This document is rich with assumptions and complex reasonings of a Kentucky slaveowner. Note how he contrasts the black military men with the white Indiana and Wisconsin ("Northwestern") men, and their potential threat to the homefront (white women in particular). I have added paragraphing -- the original document was written quickly and without crossouts or corrections (except an added word or two between lines). Another point to notice is his disgust with General Stephen Gano Burbridge (originally from Georgetown, Kentucky) who is in charge of the Kentucky Military District. Burbridge's General Orders regarding the use of Confederate guerilla prisoners and deportation of Confederate sympathizers were considered highly immoral -- and still today since these tactics conjure up images of Nazi imperialists or African colonialists of the 20th century. However, this sort of warfare had been used all along: for example, against non-combattant Native Americans, and against African Americans who happen to be near a real or rumored slave rebellion.

November 1864

I passed through the north western states during the Presidential Campaign and heard the discussions of the supporters of Mr. Lincoln, black and white; one of the former who had been travelling all summer especially in the State of New York, declared that the time of the Democrats was thrown away in efforts to defeat Mr. Lincoln as he had observed closely and was satisfied that he would be elected by a large majority, even in New York, and he then said, "I had the honour of causing a shout of exultation on a train from Detroit to Toledo, by casting the first [illegible] vote for that man, whose reputation for the advancement of liberty in African America, has rendered him so illustrious. My example was followed by all, except my sister, and a lady of our party who hailed from California, and who wished to vote for a gold Candidate." It was a lovely sight to see the women smile and the negroes grin, as the overwhelming majority for "Lincoln" was read aloud. In fact several of the illustrious patriots who were in the uniform of the "best Government the world ever saw," clapped their hands and rejoiced aloud. You may imagine how we enjoyed it, especially I, who am such an enthusiast in the cause. But the contemplation of the large numbers of negroes who were lounging in the streets of Cin^ti, enjoying idleness to the fullest extent and the gloomey (sic) looks of the crowds of white men who were dreading the draft about that time were far more impressive.

Upon arriving in Louisville however, how great was the change; there the streets are thronged with negro soldiers, infantry and cavalry, white do [meaning "ditto"] Southerners with bare feet, thin worn faded garments and ragged sunbonnets, hurrying to their camps, begging or carrying the coffin with their dead child in it to bury it in the Pottersfield; meeting the black ladies arranged in costly silks, satins and velvets, flowers and feathers, walking beside some fair Yankee damsel, laughing and flouncing their skirts at the "poor white folks" - Now and then a guard of negro soldiers may be seen taking a white conscript to headquarters, or some old Citizen of the State, under arrest for treason, or marshaling a number of Confderate soldiers to Prison from Nashville or "Jesse's band" -

Every corner has its black and white loungers, and every drinking house its rollicking soldiers, while the crossings of the streets are contested by forage wagons, army and Butler's do [ditto], and long lines of creeping ambulances with sick or wounded soldiers "from the front" such is the outward appearance of Louisville. Within its Hotels, and houses, are officers without number, with families and otherwise, single and married, dressed in the most gorgeous blue & gold; burnished clanking swords, lace, buttons, eagles, cords and feathers - Most curious to look at are the Negro Officers, with large hats looped up at one side with nodding waving plumes; their bow legs encased in blue pants, overcoats and gum coats, with their large, long, clap-board feet, pent up in huge cavalry boots or fine shoes, the peculiar gait of the African making this mass of fine clothes the most ludicrous appearance, still reminding one of their strides over ploughed ground.

I am told that five Generals make their abode here - Gen Ewing, Gen Hammond, Gen Stoneman, Gen Crittenden and occasionally the most famous, Gen Burbridge. The insubordination of the soldiers is terrible; particularly the white ones, who are generally Northwestern men. Instances of their audacity, cruelty, and villainy are numerous. As evidence of the bravery of the women of this city (of Louisville) and county, I will relate two, worth mentioning. A negro soldier was on guard before the Women & Children's Prison, when a white boy of sixteen years, gave him some cause of offense, for which the negro shot him; a lady who was visiting the prison under permit from the military authorities, to take supplies of clothing and food for the sick, ran to the boy when he fell, when the Negro drove her off, telling her he would put the other load through her, if she touched that dead body. He was dead indeed and she turned away from the fiend who had done the deed.

