A Foraging Misadventure: A.J. Huddleston, 8th Ky. Cavalry

One of the several military units that recruited men from Campbell County was the 8th Kentucky Cavalry, a regiment mostly formed in the western region of the state but that included a company enlisted in Newport by Captain John Arthur.These men became the regiment’s company E.

 

One of those Campbell Countians was Andrew Jackson Huddleston, known as Jackson to his army colleagues.

 

Jackson was a native Hoosier, having been born in Indiana on August 19, 1839. By 1850 he lived with the Books family in Geneva in Jennings County of the Hoosier State. His brothers John and James were also in the house.

 

By 1860, with the nation on the brink of civil war, he had moved to Cold Spring, Campbell County, where he boarded with another family. He was now 21 years old.

 

When the war broke out, men throughout the nation reacted in a variety of manners – some joined the army right away, others waited before doing so, and still others never volunteered.

 

In Campbell County, one man was anxious to play his part. John Arthur quickly enlisted in the 2nd Ohio Infantry for a three-month term. After this service ended, he still wished to support the national government and formed a Home Guard company in Newport. This group saw fighting in the July 1862 Battle of Cynthiana, where it suffered a handful of killed and wounded men.

 

This Home Guard force disbanded after its brief time in service, but Captain Arthur still wished to do more and opened a recruiting office on York and Fourth Streets in Newport, where he was “recruiting a cavalry company…to be assigned to the twelve months service in Kentucky.”1

 

Jackson saw or heard about the advertisement for this company and decided to enlist in this unit on August 11, 1862, for a term of one-year. He was fortunate to get his spot, as the unit soon filled up and Arthur had to reject other men who tried to join.2

 

As the new recruits prepared to leave their homes to start for their military adventures, local women prepared them a “fine dinner” in a local firehouse. These 103 men left soon thereafter on the steamship Florence heading for Louisville, from where they would go to their camp.3

They reached that river city safely, then settled into camp nearby. Here they found out they would join the 1st Battalion of Colonel James Shackelford’s 8th Kentucky Cavalry as Company E.

Shackelford gained a reputation as a “prominent” guerrilla hunter in the Western Kentucky region and was later promoted to Brigadier General of United States Volunteers. He commanded a group of men who captured Confederate General John H. Morgan at the Battle of Salineville, Ohio in the summer of 1863.4

 

The 8th Kentucky Cavalry entered the war as a one-year unit, formed mostly in and around Russellville, Kentucky and mustered in on August 13, 1862. It remained in Kentucky and Tennessee for much of its service, combating local Confederate irregular soldiers, known as partisan rangers, or as guerrillas, as Union officials labeled them. The regiment also joined in the pursuit of Morgan and his Confederates during his “Great Raid” in July of 1863.

 

Jackson experienced his own personal adventures during his year in the army, leaving even military officials puzzled about his fate.

 

On October 1, 1862, he was foraging with a squad of fellow soldiers, searching for food near Henderson, Kentucky to bring food back to camp, but he did not return with them.

 

Records agree on that much, but exactly what happened next is unclear. One document claims he deserted the unit. That may have been initial confusion when he did not return immediately from the foraging expedition before authorities realized what had really happened.

 

Another page notes that he was “supposed captured and killed,” the second part of which definitely proved to be in error.

 

Others say he was simply captured. One shows that he was sent to Richmond, Virginia to await exchange and that he had lost his gun, horse, and other equipment, probably to Confederates looking to supplement their own war materiel.

 

Another form even alleges that he joined the Army of the Potomac, the Union’s main army in the east, though no other records claim or confirm this.

 

It is nearly certain that Confederates captured him and perhaps they did transport him to prison in Richmond until they could exchange him. Jackson did survive his ordeal and the war before returning to civilian life. Not all captives were so fortunate.

 

In 1880, he was living in Clermont County, Ohio with his wife Grace and their three children. He was working on a farm to support his family.

 

By 1900, he lived in Carthage, Hamilton County, Ohio, and worked as a watchman, i.e., a security guard. He lived with Lucy Grace, his wife since 1863, and they had one son and one boarder in their home.

 

Ten years later, the couple lived in Cincinnati, where Jackson claimed night watchman as his occupation.

 

Jackson and Grace eventually moved to Campbell County, across the Ohio River, south of Cincinnati.

