William "Curly Bill" and Louisia Thompson (family from Taylor Co.). Enlisted 15 August
Adair. Born 3 May 1836 in Green Co.; son of Weston
(all used by permission). Discharge certificate describes
Learn more. As the Orphans fought their way farther from Kentucky, they watched the Confederacys western front crumble. Quickly, General Johnston sent the 2nd Kentucky infantry and Gravess battery to Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River below the Kentucky border. Commanded by Colonel Robert Trabue, the Orphan Brigade was 2,400 men strong and part of General John C. Breckinridge's Reserve Division when it went into the fighting near Shiloh Church on Sunday, April 6, against General Ulysses S. Grant's five Union divisions. Kentucky Infantry Regiment, 2nd, Confederate States of America. Elizabeth (Morris) Johnson. Smith, ca. age 25. PETTUS, William F. From Taylor Co. Enlisted 15 August 1861 at Camp Burnett,
To the right of the 4th Kentucky was the 41st Alabama. Enlisted 7 September 1862 at Chattanooga. Vol. The brigade was truly earning its nickname.[11]. Was severely wounded in the bowels at Resaca, 15 May 1864, and died
Deserted on the retreat from Missionary Ridge,
DURHAM, Robert P. From Taylor Co. Enlisted 15 August 1861 at Camp Burnett,
Obituaries in various Kentucky and other state newspapers. Elephant," Vol. Settled in Lebanon, where he worked as an accountant
Discharged for disability due to disease, 11 (or 24) July 1862. May 1865; described as 6 feet tall, with a fair complexion, light hair, and blue eyes. Livingston, Sumter Co., Alabama. Enlisted 18 September 1861 at
From Greensburg; brother of John B. Moore and William B. Moore
1861 at Camp Burnett, age 21. KY. See "Daniel Lunksford Smith of the Orphan Brigade," The Kentucky Explorer,
Took part in some of the mounted campaign,
Elected 3rd Sergeant, 13 September 1861. Old Joe Lewiss 6th Kentucky Infantry was on the extreme left of the brigade, with Old Tribs 4th Kentucky on the right, and the 2nd Kentucky in the center. 1861 at Bowling Green (age shown as 28 on 1862 roll). As the brigade moved onto the battlefield and observed then Captain John Hunt Morgan and his squadron of Kentucky cavalry along the road, the men cheered and sang: Cheer, boys, cheer; well march away to battle; Cheer, boys, cheer, for our sweethearts and our wives; Cheer, boys, cheer; well nobly do our duty, And give to Kentucky our arms, our hearts, our lives., Riding up to General William J. Hardee, Colonel Trabue, Old Trib as the men fondly called him, asked: General, I have a Kentucky brigade here. Was
List of Casualties, 4th Ky. Rgt. The Fourth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry was mustered into Confederate service at Camp Burnett, Tennessee, on 13 September 1861, as part of the First Kentucky Brigade, better known by its post-war name "Orphan Brigade." The unit fought in most of the major battles of the Army of Tennessee, from Shiloh through the Atlanta Campaign. Before arriving in Dalton in November 1863 with Gen. Braxton Bragg's retreating Army of Tennessee, they had served with distinction in major battles, including Shiloh, Stones River, Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge. Enlisted 14
Fought at Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and in the mounted campaign. Fought at Shiloh (where he was wounded in the left leg, 6 April 1862), Murfreesboro,
November 1861. Had served a year in Wheats
letter in the Barren County "Progress," June 1984. Killed in action at Shiloh,
to the edge of the world. misfiled under Co. K, 42nd Georgia Infantry, but that he was actually in the 4th
Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields Your Gift Tripled! McKINNEY, Samuel D. From Adair Co.; son of James and Mary "Polly"
at Washington, GA, 7 May 1865. The unit fought in
The Orphan Brigade was the nickname of the First Kentucky Brigade, a group of military units recruited from Kentucky to fight for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Died in Louisville of cardiac
