Joseph Holt, Father of the Judge Advocates

Joseph Holt, Father of the Judge Advocates. . , The second-son of a wealthy Breckinridge County family, Joseph Holt inherited 10,000 acres of lush farmland here along the Ohio River. Though he was away for many years, this place was always home., Influential and Powerful. Joseph Holt developed a keen interest in polities while practicing law in Mississippi. A lifelong Democrat, he backed James Buchanan in the 1856 presidential election. He helped secure Kentucky's vote and victory for the Democratic Party. For his efforts, Buchanan appointed Holt to three successive posts during his administration, including secretary of war., A Staunch Unionist. Holt, a slave owner, was conflicted over the institution. He wrote, “Slavery is contrary to every principle of justice, every precept of morality, every feeling of humanity, every sentiment of honor.” His brother, Robert, a Mississippi planation owner, railed against the government that Joe Holt felt honor-bound to defend., When the Civil War began, Joe Holt supported President Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, and openly condemned Kentucky's stance of neutrality. Holt was instrumental in keeping the Commonwealth in the Union., Camp Joe Holt. In July 1861, a Union recruiting and training center was established in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and named Camp Joe Holt in his honor. There, just across the Ohio River from Louisville, thousands of loyal Kentuckians enlisted in the Union army., Judge Advocate General. In July. 1862, Congress created the office of Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army. Two months later, President Lincoln appointed Holt to the position, which he held for over thirteen years., A Forgotten Man. In the years following the Civil War, Kentucky, though a Union state, embraced the “Lost Cause” espoused by former Confederates. Those who had served the Union fell out of favor and Holt's contributions to the nation were forgotten. Unionist and “Father of the Judge Advocates,” Holt loved his country and left a legacy of which Kentuckians can be proud., Captions: , Left: General Joseph Holt, Judge Advocate General, ca. 1865. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division , Right: Camp Joe Holt, established during Kentucky's short-lived period of neutrality, became a hospital facility in 1862. It closed in 1866. Indiana Historical Society