KENTUCKY, 



399 



ing a largo majority of her members of Con- 

 I do not remember that any one of them, 

 or any other person, except your Excellency 

 and the bearers of your Excellency's letter, has 

 urged ine to remove the military force from 

 Kentucky, or to disband it. One other very 

 worthy citizen of Kentucky did solicit me to 

 have the augmenting of the force suspended for 

 a time. 



" Taking all the means within my reach to 

 form a judgment, I do not believe it is the pop- 

 ular wish of Kentucky that this force shall be 

 removed beyond her limits ; and, with this im- 

 pression, I must respectfully decline to so re- 

 move it. 



" I most cordially sympathize with your Ex- 

 cellency in the wish to preserve the peace of 

 my own native State, Kentucky. It is with 

 regret I search, and cannot find, in your not 

 very short letter, any declaration or intimation 

 that yon entertain any desire for the preserva- 

 tion of the Federal Union." 



A similar letter was addressed by the Gov- 

 ernor to the President of the Confederate States. 

 In the reply, President Davis said : ' The Gov- 

 ernment of the Confederate States of America 

 neither intends nor desires to disturb the neu- 

 trality of Kentucky. The assemblage of troops 

 in Tennessee to which you refer had no other 

 object than to repel the lawless invasion of that 

 State by the forces of the United States, should 

 their Government approach it through Ken- 

 tucky, without respect for its position of neu- 

 trality. That such apprehensions were not 

 groundless has been proved by the course of 

 that Government in Maryland and Missouri, 

 and more recently in Kentucky itself, in which, 

 as you inform me, ' a military force has been 

 enlisted and quartered by the United States 

 authorities.' 



" The Government of the Confederate States 

 has not only respected most scrupulously the 

 neutrality of Kentucky, but has continued to 

 maintain the friendly relations of trade and in- 

 tercourse which it has suspended with the peo- 

 ple of the United States generally. 



" In view of the history of the past, it can 

 scarcely be necessary to assure your Excellency 

 that the Government of the Confederate Suites 

 will continue to respect the neutrality of Ken- 

 tucky so long as her people will maintain it 

 themselves. 



" But neutrality, to be entitled to respect, 

 must be strictly maintained between both par- 

 ties, or if the door be opened on the one side 

 for the aggressions of one of the belligerent 

 parties upon the other, it ought not to be shut 

 to the assailed when they seek to enter it for 

 the purpose of self-defence. 



" I do not, however, for a moment believe 

 that your gallant State will suffer its soil to be 

 used for the purpose of giving an advantage 

 to those who violate its neutrality and disregard 

 its rights, over those who respect them both." 



It should be stated that previous to this cor- 

 respondence, Kentucky had been invaded by 



Tennessee forces, and six cannons and a thous- 

 and stand of arms taken. The Confederate 

 Congress, on August 7th, passed an act author- 

 izing enlistments in Kentucky. The Legisla- 

 ture assembled on the 2d of September, and on 

 the 5th a large barbecue was to be held in 

 Owens County, about twelve miles from the 

 seat of Government. The apprehensions of the 

 Unionists were greatly excited on this occasion. 

 The State Guard were invited to attend ; they 

 consisted of an organized body of troops about 

 fifteen thousand strong, under the control of 

 the friends of secession in the State. Intimida- 

 tion of the Legislature was feared. Happily, 

 the affair passed over without any special in- 

 terest. A Peace Convention was also to be 

 held on the 10th of the same month, which 

 awakened apprehensions of an attempt to or- 

 ganize the secession force. But these likewise 

 proved groundless. The Legislature stood 27 

 Union and 11 Southern Eights Senators, and 76 

 Union and 2-i Southern Rights Representatives. 

 The message of the Governor to the Legislature 

 on the 5th of September, asserted that Ken- 

 tucky had a right to assume a neutral position 

 in the war ; that she had no agency in foster- 

 ing a sectional party in the Free States, and 

 did not approve of separate action and the 

 secession of the Southern States. Lawless raids 

 had been suffered on both sides, private proper- 

 ty seized, commerce interrupted, and trade de- 

 stroyed. These wrongs had been borne with 

 patience, but a military Federal force had been 

 organized, equipped, and encamped in a central 

 portion of Kentucky, without consultation with 

 the State authorities. If the people of Ken- 

 tucky desired more troops, let them be ob- 

 tained under the Constitution of Kentucky. 

 He recommended the passage of a law to ena- 

 ble the Military Board to borrow a sufficient 

 sum to purchase arms and munitions for the 

 defence of the State. He also recommended 

 the passage of resolutions requesting the dis- 

 banding or removal of all military bodies not 

 under State authority, from the State. 



On the same day the Legislature were noti- 

 fied that Confederate troops had invaded the 

 State, and occupied and fortified strong posi- 

 tions at Hickman and Chalk Bluffs. Governor 

 Harris, of Tennessee, replied to a demand of 

 the Kentucky authorities, that the troops 

 " that landed at Hickman last night did so 

 without my knowledge or consent, and I am 

 confident without the consent of the 'Presi- 

 dent.' I have telegraphed President Davis re- 

 questing their immediate withdrawal." 



Gen. Polk, in command of the secession 

 forces, in reply to the Governor of Kentucky, 

 stated that he had occupied Columbus and 

 Hickman, in Kentucky, on account of reliable 

 information that the Federal forces were about 

 to occupy the said points. He proposed sub- 

 stantially that the Federal and Confederate 

 forces should be simultaneously withdrawn 

 from Kentucky, and enter into stipulation to 

 respect the neutrality of the State. 