A white soldier went into a boarding school, kept by an English Church clergyman and his wife, who live in the county; he was away, and the first the lady knew of it she saw this huge man in full uniform in the room, with his bayonetted gun in his hand; the girls screamed and escaped, the lady locking the door to prevent their being followed; he flew into a rage and grabbed the poor woman who seeing that he was sufficiently intoxicated to be rather weak in the knees and arms, eluded him and managed to interest him by her conversation, for four hours, until the neighbours and her husband came to her assistance; during that time the soldier asked her if she knew what they were fighting for, and on hearing no, said, "To humble you Southern women, to make you work and lower your proud heads" -

But to realize the true state of things one must go nearer the headquarters of the General Commanding the Depart. I went to the renowned "Blue Grass Region," to Lex^ton, Frankfort and the towns on the railroad, as well as Georgetown in Scott Co, adjoining Owen Co, the Headquarters of the Guerillas. The electioneering for Mr. Lincoln was going on here vigorously indeed. The great General Burbridge had just returned from a reconnaisance towards Abingdon Va, and weary with his journey which was hastily made on his return, was enjoying his mode of life, at the card table, billiard &c, and dining &c, and lives in great state. I was told that Judge Goodloe of Lex writes his speeches, and he delivers them in true recitation style. He was aided in this respect by Montgomery Blair who accompanied the General in his "progress". So fierce and numerous were the Guerrillas, that it was necessary to have an escort of 80 or 100 cavalry, to picket the towns and steps of the Courthouses, in the towns where they spoke; so that one may imagine what a grand sight it must be, to see these expounders of liberty, as they appear, when about to address the people on the subject of their votes.

First comes a squadron of cavalry, the horses the finest to be had in that region so famed for its blooded steeds, the men picked for size and drill, finely equipped, ablaze of glittering sabers and gold lace - Then the elegant equipage of the General, his own, with prancing steeds and flashing harness, with two stalwart negroes in livery with shining "Beavers" and Buckles; within, the General and the Statesman, Burbridge & Blair; on each side, and behind, three other squadrons of Cavalry. It having been announced in the villages, the great event in store for them, a crowd is assembled to gape and stare, but alas, not to cheer or shout welcome. The pickets being thrown out, the Guards placed on the steps, amid a profound silence, the illustrious Patriots descend from the carriage, and enter the Court House, the crowd following - very smiling is the Statesman and very elegant and handsome is the General; clad in his full suit of new uniform, for the one worn to Abingdon, is worn & dusty, it having encased his large fat form night and day on his swift return from Virginia.

I will give the speech at Georgetown as a specimen, being most familiar with it. He began by saying, he was no speaker nor politician, that he stood before the large rebel element, he knew to be before him, to represent the power of the Sword in the hands of the Govt, and to say that the men who did not vote for Mr Lincoln, would be proved the enemies of that Gov't, and would be treated as such after the election. As for those who sympathized with the South, he would send them South, if he had to do so at the rate of fifty a day, he had heard they had thought he had been hard on them the past summer, but he would have them understand he had only laid his finger on them, but that after the election he would make them fell "the weight of his entire paw - He then closed by saying, if the trains continued to be fired into he would lie upon the platforms of the cars the grayhaired traitors who had sons (or relatives) in the Southern Army be they ex-Governors, ex-Cabinet officers or plain farmers, and that for every Union man or soldier killed or wounded, he would have shot four Prisoners, until they were exhausted and he would begin on Southern sympathizers who would be held in Prison for that purpose; he then introduced Mr Blair who would represent the Civil power of the Govt. Very blandly and softly then began he, to, as he said, Reason with the people, and to urge them to see their own interests in their proper light; that unless they voted for Mr. Lincoln they could expect nothing but the most rigid and uncompromising treatment; that they would not be permitted to engage in any branch of trade whatever and their possessions be siezed for the use of the Govt, in crushing the rebellion. He bade them them realize that Mr Lincoln was the unanimous choice of the people and would therefore be elected and unless they voted for him they would meet the fate of enemies and must then bear in mind that they had been warned by both the representatives of Mr. Lincoln who stood before them on that day, and then uncheered and unapplauded by the audience they retired, and at the election Mr Lincoln got but one vote in that town - such is the obduracey (sic) of these Kentuckians, who in spite of all this voted against Mr Lincoln on election day.