 

Sadly, Grace passed away on March 7, 1920, and was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery. Jackson did not live long as a widower. He called Silver Grove home, but passed away in Ft. Thomas due to pleurisy, a painful lung issue, on April 24, 1921. He was also buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

Notes

1Cincinnati Daily Commercial, August 7, 1862

2Cincinnati Daily Commercial, August 19, 1862

3Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, August 19, 1862

4Lindow, Derrick. We Shall Conquer or Die: Partisan Warfare in 1862 Western Kentucky. Savas Beatie. 2024 p. x

Committed to the Union: John A. Arthur, Soldier

In war as in life, some people act more decisively than others, making quick, even rash, choices, while others prefer to proceed more cautiously, watch their steps, and let life play out before deciding what to do next. In April of 1861, after events in Charleston, South Carolina started the Civil War, Newport resident John Arthur joined those in the former category, signing up early and often to fight on behalf of the United States. Fortunately for him, his aggressive thinking proved not to be mere carelessness.

John had been born on February 6, 1837, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

He and his family were in Newport, Kentucky by 1850, and when the Civil War started just more than a decade later, John immediately decided to answer the call to defend his home country while other men waited for months or years to do the same if they did so at all. On April 17, 1861, just five days after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, John enlisted in a three-month unit, company D of the 2nd Ohio Infantry, signing up in Cincinnati. One of the leaders of the unit, then Lieutenant-Colonel Rodney Mason, later earned infamy due to his actions and alleged cowardliness as colonel of the 71st Ohio at Shiloh and then Clarksville, Tennessee. Other Campbell County men served under Mason in that regiment, but not John.

After his brief service in the 2nd Ohio, which included action at First Bull Run, John could have joined the three-year version of that regiment but instead decided to recruit and captain a military unit he called the Newport Company or Newport Home Guards, which saw action in the first Battle of Cynthiana against the troops of Confederate General John H. Morgan on July 17, 1862. 

During this battle, his troops remained near the artillery battery of Captain Billy Glass and his men from the Cincinnati Fire Department, and reportedly helped those comrades handle their cannon.1 

1st Battle of Cynthiana, 1862  
 

John’s company, which rumors exaggerated as being “badly cut up” or “all either killed or taken prisoners” actually lost two men killed, four wounded and two missing in this engagement, with Louis Wolff and William H. Shipman being the unfortunate duo who lost their lives in the Confederate victory. Those numbers represented a small but still significant loss in a company of men from the same town, showing that even Home Guardsmen could suffer the cruel fates of combat.2

William Shipman had been medically discharged from the 23rd Ky before joining the Home Guards

Morgan and his men went on to complete the rest of their raid while the Union troops also carried on with the war and their lives. The remaining Newport men returned home after Morgan paroled them.3 The survivors reportedly walked from Cynthiana to Falmouth, a town about 20 miles to the north, before boarding a train that arrived in Newport about 3:00 in the morning.4

Two days after this battle, the company assembled on July 19 and collected more than $500 for the benefit of the families of their deceased colleagues. They passed a resolution of sympathy for those families and a thank you “to the citizens of Cynthiana, who befriended the company, while in that city.”

Their statement read:

Whereas Divine Providence, in its wise dispensation, has been pleased to remove from our midst, in the late fight at Cynthiana, our gallant comrades and brothers-in-arms Louis Wolff and W. H. Shipman, and whereas, we, in common with their many relatives and friends, are called upon to mourn their loss, therefore, be it

Resolved, that in the fall of these gallant spirits – our brave comrades, fighting valiantly in defense of our common country, our company has met a sad and irreparable loss, and our community has been deprived of two of its most worthy citizens and that we will ever cherish their memories.

Resolved, that we sincerely sympathize with the brave parent of one, and the widowed wife of the other, and the many friends of both, and that remembering the parents and widow we will ever be to them sons and brothers, extending to them helping and protecting hands.

