Confederate History Suppressed
By Stephens Laurie Blakely
Mr. Blakely was born April 23, 1878 and died February 24, 1959; City Solicitor
of Covington 1912-1916; Commonwealth Attorney 1916-1922; A copy of this article
is at the Campbell County Historical Society. The article gives only one
reference as to where this information came from.
On the 6th day of July, 1861, Capt. J C DeMoss of Newport, made a requisition on the Adjutant General of Kentucky for six days' rations at Camp Garnett, Kentucky. He certified "on honor" that no straw had been drawn by his company for the time charged in the requisition. On the 17th day of the same month and year he was issued 50 12/30 pounds of straw for which he gave his receipt.
On the 30th day of September 1861, Volney Dickerson, Quartermaster of the Third Regimen, Kentucky State Guards, certified that this company while at Camp Garnett had drawn an additional 48 12/30 pounds. The Boone Guards got 98 12/30 and the Campbell Rangers 60. The Mason Rifles 122 12/30 pounds. The Buckner Guards of Kenton County had drawn 672 pounds, but they, according to the faded ink report, three officers, 27 men and 30 horses. There is a note: 30 horses, 100 pounds per month."
The Washington Artillery of Mason County drew 60 12/30 pounds, Hays' Rangers 67 6/30 pounds, and the Licking Rangers 57 18/30 pounds. The straw was used to bed down the horses and the men put theirs in sacks on which they slept.
Capt. R J Beall of the Campbell Rangers drew rations of fresh beef, bacon, bread, beans, rice, coffee, sugar, vinegar, candles, soap and salt. So did Capt. W C Respass, grandfather of Rome Respass, who owned Highland Stock Farm near Covington until the time of his death a few years ago. However, he drew flour instead of bread. So did Capt. C G Cody and Capt. John R Ashton for the Washington Artillery and Capt. J Milton Stenson for his company of Boone Guards. He notes that nothing is drawn for laundresses and servants. There are similar records for Capt. J M Curry of the Licking Rangers and Capt. James J Jenkins of Hays' Rangers. These rations were issued to the men who crushed the coffee beans with rocks if they wanted coffee and carried the other provisions in their sacks for preparation over camp fires when they were needed for consumption.
Beriah Magoffin was Governor of Kentucky. He rejected Washington's call for troops and he was arming these young men to defend the Commonwealth, its neutrality and independence. But when he saw that these could not be defended, the troops he was raising marched away to Southern Battlefields and the troops of the Union marched in and made Kentucky a mere military district; took over the elections, Kentucky's legislature, her courts, Magoffin's neutrality and independence. Magoffin was forced out of his office. The November election following controlled by the Federal military not only prevented a free election, but candidates unfavorable to the military occupation were not permitted on the ballots. But if they happened to get there, what votes they got were not counted.
The three counties of Kenton, Campbell and Boone were turned into an armed camp, different in little respect from the carpetbag days instates further south after the war. Free elections and free expression of the Legislature being prohibited by Federal troops, a convention was called to meet at Bowling Green, then beyond the Federal lines, at which delegates from all parts of the state met and passed Kentucky's Ordinance of Secession. The Confederate Congress promptly admitted her to the Confederacy and her Senators and Representatives served in the Confederate Congress until the surrender. It was the policy of Washington to close its eyes to these facts and this amazing suppression has continued to this day.
Most of the records and papers were systematically destroyed in the three counties and little of local origin remains. But it was at the home of Mrs. Robert Squair, born Susan Buckner, a descendant of Co. H T Buckner, that I found these interesting records, faded but with the paper still fresh and crisp. There were many other letters, some of them dated in the late 1700s and addressed to the Buckners at Timberlake Post Office, which was the Post Office for the area on which Erlanger would be built.
Capt. Curry and his company came down the river from Maysville to Covington and his expenses detailed in a statement to Col. Buckner dated July 29, 1861, included transportation on the steamer Harriet Belle from Maysville to Covington of 54 men, $54.00. His expenses at the Madison House at Sixth and Madison in Covington for meals was $38.50. They also had dinner at Blue Licks on the Licking Pike for $20.00.
Mr. Timberlake was Treasurer for the Covington and Lexington Turnpike from 1848 to 1858, an enterprise financed and built by Covington. The daughter of the Timberlakes, Alice in 1839 married Dr. John Hawkins Stevenson, a graduate of the Lexington Medical College. In 1856 he acquired his father-in-laws home and one of his sons was William Thornton Stevenson, who joined up with Morgan's men in the Fourth Kentucky Brigade. He was captured and sent to prison at Camp Douglas. He was released at the wars end, came home and married Margaret Manley. Their son William Thornton Stevenson, who married Florence Culbertson, now lives on Leathers Road in South Fort Mitchell, Covington. In his papers is a letter from King George, Maryland, dated in 1808 and addressed to Mrs. Washington Berry "near the mouth of the Licking".
George B Hodge of Newport became a Confederate General and a member of the Confederate Congress from the Newport District. John Helm, father of Judge Helm of the Campbell Circuit Court, and grandfather of Webster Helm, who is a practicing lawyer in Newport, was Confederate Commissioner to Cuba.
A copy of a letter from General Hodge to Major General Camby, dated at Mobile, Alabama:
Meridian, May 10, 1865
General:
Parolled today as a prisoner of war with permission to return to
may home. I am yet informed by the General Orders issued by Lt. Gen.
Taylor on the _____ of the _____ of his department that officers and men from
Kentucky will not be allowed to return there. Necessitated thus to
commence life a new on some other land. I entertain the material desire to
be permitted to bid my wife and children whom I have not seen for three years a
still longer. Adieu.
They reside in Newport, Kentucky and while I am unwilling to ask anything which
it would be unbecoming or you to grant or me to request I respectfully beg leave
to know whether it would be compatible with existing regulations to permit me, a
parolled prisoner of war to visit Kentucky for a few days solely for this
purpose_________ my return to any Military Commander you may designate. I
leave tomorrow for Tuskegee, Alabama as a temporary residence but a letter of
reply will reach me directed to the Exchange Hotel, Montgomery. May I
trespass upon your courtesy so far as to request that a response may be sent
there. ________________
I am General Respy. Yr. obt. Sext.
George B Hodge
Brg. Gen. CSA
General Hodge did return to his family in
Newport and was not obliged to bid them a long Adieu.