exchanged, and fought at Hartsville, TN, where he was killed on 7 December 1862. feet 1 inch tall, with a fair complexion, light hair, and gray eyes. 1st Corporal, 13 September 1861, promoted to 1st Sergeant, 1 April 1863. wounded 6 April 1862. better known by its post-war name "Orphan Brigade." Was wounded
MOORE, Mark O. the orphan brigade. Known to history as the "Orphan" Brigade, the First Kentucky Brigade was one of the finest and fiercest in Confederate service. Described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, with
Married Jane Underwood, then Synthia
Gen. Roger W. Hanson. November 1898; buried in the Sims Cemetery, near Canmer, Hart Co., KY. MOORE, John B. Every member of Old Brecks staff fell in the melee from wounds or the loss of mounts. Johnson was the Confederate Governor of Kentucky until the Confederate army withdrew from the state. Enlisted
BOSTON, George. orphan brigade rostergarlic stuffed roast beef. From a reunion photo taken in
It will be noted that there are several glaring differences between the age given at
RUSSELL, Andrew Knox. Enlisted 3 November 1861 at Bowling Green, age
From Wayne Co. Enlisted 1 September 1861 at Camp Burnett, age 21. Paroled at Washington, GA, 7 May 1865. 1860 census - household of Thomas and Martha Thompson, age 16, in school. January 1865; described as 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a fair complexion, light hair, and
hereditary predisposition to disease of his lungs." his company and fought at Murfreesboro, Jackson, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face
Discharged by order of Gen. Bragg, 15 November 1862. They outline the stories of both a remarkable Kentuckian and the scores of friends, relatives, and comrades with whom he journeyed through war and peace. The Orphan Brigade was the nickname of the First Kentucky Brigade, a group of military units recruited from the Commonwealth of Kentucky to fight for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Frankfort, Ky.: Printed at the Kentucky Yeoman Office, Major & Johnston, 1874. Deserted at Jackson, MS, 17 July 1863. Whenever Kentucky met Kentucky, it was horrible, wrote Colonel Preston.[6]. 6 April 1862. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1980. 18 (1910), p. 169
Point Lookout, February 1865. Enlisted 18
Company A
Elected 3rd Lieutenant / Bvt. 1912.). and Margaret (Peggy) Decker Daffron, of Wayne Co.). Camp Burnett. following friends who supplied information used in this roster; without their generous
From May 1864 to September 1864 the Orphans lost nearly 1,000 of their number. Fought at Shiloh, where he was
This website presents historical and genealogical information on the Orphan Brigade. Capt. Some men had no arms at all. age 24. courtesy Jeff McQueary. Of the 5 brigades in Breckinridges command, the Orphans were directed to hold the left flank of the assault column. courtesy Kentucky Historical Society / Military History Museum. Geoff Walden, "Company F, Fourth Kentucky Volunteer
pension file number 2148. Absent sick at Macon, GA, September 1864. 6 August 1864. General Helm assaulted the enemy position with his command 3 separate times trying to break through. As brigade historian and veteran Edward Porter Thompson wrote years after the war, the history of the Kentucky Brigade is necessarily in a great measure the military history of General Breckinridge.[3]. Call now! Barnesville, GA, 10 September 1864. Surgeon in February 1862, and served as such at Shiloh and Baton
12, No. BURTON, George Hector. All text and tables copyright 1998, Geoffrey R. Walden; all rights reserved,
Many of the enlisted men and virtually all of the officers of the Orphan Brigade were indicted for treason by Union-controlled local circuit courts in their home towns in Kentucky as a result of their decision to join the Confederate army. L. Smith); 1860 census - age 23, overseer on farm of W. J. Smith. The Orphans had beaten the enemy on April 6, but luck eluded them. business with Richard Cowherd, 1860 census. Paroled 25 May 1865 at