Resolved, that a copy of these resolutions be sent to the families of our deceased comrades and published in the daily papers.5

Louis Wolff’s family later offered its “most grateful thanks to the member of the Newport Home Guards, the citizens of the Third Ward, and to the Cincinnati Young Men’s Choir for the kind attention and respect of the remains of their most lamented son and brother.”6

John, who had played “so gallant a part in the Cynthiana fight,” still desired to aid his nation and the war effort, so he opened a recruiting office on York and 4th Streets in Newport where he was “enlisting a cavalry company for the regiment of Colonel (Richard) Jacob, to be assigned to the twelve months service in Kentucky.” A story discussed his service with the 2nd Ohio, an experience which meant that John was “well acquainted with the vicissitudes of the soldier’s life.” The writer was confident John would “make a good officer.”7

Recruiting soldiers was a serious concern for the government, military men like John, and even local communities who hoped enough men would volunteer to support the Union and perhaps avoid the necessity of resorting to drafts, so a “large and enthusiastic” meeting took place at the Newport Courthouse on Friday, August 15, in an effort to generate more pledges for John’s unit and others. As customary on such occasions, patriotic speeches were made and following these addresses, John stood up to announce a few financial awards that local citizens were offering to prospective recruits. One man promised to pay $5 a week for one year to the family of a married man who joined John’s company. Another offered to donate $100, which was to be split equally among five recruits, while a pair of men donated $50 each, to be divided likewise. John Fenzell gave $100, with half going to two pledges to John’s company and the other half to two new members of a company George Crist was planning to raise. Another man graciously gave $100 to be shared by seven recruits, and one final proposal came from a man who agreed to “supply the family of a volunteer with one dollar’s worth of meat per week for one year.” Besides these promises, a “patriotic individual” wishing to remain anonymous gave John $100 to split among “five of the most ready recruits” who enlisted in his company.

Ten new recruits pledged their services during the assembly “and a number more” joined one day later.

The meeting attendees concluded their gathering by forming a committee to seek donations “to a fund for the benefit of the wives and families of volunteers.”8

In addition to those financial rewards, men who willingly signed up to join this unit would receive a benefit that provided more motivation to enlist. A draft was still necessary in order to enlist enough men, and Campbell County’s quota of men was set at around 500 men, approximately 250 of which would come from Newport. According to the Cincinnati Daily Gazette, men who joined Arthur’s company “will have but one year’s military service to perform and will escape the draft.” A short term and avoiding the embarrassment of being drafted and forced to fight were effective incentives for this company. This same report noted that only about 20 available spots remained in the unit, and it expected the company to be full by the end of August 16.9

The report was accurate, as John’s company quickly filled its ranks so successfully that he even rejected twelve men who offered to join the group after he had met his requirements.10

Once full, the company consisted of 103 men. These soon-to-be warriors who had secured their places in the army were soon happy and lucky enough to enjoy a “fine dinner” that local women prepared in the fire house on York Street.11 The men then departed on the steamship Florence traveling first to Louisville, from where they were to move to Eminence, Kentucky, “where they will go into camp for a short time.”

Eminence was where Jacob’s 9th Kentucky Cavalry unit was forming.

The men arrived safely at Louisville and settled into camp near that city but soon learned they would now be joining the 1st Battalion of James Shackelford’s 8th Kentucky Cavalry since Jacob’s unit had already filled up before their arrival, much like the issue this company experienced.12 Patriotism and a willingness to fight were still strong at this point of the war.

Shackelford, a “prominent” guerrilla hunter in western Kentucky, later was promoted to Brigadier General of U.S. Volunteers.13 

James M. Shackelford

Just a few weeks after John’s company joined the 8th Kentucky, back in Newport, “fears have been felt for the safety of Captain John Arthur who left here a few weeks ago with a cavalry company for Louisville, nothing having been heard from him since his departure from there.”

Those worries dissipated in mid-September. George W. Sarver, mistakenly described as a member of Arthur's company, arrived at his home in Newport, where he reported that Arthur’s men were in “excellent health and spirits” in Henderson, Kentucky. He also brought the news that the company had mustered into the service and the men had received their bounty money. Like many new, innocent, and perhaps naïve troops, they were now “eager for the fray.”14, 15 

Just how and why Sarver had this information is uncertain. Had he joined the unit, but not been officially added to the roster? Was he a friend of one of the company officers?

The regiment these men joined, the 8th Kentucky Cavalry, formed in Russellville, Kentucky for one year and mustered in on August 13, 1862. It remained in Kentucky and Tennessee for most of its existence, seeing service combating irregular Confederate soldiers, perhaps partisan rangers, or guerrillas, as Union officials frequently labeled them, and joined in the pursuit of Morgan and his Confederates during his “Great Raid” during the summer of 1863, ending with Confederate defeat at Buffington Island, Ohio, on July 19, 1863,16 a week before Shackelford led another group of men who captured Morgan at the Battle of Salineville.   

