KENTUCKY. 



403 



unionists, should not be waged upon the part of the 

 Government in any "spirit of oppression, or for any 

 purpose of conquest or subjugation, or purpose of over- 

 throwing or interfering with the rights or established 

 institutions of any of the States, free or slave, but to 

 defend and maintain the supremacy of the Constitu- 

 tion, and to preserve the Union with all the dignity, 

 equality, and rights of the several States unimpaired ; 

 and that as soon as these objects are accomplished the 

 war ought to cease." 



Resoiced, That in the adoption of the foregoing reso- 

 lution by the National Congress, with unprecedented 

 unanimity, at its late session, a rule of action was pre- 

 scribed to the Government from which it cannot depart 

 without a disregard of the plighted faith of the National 

 Legislature, which we would be slow to believe can be 

 seriously entertained. Against any such departure we 

 solemnly protest. 



Resolcea, That the purpose expressed in said reso- 

 lution is the great end demanded, and that which in- 

 spires Kentucky with patriotic ardor to seek their 

 achievement with all her loyal energies and means, in 

 the confident hope of success, and belief that the coun- 

 try, saved, in our triumph, to us and to posterity, will 

 still be glorious in the freedom of its people, in the 

 unity of its Government, and the security of society, 

 and "worth infinitely more than it cost to save it. 



Sesolced, That slavery is a State institution, guaran- 

 teed by the Constitution of the United States, and we 

 cannot agree that the National Government, to which 

 we are and intend to be loyal, shall undertake the 

 emancipation of slaves against the will of the slave- 

 holding States. 



Great honor will ultimately be given to the 

 State of Kentucky, for the coarse pursued by 

 her during the year. Her position of deter- 

 mined neutrality at first taken, was to some ex- 

 tent a consequence of her geographical situa- 

 tion. Refusing to take sides with either North 

 or South, her coolness moderated the fiery im- 

 petuosity of both. At the same time she was 

 an enviable acquisition to each. The Federal 

 Administration, desirous to secure her hearty co- 

 operation, saw plainly that it could not be ob- 

 tained on any other terms than that of the Con- 

 stitution and the rights of the States. And 

 every position taken by the Administration has 

 been of such a conservative character as to 

 meet the ultimate approval of the people of 

 that State. Amid all the efforts of extreme 

 partisans in the Northern States to press the 

 President into measures looking to emancipa- 

 tion, nothing was effected. The certain loss of 

 Kentucky, and with her Western Virginia and 

 Missouri, stayed the Government, even if there 

 had been any inclination to, or conviction of 

 the propriety of, such measures. As a conse- 

 quence, Kentucky voluntarily entered the field 

 for the Union. 



On the other hand, the hopes of the Confed- 

 erate Government that Kentucky would join 

 the Confederacy, were extremely sanguine. The 

 position of her people was undoubtedly neutral 

 at heart. Extreme measures on the part of 

 the Federal Government would, without doubt, 

 have made her a seceding State. Indeed, so'con- 

 fident were the friends of the Confederate Gov- 

 ernment of her ultimate secession that a Con- 

 vention was called by them to organize the forms 

 of that movement. This party was called a 

 " Sovereignty Convention." It met at Russell- 



ville about the 27th of November, and was in 

 session during three days. 



It passed a Declaration of Independence and 

 an Ordinance of Secession. A Provisional 

 Government, consisting of a Governor, Legisla- 

 tive Council of ten, a Treasurer and an Auditor, 

 was agreed upon. George W. Johnson, of Scott, 

 was made Governor. The Legislative Council 

 appointed was" composed of Willis B. Machen, 

 of Logan ; John W. Crockett, of Henderson ; 

 James P. Bates, of Barren ; James B. Crist- 

 man, of Wavne ; Phil. B. Thompson, of Mercer ; 

 J. P. Burnside, of Warren ; H. W. Bruce, of 

 Louisville ; J. W. Moore, of Montgomery ; E. 

 M. Bruce, of Nicholas ; and George B. Hodge, 

 of Campbell. 



The Commissioners to Richmond were H. C. 

 Burnett, W. E. Simms, and Wm. Preston. All 

 executive and legislative powers were vested 

 in the Governor and Council. Acts done by 

 the Provisional Government were to have the 

 concurrence of a majority of its members ; the 

 Council were authorized to fill vacancies, but 

 no councilman should be made Governor to fill 

 a vacancy. The old Constitution and laws of 

 Kentucky were declared in force, except where 

 inconsistent with the acts of the Confederate 

 Government. Bowling Green was fixed as the 

 new capital. Fifty-one counties were said to 

 be represented in the Convention by over two 

 hundred members not elected by the people. 



The military operations in the State, though 

 marked by no great achievement during the 

 year, were nevertheless the forerunner of very 

 important results. Civil, commercial and agri- 

 cultural pursuits had engrossed the entire atten- 

 tion of the people. In a military point of view 

 the State, like nearly all her sister States, was 

 entirely defenceless. Men, arms, ammunition, 

 were abundant, but an organized, drilled, and 

 completely equipped force, ready to take the 

 field and go into active service on a day's notice, 

 could not be expected to exist. Notwithstand- 

 ing the position of neutrality, after President 

 Lincoln's proclamation, imperfect organizations 

 were formed, under the name of Home Guards. 

 Their object was to drill novices, and impart the 

 preliminary information needed for the future 

 soldiers. These embraced considerable num- 

 bers, and finally formed the chief portion of the 

 force obtained by the secessionists in the State. 

 Large numbers also left the State, and volun- 

 teered in the Federal and Confederate armies. 



The first appearance of a military force with- 

 in Kentucky was made under General Polk, com- 

 mander of Confederate troops from Tennessee, 

 as has been previously stated. They commenced 

 fortifying Hickman and Columbus. The former 

 is situated in the western part of the State, near 

 the Tennessee line, and the latter about twenty- 

 five miles north, both on the Mississippi River. 

 (See COLUMBUS.) Their force was soon increased 

 to thirteen regiments of infantry, six field bat- 

 teries, a siege battery, three battalions of cav- 

 alry, with three steamboats on the river. Sub- 

 sequently, the force was concentrated at Colum- 