CHAMPION, Matthew. Company
DAFFRON, Francis (Frank) Marion. Deserted 10
part in the mounted campaign, and was paroled at Washington, GA, 7 May 1865. With that act, the veterans of the Orphan Brigade quickly moved into the ranks of business, the professions, and state government. Confederate pension file number 2420. Murfreesboro, Jackson, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face Ridge, and Resaca. The brigade was the largest Confederate unit to be recruited from Kentucky during the war. BRYANT, Daniel M. From Adair Co. 7."). Promoted to 4th Sergeant, 15
Volunteer Infantry
His cousin, Brigadier General William Preston of Louisville, descendant of among Kentuckys earliest Virginia pioneer settlers, lawyer and President James Buchanans minister to Spain, as well as one-time brother-in-law of Kentuckian General Albert Sidney Johnston (who would die in Prestons arms at the Battle of Shiloh), would lead the Orphans at Vicksburg and would be closely identified with the brigade throughout much of the war. Enlisted 1 August
The 9th Kentucky was held in reserve as the grand old command stepped off toward its impossible objective. PEARCE, James A. 1899
Moore's Grave Marker in the
Died of disease in Nashville, 20 December 1861. The cry of General Breckinridge, My poor Orphans! was not in vain. Enlisted 15 August 1861 at Camp Burnett, age 30. They poured into the ranks from the great belt of counties in central Kentuckyfrom Hardin, Nelson, Mercer, Boyle, Shelby, Anderson, Franklin, Fayette, Harrison, Scott, Woodford, Jessamine and Bourbon, and from a host of others. The 5th Kentucky Infantry was organized at Prestonsburg in eastern Kentucky and would fight there during the first 2 years of war and then at Chickamauga. The brigade fought bravely and with distinction at a variety of battles throughout the Western Theater, including Shiloh and Stones River, as well as in the Atlanta and Carolinas campaigns. courtesy Orphan Brigade Kinfolk Assn. of Kentucky Confederate veterans taken at the 1905 reunion in Louisville. 4 (Summer 1989), pp. Died of disease at Milledgeville, GA, 25 March 1864. William C. Davis The Orphan Brigade, page 159, for confusion with Col. Joseph
Enlisted 1 August 1861 at Camp Boone, age 20. Died 14 September 1920 of paralysis; buried in Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Section 3,
With no recruiting being conducted in neutral Kentucky, those Kentuckians who sympathized with the plight of the seceded states flocked to camps in Tennessee to cast their lots with the South. Discharged at
The Confederate lines slowly gave way in brutal fighting. The survivors of the Orphan Brigade finally came home to their beloved Kentucky in 1865. FS Library Book 976.9 M2d. Daniel B. Rucker, ca. However, its term of service soon ended and the unit disbanded. Confederate Civilian Documents. January 1862. 18. Was
Vicksburg, Baton Rouge, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face Ridge,
SCOTT, Benjamin Bell. It would join the Orphan Brigade on November 5, 1863 at Chattanooga, Tennessee. of pulmonary edema, 6 August 1908. Charged $55 on payroll of December 1863 for lost gun and bayonet. Listed as laborer in household of G.W. Returned to the 2nd Kentucky after that regiment was
He was captured at the latter place on 15 May 1864 and was exchanged at
Appointed 2nd Corporal, 13 September 1861. Monroe, C.S.A., Killed April 7, 1862. Such was the last resting place of the former mayor of Lexington, Kentucky and former Kentucky secretary of state. January 1863; returned to the company in May 1863. Gen. Roger Hanson, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Stones River on January 2, 1862. Sign up to receive the latest information on the American Battlefield Trust's efforts to blaze The Liberty Trail in South Carolina. Company C
Listed as druggist in the 1860 Green Co.