John H. Morgan 

       

Once his company had found its military home in this regiment, John’s fortunes changed for the worse when alleged Confederate guerrillas  captured him at Elkton, Floyd County, Kentucky on August 5, 1863. The unit had been in western Kentucky for much of its service, but John and others were on a hunting expedition for such men in the eastern part of the state at this moment. He spent time in Confederate prisons in Columbia, South Carolina (where he suffered a hip contusion) and Virginia, including Richmond’s well-known Libby Prison, where he arrived in late August of 1864, along with David Lock, another Newport resident in the company.17

Libby Prison 

Weeks later, the Confederates moved him to another facility this one in Macon, Georgia.18

As the war neared its end, his enemies released John from prison and paroled him on March 1, 1865, in North Carolina. The Cincinnati Daily Times of March 13 noted that he had been “long confined in the Rebel prisons,” but now his friends could “rejoice to learn that he has been exchanged,” which technically allowed him to fight again, though his term had expired and the war was almost over. It also said that prior to the war, he had been “long connected with the Times’ office.” 

By the time of this report, John had already arrived in Annapolis, Maryland, likely at a camp for paroled Union soldiers, for a quick health check and verification of his new status on his way home.19

He finally did make his way back to Newport, knowing  he had done enough military service to fulfill any obligations he felt, especially as tge end of the war appeared close, but a controversy that was minor in scope yet important symbolically occurred in the months after the fighting ceased.

In September 1865, the Cincinnati Daily Gazette reported that members of the Taylor Street Church in Newport would apply for an injunction against several Union supporters, including John, James R. Morin, formerly a lieutenant in the 8th Kentucky Cavalry, prominent attorney Ira Root, and more, to stop them

from interrupting or in any manner interfering to prevent the free use of the Taylor Street Methodist Episcopal Church by Rev L D Huston and the congregation usually attending there for the purpose of religious worship. Notice to the above effect have been served on the parties named. The church is now held by civil authorities.20 

Another account specified that these men had attended a meeting at the church on September 15 and had resolved to close the house of worship that they found to be disloyal even after the major Confederate armies had surrendered. That decision led the churchgoers to pursue the legal action.21

This church had been known as the Taylor Street Methodist Church South for years until they removed that final word in April of that fateful year.22 Though not explicitly stated in the newspapers, it appears that these men were harassing people they believed were sympathetic towards the South. Given the happenings at the time nationally and in Kentucky, that is not surprising. Dozens of Campbell County men suspected of supporting the Confederacy had been arrested during the war, and others joined Confederate units, so such sentiment certainly existed throughout the county. 

Even some church members recognized that outsiders might question the institution’s reputation. In August of 1864, eleven months before the request for the injunction, and while the war was still ongoing, “Union members” of the church board had proposed a set of resolutions concerning “the reputed disloyalty of the church toward the United States Government” and urged that the state conference of the Methodist church adopt “a decided loyal position and separate themselves from all disloyal connections.”

Surprisingly, however, the preacher in control of the church refused to adopt these resolutions and the church members, despite being having the power to pass them without his permission, let them quietly fade into oblivion. Those members still felt “much dissatisfaction” with their leader, but instead of pursuing the issue further, they let it go for the time being, expecting to hire an “unconditional Union minister” one year later, a delay which perhaps led to the harassment from men like John.23

Since the actual members of the institution had questions about its faithfulness to the national government, it was only natural that strong Union supporters would notice the same issues. Such division between Unionists and Southern supporters remains a major part of the legacy of the Civil War in Kentucky, even of the postwar years, when some people claimed that the state had “joined the Confederacy after the Civil War.” It was a complicated era in the state, and Campbell County was not immune to such difficulties.

In his postwar years, John spent most of his time in Newport, where he also served a term on City Council.24 At some point, though, he left the city, but only temporarily, as an 1869 story reports that he returned “to his home in Newport yesterday, after several years absence in the Far West.”25

One year later, he lived there with his parents Robert and Elizabeth, and two older brothers. He worked as a reporter according to that year’s census, agreeing with an 1864 story that had mentioned that he was “connected with the (Cincinnati) Daily Times.”26  

At this point, this story took some unexpected turns as ensuring its accuracy became a bigger challenge to me when I noticed a second John Arthur on the 1870 census, this one living in nearby Covington and working as a steam engineer, making it reasonable to think it could be the same man. The findagrave record of this man (created by a man I know and trust) showed this John Arthur (the engineer) as the soldier I had been studying. That page also mentioned that he had died in 1884 in St. Albans, West Virginia, and I found a newspaper record that mentioned the same death date and place for a John Arthur. 

