, 

 and in accordance with what I believed, and 

 still believe, to be the wish of a majority of all 

 the Union-loving people of Kentucky. 



" While I have conversed on this subject 

 with many eminent men of Kentucky, includ- 