Died from the effects of this wound, 24
The entire 2nd Kentucky Infantry numbered only 69 officers and men in September. Enlisted 13 August 1861
1861 at Camp Burnett, age 18. The Orphans formed the left flank of General Breckinridges assault column. Faint from loss of blood, he finally handed the colors to a nearby private who was instantly killed. asthma, 1 April 1914; buried in Ryder Cemetery, Lebanon, KY. Kentucky Confederate pension
Bethany Baptist Church cemetery, McCormick, SC. In early 1862, the Orphan Brigade numbered nearly 4,000 officers and men. Brigadier Generals Roger Weightman Hanson of Winchester, Kentucky and Joseph Horace Lewis of Glasgow, Kentucky were mostly self-educated lawyers prior to the war. Kentucky, but escaped capture at Ft. Donelson, and transferred to the 4th Kentucky in
son of John and Mary Elizabeth Sharp Kelly. Dallas to Atlanta; at Peachtree, Intrenchment, and Utoy Creeks; Jonesboro, and the mounted
Are the hearts of men who forever shall hear. 14, No. Finally, Private Joseph Nichols carried the colors off the field. GENT, John A. Hill Cemetery, Whitewright, TX. 3. October 1861 at Bowling Green, age 29 (military file shows age 19, apparently incorrect;
1860 census. Deserted at Corinth, MS, 1 May 1862. ANDERSON, Winston W. From Green Co. Enlisted 12 October 1861 in Bowling Green,
of Co. F, 4th Ky. Enlisted 14 September 1861 at Camp Burnett, age 26. Campaign. Deserted at Murfreesboro, 3
Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, and Dallas; from Dallas to Atlanta; Peachtree,
1865. Married Francis "Fanny" Adams in 1878, and moved
It was then converted to mounted infantry, and opposed Sherman's March to
with fair complexion, brown hair, gray eyes. Enlisted 18
(also spelled Pierce) From Hart Co. Was a member of the 2nd
The most prominent of those camps, not surprisingly, was named Camp Boone, near Clarksville, Tennessee. Served in the McMinnville Guard, March-April 1863. Deserted at Murfreesboro, 3 November 1862. Detached for service in the
age 21. 17-18. Absent sick
still fighting on 29 April 1865, when it received word it had been surrendered, and
SKAGGS, Fielding Russell. Paroled at Washington, GA, 7 May 1865. Died in Green Co., 19
No
Enlisted 1 August 1861 at Camp Boone, age 23. All contents copyright 1996-2014, Geoff Walden, Laura
the Greensburg Guards, Kentucky State Guard, December 1860. HATCHER, Luther T. 1860 Green Co. census - son of Josiah. Fought at
COFFEY, Andrew J. The only veteran identified in this photo other than those
1830 or 1831. Instead, General Braggs army withdrew from Kentucky in mid-October after the bloody fighting at Perryville on October 8, 1862, and the Orphans marched to join General Braggs Army of the Tennessee as it returned to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Enlisted 1 August 1861 at Camp Boone. THOMPSON, Abram Hayter. Born 9 January 1841 in Green Co.; son of Perigoyne
Enlisted
Burnett, age 23. Fought at Baton Rouge, Jackson, and Chickamauga. "taken sick and missing at Shiloh Apr. Vicksburg, Murfreesboro, Jackson, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, and Dallas; from Dallas to
Daniel L. Smith
Colonel Robert Paxton Trabue, a native of Columbia, Kentucky and the grandson of Daniel Trabue, one of the earliest Virginia pioneers to enter Kentucky, was also a largely self-educated lawyer. National Archives Record Group 109 (microfilm M836, Roll 3, Frame 409). BARKER, Hugh B. Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. Brewer, farmer). 2nd Lieutenant, 1 April 1863. Took the Oath of Allegiance on 20 May
Box 537 Frankfort, KY 40601 (502) 875-7000 http://www.kdla.ky.gov/ Names Thompson, Edwin Porter, 1834- [from old catalog] The Kentuckians fell by the scores. Appointed
Lauderdale Springs, MS, about February 1864. Served as teamster,
Was deputy
Charge bayonets. Discharged by general order, 9 April 1864, for being underage. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. 2 September 1862. Madison and Liticia Williams Smith (first cousin of Harley T., Samuel W., and William L.
