400 



KENTUCKY. 



In the proclamation issued on the 4th of Sep- 

 tember, General Polk gives this reason for in- 

 vading Kentucky : " The Federal Government 

 having, in defiance of the wishes of the people 

 of Kentucky, disregarded their neutrality by 

 establishing camp depots for their armies, and 

 by organizing military companies within the 

 territory, and by constructing military works 

 on the Missouri shore immediately opposite and 

 commanding Columbus, evidently intended to 

 cover the landing of troops for the seizure of 

 that town, it has become a military necessity 

 for the defence of the territory of the Confed- 

 erate States that a Confederate force should oc- 

 cupy Columbus in advance." 



On the 9th, the Governor communicated the 

 following to the Legislature : " The under- 

 signed yesterday received a verbal message, 

 through a messenger, from Gov. Harris. The 

 message was that he (Gov. H.) had, by tele- 

 graphic despatch, requested Gen. Polk to with- 

 draw the Confederate troops from Kentucky, 

 and that Gen. Polk had declined to do so ; 

 that Gov. Harris then telegraphed to Secretary 

 Walker, at Eichmond, requesting that Gen. 

 Polk be ordered to withdraw his troops from 

 Kentucky, and that such order was issued from 

 the War Department of the Confederacy ; that 

 Gen. Polk replied to the War Department that 

 the retention of the post was a military neces- 

 sity, and that the retiring from it would be at- 

 tended by the loss of many lives. This em- 

 braces the message received." 



On the same day, the Governor also received 

 the following by telegraph from Gen. Polk : 



" Gov. B. MAGOFFIN : A military necessity 

 having required me to occupy this town, Colum- 

 bus, I have taken possession of it by the forces 

 under my command. The circumstances leading 

 to this act were reported promptly to the Presi- 

 dent of the Confederate States. His reply was, 

 the necessity justified the action." 



As a matter of course, the invasion of the 

 State by the Tennessee troops brought in a 

 Federal force under Gen. Grant from Cairo. 

 Thus ended the neutrality of Kentucky. It 

 was on the 6th of September that Gen. Grant, 

 with two regiments of infantry and a company 

 of light artillery, in two gun-boats, took posses- 

 sion of Paducah, Kentucky. He found seces- 

 sion flags flying in difierent parts of the town, 

 in expectation of greeting the arrival of the 

 Southern army, which was reported to be 3,800 

 strong, and only sixteen miles distant. The 

 loyal citizens tore down the secession flags on 

 the arrival of the Federal troops. Gen. Grant 

 took possession of the telegraph office, railroad 

 depot, and the marine hospital. He found large 

 quantities of complete rations, leather, etc., for 

 the Southern army. 



He issued a proclamation saying that he came 

 solely for the purpose of defending the State 

 from aggression, and to enable the State laws 

 to be executed. 



On the llth of September, the Assembly of 

 the Legislature adopted a resolution directing 



the Governor to issue a proclamation ordering 

 the Confederate troops to evacuate Kentucky 

 soil. The vote was seventy-one against twenty- 

 six. The House refused to suspend the rules 

 to allow another resolution to be offered order- 

 ing the proclamation to be issued to both Fed- 

 erals and Confederates. 



This resolution was subsequently passed by 

 the Senate, and vetoed by the Governor. It 

 was then passed, notwithstanding the Gover- 

 nor's objections, by a vote in the House of 68 to 

 26, and in the Senate of 25 to 9. The Gov- 

 ernor then issued his proclamation as follows : 



In obedience to the subjoined resolution, adopted by 

 the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Ken- 

 tucky, the Government of the Confederate States, the 

 State of Tennessee, and all others concerned, are here- 

 by informed that " Kentucky expects the Confederate 

 or Tennessee troops to be withdrawn from her soil 

 unconditionally." 



In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my name, 

 and caused the seal of the Commonwealth to be affixed. 

 Done at Frankfort this the 13th day of September, 

 A. D. 1861, and in the seventieth year of the Common- 

 wealth. B. MAGOFFIN. 



By the Governor : 



THOS. B. MONROK, Jr., Secretary of State. 



" Resolved, ~by the General Assembly of the Common- 

 wealtJi of Kentucky, That his excellency Governor Ma- 

 goffin be and he is hereby instructed to inform those 

 concerned that Kentucky expects the Confederate or 

 Tennessee troops to be withdrawn from her soil uncon- 

 ditionally." 



On the 17th, the Senate passed a bill punishing 

 the refusal to give up the State's arms, when or- 

 dered by the Military Board, by fine and im- 

 prisonment. The House concurred. 



This abolished the State Guard. 



The House adopted resolutions in favor of 

 paying the war tax, and against the recognition 

 of the Southern Confederacy. 



Preparations were commenced in the State 

 for different military movements. 



While General Polk was thus invading the 

 State on the west, General Zollicoft'er was 

 operating on the east. With about four thou- 

 sand men he came to Cumberland Ford, which 

 is situated near the point where the corner of 

 Virginia runs into Kentucky, and captured a 

 company of Home Guards. On the 17th, the 

 Legislature received a message from Governor 

 Magoffin communicating a telegraphic despatch 

 from General Zollicoffer, announcing that the 

 safety of Tennessee demanded the occupation 

 of Cumberland, and the three long mountains 

 in Kentucky, and that he had done so, and 

 should retain his position until the Union forces 

 were withdrawn, and the Union camp broken 

 up. 



On the 18th, the Committee on Federal Eela- 

 tions reported a series of resolutions, requesting 

 Major Anderson, the commander at Fort Sum- 

 ter when it was captured, to take command of 

 the forces of the State. They manifest very 

 distinctly the sentiments of the people at this 

 time, and were as follows : 



Whereas Kentucky has been invaded by the forces 

 of the so-called Confederate States.and the commanders 