[Illegible] a grand display of negro cavalry while in this region, they are mounting and drilling a large force of cavalry, the negroes being accustomed to the management of horses make fine riders, and 'tis hoped will fight better with sabers than guns. They are allowed to go in large bands through the country at night fully armed to steal horses and take them to the camps. One farmer refused to give up the key of his stable, when they fired into every window of his house, broke down the door, entered, took and tied him and getting the key compelled him to go with them to see them take his horses.

Another, was sitting with his family in their bedroom about nine o'clock at night, when they were startled by a clanking sound and on looking around saw a tremendous negro in full uniform bayonet in hand, who demanded of the farmer to come out to the stable to tell which were the best horses; he siezed two pistols from the mantel piece and pointing it at him said leave this room or I will shoot, fearing to do so as he thought he might shoot one of his daughters; the negro backed out slowly, with a grin, and the man following, when one of the negro women met her master at the door, and begged him not to go out as the house was surrounded by negro soldiers, who had been boasting that they would kill her master unless he gave up the horses; he went back to his family until they left, when it was found that they had taken every horse bridle and saddle. But they might do so much worse than they do, that they deserve great praise and credit, they are far superior in discipline (from habit) than the northwestern men and Yankees -

I left the people in great gloom at the execution of Confederate soldiers as promised by Gen Burbridge, for the acts of the lawless bands commanded by federal deserters, and highway robbers from Europe who swarm in that region. These soldiers die so bravely, so cheerfully protesting in the short half hour allowed them to converse with a clergyman, that they are not guerrillas but Confederate soldiers, sworn under the Confederacy and in the Army, some having been so over a year. Scarcely a county in this state but has this melancholy tale to tell, and in some, they have been shot by negroes. In Georgetown, they were made to sit on their coffins in an open cart, the people compelled to come out and look at them, while they were driven up and down the street until drawn to the place for execution. One of these was from South Carolina, and refused to give his name or Reg't, as he did not want his relatives to know the sad fate he had met. Some escaped on their way to be shot, and since then, they have chained their feet together with a heavy ball attached to them. A dreadful scene took place at Midway in Woodford Co, on the railroad the mere recital of which makes my heart ache and my mind revolt at "man's inhumanity to man" -

One of the lawless bands is commanded by a man by the name of Davis, a bad man well known in the county who tried to join the Confederate Army at Camp Boone in the beginning of the war, but from his unsound condition, health and vaccillating character as understood by several Kentuckians was not accepted; he then joined the federals, soon deserted and returned to his home to lead the disreputable life he led before the war began, he had an especial spite against Mr. R.A. Alexander, the great stock and horse dealer in the county of Woodford. Davis raised a band of thieves and arranged to rob the two richest men of the county; he led the party to rob Mr Alexander while the rest of his band were sent under another vile character to rob the three Harpers, single men who lived with their unmarried sister, near the town of Midway. The attack was made upon Mr Alexander first, and six of his finest horses taken; Davis was recognized by Mr A, who with a force paid by him followed and shot Davis in the foot, and recovered his horses. The rest of the band under Clarke, went at night and entering the house of the Harpers' demanded their money, when one of them fired upon the men in the room, wounding one, whereupon they shot at the Brothers, killing one and wounding another in the hand. They then escaped.

