Hardin County Confederates

Hardin County Confederates. 1861—1865. , During the War Between the States, Hardin County men aligned themselves with the Confederacy, with the majority serving in John Hunt Morgan's Cavalry and the First Kentucky Brigade, also known as "The Orphan Brigade.” This brigade fought in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, Baton Rouge, Stones River, Jackson, Chickamauga, and Missionary Ridge and the Atlanta Campaign. The brigade had such a reputation for hard fighting that its services were sought after by various Confederate generals. As a result, the Orphans found themselves in the thick of many bloody battles. One of the last Confederate units in the East to surrender, the soldiers of the Orphan Brigade laid down their arms in the first week of May 1865, at Washington, GA. Only 500 of the original 4,000 members of the brigade remained. The majority of Hardin County Soldiers who served in the brigade comprised companies B and H of the Sixth Kentucky Infantry: The remaining soldiers served in various other Kentucky units and those from other states., The listing includes those Confederates who were born or had their residence in Hardin County:, W.C. Adams, Buckner Guards . Henry Ament, Co. A 15th Kentucky Cavalry . Frank Anderson, General Staff-Assistant Surgeon . Samuel Anderson, 4th Kentucky Cavalry Surgeon . William Anderson, Confederate Surgeon . Joseph M. Applegate, Co. H 3rd Arkansas . J.W. Applegate, Co. B 6th Kentucky Infantry . John C. Bailey, Co. H 3rd Kentucky Cavalry . T.M Barnes, Co. A 8th Georgia Infantry . W.L. Barnes, Co. A 15th Kentucky Cavalry . William F. Bell, Captain / 9th Kentucky Cavalry . James D. Bennett, Co. H 8th Kentucky Cavalry . Mike S. Bennett, Co. B 6th Kentucky Cavalry . David P. Bethel, Co. A 8th Kentucky Infantry . James D. Bibb, Co. E 35th Alabama . Thomas Bibb, Co. O 2nd Kentucky Cavalry . Benjamin T. Bishop, Co. B 6th Kentucky Infantry . James E. Bohannon, Co. H 6th Kentucky Infantry . James Booher, 2nd Kentucky Cavalry (Dukes) . M.L. Bogard, Co. H 6th Kentucky Infantry . R.E. Bosley, Co. E/F 6th Kentucky Infantry . Jedediah Branch, Co. H 6th Kentucky Infantry . Cyrus W. Branham, Co. B 6th Kentucky Infantry . Horace Branham, Co. E 2nd Kentucky Cavalry . James F. Branham, Co. E 2nd Kentucky Cavalry . James E. Branin, Co. E 6th Kentucky Infantry . Alonzo Brashear, Co. B 6th Kentucky Infantry . Thomas G. Brashear, Co. F 7th Kentucky Cavalry . James Brewer, Co. H 6th Kentucky Infantry . Elias Bristol, Co. B 6th Kentucky Infantry . Edward Brown, Co. C 2nd Kentucky Infantry . George W. Brown, Taylor's Kentucky Cavalry . Henry O. Brown, Co. B.6th Kentucky Infantry . Horatio W. Bruce, Confederate Congressman (Ky.) . J.E. Bruner, Morgan's Cavalry . Simon B. Buckner, Confederate General . Abraham C. Buford, Co. B 6th Kentucky Infantry . James T. Buford, Co. C 2nd Kentucky Infantry . James W. Burba, Co. B 9th Kentucky Infantry . C.K. Burnett, 1st Arkansas . John Burnett, Buckner Guards . Benjamin J. Bush, Co. I 5th Tennessee Infantry , ..., (captions) , Benjamin Hardin Helm organized the First Kentucky Cavalry. Served as General of the First Kentucky Brigade. Mortally wounded September 20, 1863 at the Battle of Chickamauga, GA. Buried in Helm Family Cemetery, Elizabethtown., Fayette Hewitt served as Postmaster General in Washington, D.C. and later established the postal service for the Confederacy. Served as Captain on General Helm's staff. Appointed Quartermaster General of Kentucky and later elected State Auditor. , ..., Confederate Place and Cannon , This section of the Elizabethtown City Cemetery known as Confederate Place honors the sacrifices of the Hardin County men who served in the War Between the States, 1861-1865. A granite monument honoring the soldiers from Hardin County who fought for the Confederacy was erected in 1999 by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The stones erected in this section are either for those soldiers buried in unknown graves within the cemetery or noted "In Memory" for those whose remains were never recovered from the battlefields where they fell., The 10-pounder Parrott rifle is a replica of the one placed on the road by White's Confederate Battery during the battle, a trophy of their valor at Hartsville, TN. It was called "Long Tom" because of its extreme length. It became a great pet of Morgan's Men and was treasured as a mascot., The cannon was dedicated on April 27, 2002 by the City of Elizabethtown and the Sons of Confederate and Union Veterans. It honors the soldiers and citizens who took part in the 1862 battle of Elizabethtown., United Confederate Veterans and Daughters of the Confederacy , Years following the war, two organizations in Hardin County assisted veterans with pensions, relieved their wants, soothed their deathbeds and marked their final resting places. They also supported destitute veterans and immortalized their heroic deeds with monuments and literary works. The Martin H. Cofer Camp #543, United Confederate Veterans was formed on February 28, 1891 and The Ben Hardin Helm Chapter #126, Daughters of the Confederacy was chartered on August 14, 1897., Emilie Todd Helm, wife of General Ben Hardin Helm and sister of Mary Todd Lincoln. Named "Mother of the Orphan Brigade" by the soldiers. President of Ben Hardin Helm Chapter, UDC Chapter 126; First female postmaster of Elizabethtown., (captions) , Martin Hardin Cofer organized five companies of the Sixth Kentucky Infantry, serving as Colonel of the regiment. Later promoted to Provost Marshal of the Army of the Tennessee. After the war, served eight years as Chief Justice, Kentucky Court of Appeals. Staunch supporter of equal rights for African-Americans., Cyrus Branham, Corporal in the Sixth Kentucky Infantry. Killed at the battle of Jonesboro, GA. Family members traveled by horse-drawn wagon from Hardin County and returned with the body for burial at Vine Grove., Luke Kennedy served as Quartermaster Sergeant in the Sixth Kentucky Infantry. Severely wounded at the battle of Jonesboro, GA., The following men were Confederate Soldiers, but have no recorded military unit: Thomas Bennett, John J. Benika. Nicholas Brashear, Samuel Bush. J.G. Freeman, Lum Humble, Benjamin Flint Cofer, Matt Cowley, Samuel Lewis, James Mercer, J.G, Porter, William Spaulding, Charles Ray, William Ross, Daniel Runyon, John Turner, James Tweedle, D. Rider, and J.D. Smith., The listing of soldiers on these markers is incomplete. In the early 1900's it was estimated that more than five hundred Confederate Veterans were alive and living in Hardin County.