Midway in Woodford County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Midway Martyrs Monument

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 23, 2022

1. Midway Martyrs Monument

Inscription. Rest
soldiers
rest
Thy
warfare
oe'r.

M. Jackson
J. Jackson
G. Rissinger
N. Adams

Shot by order of
Genl. Burbridge
Nov. 5, 1864
in retaliation

Our
Confederate Dead

Erected 1890.

Topics. This monument and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil.

Location. 38° 8.876′ N, 84° 41.62′ W. Monument is in Midway, Kentucky, in Woodford County. It can be reached from West Stephens Street 0.1 miles east of Circle Drive, on the right when traveling east. Monument is in Midway Cemetery. Touch for map. Monument is at or near this postal address: 431 W Stephens St, Midway KY 40347, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial monument is in the Bluegrass Region

and in Greater Lexington Area.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

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least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: World War II (within shouting distance of this marker); Korean War (within shouting distance of this marker); World War I (within shouting distance of this marker); Vietnam – Grenada – Persian Gulf / Persian Gulf – Iraq – Afghanistan (within shouting distance of this marker); Mexican War – Civil War – Spanish-American War (within shouting distance of this marker); Sons & Daughters of Relief Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Midway Presbyterian Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); St. Matthew A.M.E. Church (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Midway.

Regarding Midway Martyrs Monument. Backstory: On July 16, 1864, Union Gen. over Kentucky Stephen G. Burbridge issued a standing order meant to deter Confederate guerrilla activity. Known as Order No. 59, it declared: “Whenever an unarmed Union citizen is murdered, four guerrillas will be selected from the prison and publicly shot to death at the most convenient place near the scene of the outrages.” During a Nov. 1 guerrilla raid near Midway, Adam Harper Jr. was killed on his property during

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 23, 2022

2. Midway Martyrs Monument

a shootout. In response, Burbridge ordered a 40-man firing squad to execute the four Confederate prisoners – whose first names are not known – in the town common. They were initially buried in a shallow trench, then reburied in a former Presbyterian cemetery. Their remains were moved to Midway Cemetery in 1890 when the monument was dedicated.

The monument: It is one of four erected in Kentucky in memory of men killed by Burbridge. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Also see . . . Appendix A Retaliatory Executions of Guerrillas per Burbridge’s General Order No. 59. List of more than five dozen men executed under order from Union Gen. Stephen G. Burbridge, most under his "4 for 1" Order No. 59. (Brad Asher, The Most Hated Man in Kentucky: The Lost Cause and the Legacy of Union General Stephen Burbridge, 2021) (Submitted on July 31, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Union Gen. Stephen Gano Burbridge image. Click for full size.

Mathew Brady via National Archives and Records Administration (Public Domain), 1860/65

3. Union Gen. Stephen Gano Burbridge

He was known as "The Butcher of Kentucky" for his cruelty during the Civil War.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2022. This page has been viewed 552 times since then and 17 times this year. Last updated on June 12, 2025. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 31, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.