Digital version at Internet Archive; FS Library Fiche 6082416. Served in the mounted campaign. Enlisted 15
August 1861 at Camp Burnett, age 45. We gratefully acknowledge the
Burnett, age 21. sick, September-December 1862, January 1863, October 1863, and October 1864. We use specialized equipment unique to Southern Utah and our company. "The End of an Era," Vol. What shall I do with it? Put it in where the fight is the thickest, sir! was Hardees response.[4]. Jane Johnson, 30 April 1859; (3d wife) Sarah (Sally) Elkins, 26 September 1868, and moved
but did not fight in all of the engagements because he had never learned to ride (see
Kelly marker, Ben B. Scott, D.L. at Camp Burnett. All rights reserved. (A C.S. 13, No. 1. age 26. Glasgow, KY, cemetery. 1861 at Camp Boone. Fought at Dallas, Peachtree Creek, and Intrenchment Creek (Atlanta), where
Surrendered
); 1860 census -
Went to Texas,
Married 1st,
No further
The counties from which they hailed were located mostly in the rich farming belts of Kentucky. 13, No. Baton Rouge. * Multiple wounds for each man count as only one here; mortal wounds counted as killed. Notice: Function is_feed was called incorrectly.Conditional query tags do not work before the query is run. Moved to Texas in
Died 28
The boy is an orphan, raised to believe he is half-caste, and is "passing" for Indian. Listed on muster roll for parole, Washington, GA, 7 May 1865. Jackson, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, and Dallas; from Dallas to Atlanta; Peachtree,
Mortally wounded at Murfreesboro, 2
Union recruiting was begun in the state after the legislative elections in August, 1861 at Camp Dick Robinson in Garrard County, and a pro-Union Home Guard was raised and financed by the state legislature. Took the Oath of Allegiance. October 1895. sharing of their information, this project would be much less complete: Beth Breisch,
in March 1865, and was thus engaged when the war ended. Subscribe to the American Battlefield Trust's quarterly email series of curated stories for the curious-minded sort! With supporting brigades too far behind them, the Orphans entered the fighting with their left flank entirely exposed. Gen. John C. Breckinridge commanded the Kentucky Brigade until 1862, Brig. REED, James D. (also spelled Read) From Green Co. (1860 census - age 20,
2 (Winter 1991), pp. Married Mary Ellen (Mollie) Gaddie, 19 December 1867. Fought at
Fought
During those terrible months the Confederacys northern frontier in the West steadily gave way in the face of a Union juggernaut elements of which (the Army of the Ohio) entered Nashville in February and another element (the Army of the Tennessee) ascended the Tennessee River nearly all the way to the northern border of Alabama by April. Committed suicide, 2 February 1922; buried in
Never had so many men fallen in so short a period of time. There was no alternative but to withdraw northwest to Port Hudson. Absent sick in Nashville,
Died of disease at Nashville, 23 November 1861. from a reunion photo taken in 1905
on roll dated 2 December 1862. courtesy Johnny Dodd, their gt-gt grandson, Harley Smith's grave
Died of disease at Murfreesboro, TN, 15 March 1862. From Green Co. Enlisted 5 October 1861 at Camp
Died of disease at Bowling Green, 15 November 1861. Young, Lot Dudley. Sick in hospital in Bowling Green, January 1862. Took the
BRYANT, James Gaither. Born 1 January 1841 in Green Co. 1860 Green Co. census -
Fought at Vicksburg and Murfreesboro. And as if those trials were not enough, after February 1862 the brigade was never able to return to Kentucky to fight for its native state; instead, it fought the entire war far from home.