For this act, Gen Burbridge selected four Confederate soldiers, who he is pleased to call, Guerrillas, from his Prison at Lexington to be shot upon the premises of the Harpers. One of the Brothers and Mr Alexander called upon him, asking him not to shoot those Prisoners, as they were not responsible for the acts of those bad men. He was playing cards when they entered having been told the object of their visit when they spoke he did not raise his head to answer them, and refused to relent in any particular, except the place of execution; Mr Harper said he did not wish them shot upon his place, and he agreed to allow it to be done upon the commons of the town -

They were taken under a guard of forty men and a Captain, heavily ironed to Midway in the afternoon on a Saturday, and allowed to converse and pray one half hour with a Clergyman, during which time the Guards went to the houses of the people and compelled all the men of the place to come out and look at the execution. These soldiers (two of them) told the Clergyman that two of them had been in the Confederate Service over one year, that they were not Guerrillas, the names of their Reg^ts, and families and homes; two of them refused to tell their place of abode but said they had joined the CS Army under Col' Jesse, to go South, and had only been sworn in ten days before they were captured.

The Federals were formed into four platoons, ten in front of each Confederate soldier, and had to fire two rounds before they killed one. They then dug a trench the depth of a spade, rolled the bodies in their blankets and putting them in it, covered them with a thin covering of earth, but so that their arms & feet were exposed, it was dark by this time and one of the Citizens asked leave to take up the bodies and bury them; the reply was "You can do what you please with them, we were ordered to do what we have done with them and we have nothing more to do with them." They went early the next day to take them up and found that the cattle and hogs had almost done the work for them. The bodies were pierced with 12 balls; they made four coffins and buried them followed by a weeping train of women in the Presbyterian graveyard. The gloom of that even will hang over that town for many months and many a stout heart will ache at the contemplation of that dreadful scene. The shrieks and cries of the women rent the air when the shots were fired at the brave innocent sufferers. They were cheerful to the last moment and met Death bravely. One of the Harper Brothers tied the bandage over their eyes. In another county, after the Guards had left, having shot eight, some of their comrades in the C.S. Army, new recruits, rode into the town (of Pleasureville in the same railroad) and took an oath of (sic) [on?] the dead bodies of their fellow soldiers, that they should be revenged. This occurred a few days before the shooting at Midway which added to four shot in Frankfort make sixteen in one week - And so it goes on day after day and week after week.

Tis said Maj Gen Stoneman is to command the large force of Cavalry being raised in this state and that Gen Meredith is to take Burbridge's place, while the latter makes another reconnaissance. A friend who keeps me posted in affairs says there are 20,000 soldiers in and around Louisville. The negro cavalry have been coming down to this city, to Lex^tn. The fortifications are being pushed on rapidly and everything tends to the supposition that they expect an invasion of the state.

Thus you have a pen picture of the state of affairs this far "South in Dixie" - Tis said that all men are rushing to Col' Jessie, since his return, aged and boys of sixteen, hoping to be able to induce aid to be sent to the State and to meet it.

I have presumed upon your request to write as contained in your letter to Sister [Mary Wickliffe Preston at Carrollton], and hope you will enjoy the perusal of these sheets, as I have, writing on them - If they shall be instrumental in stirring the hearts of those who may read them, to send help to these poor people the effort will be treasured as a great privilege to me.

To have found you the true exponent of Southern principles and the great strong augur of defence which you have raised, is a proud remembrance which I have hugged to my inmost soul. May God bless you and protect and send you prosperity in this world and to all dear to you, and may the laurels upon your brow in this world, be exchanged in the afterworld for that crown of glory prepared for those who love God and worship Him as you do.

Wickliffe-Preston Family Papers, Box 55, University of Kentucky Special Collections and Archives