Continued research, however, showed that this was a different John Arthur, one without the middle initial or the military experience. A pension index card for a widow’s pension finally confirmed the death information of the soldier John Arthur, then a cemetery record attached to his findagrave page verified the information on the pension card. It even shows a date and place of birth for him as well. With this new information, I was then able to find newspaper stories providing more details on his life and death. (I admit I'm just more than a little relieved to have found this information before hitting the "publish" button.)

In addition to being a soldier, John A. Arthur had a long snd respected career in journalism, mostly in Cincinnati, but eventually landing him a bit north in Columbus, Ohio, where he passed away on February 9, 1875.

His previously mentioned findagrave page claims that he “was assaulted for something he wrote in the Sunday News,” which more formal accounts from the time mostly support. 

The Cincinnati Commercial described John as “well known as a newspaper man” in Cincinnati, then Columbus. It reported that on the night of February 5 he was on the street  outside his house, when a group of “ruffians” assaulted and robbed him. “His wife heard his cries” and quickly exited the house only to find him “in a pool of blood, which glowed from a wound in the face.” 

In the days following that attack, John was constantly “growing worse” and had been unconscious for most of that time. He could barely recognize his friends when he was awake. He finally succumbed to injuries at midnight on the 10th.27

 The Cincinnati Daily Star offered a similar account of his death but added a few details about his career.  He had worked for the Cincinnati Gazette at one time, including a stint as editor. He then was editor of "the old Cincinnati Times," and then the Columbus correspondent of the Daily Star.

He had been "highly esteemed by all his associates," who found him to be a "most competent and reliable man in his profession."

This story mentioned his time in the Civil War, where he "served with distinction," and claimed that he had been in Libby Prison for 18 months. This exaggeration was an error as the paper may have heard he was in Libby and assumed that was his only prison home since it had a notorious reputation.

John's body was laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus.

Despite his career in the newspaper business, I have found no wartime reports from him in the local newspapers. Perhaps future research will uncover some such writings, or maybe he had them published anonymously, though I’ve not yet found any such possibilities. Then again, he may have chosen to focus on his military duties instead of writing, especially in his role as captain. His time in prison may have also prevented him from being able to send such work back home. 

John had been a strong and unquestioned supporter of the Union cause during the Civil War, serving in multiple units (as captain in two of them), risking his health and life, and even surviving capture by the Confederates. He was one of the truest of patriots in Campbell County during these bloody years, a man who let his actions speak about his beliefs. He earned no fame for his service, but his story deserves a place in county memory.

1Cincinnati Daily Commercial, July 22, 1862
2Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, July 19, 1862
3Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, July 22, 1862
4Cincinnati Daily Commercial, July 21, 1862
5Cincinnati Daily Gazette, July 22, 1862
6Cincinnati Daily Commercial, July 25, 1862
7Cincinnati Daily Commercial, August 7, 1862
8Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, August 17, 1862
9Cincinnati Daily Gazette, August 16, 1862
10Cincinnati Daily Commercial, August 19, 1862
11Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, August 22, 1862
12Ibid
13Lindow, Derrick. We Shall Conquer or Die: Partisan Warfare in 1862 Western Kentucky. Savas Beatie. 2024 p. x
14Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, September 20, 1862
15Cincinnati Daily Commercial, September 20, 1862
16https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm?battleUnitCode=UKY0008RC, Accessed January 28, 2025
17Richmond Daily Dispatch, August 24, 1863
18Cincinnati Daily Commercial, September 24, 1864
19Cincinnati Daily Times, March 13, 1865
20Cincinnati Daily Gazette, September 26, 1865
21Cincinnati Daily Times, September 19, 1865
22Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, April 22, 1865
23Cincinnati Daily Commercial, August 26, 1864
24Cincinnati Daily Times, November 24, 1865
25Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, May 25, 1869
26Cincinnati Daily Commercial, September 24, 1864
27Cincinnati Commercial, February 10, 1875

Distinguished by His Bravery: William Sanders, Newport Home Guards

During the Civil War, many Home Guard companies quickly came together during the chaos and uncertainty of the initial weeks and months of the war, as men were anxious to join the fight. These smaller groups were often the first military units to form, sometimes centered around prewar militia groups, or geographic circumstances, and were perhaps easier and quicker to join without the usual military paperwork.

In Kentucky during the summer of 1861, weeks after the war started, the state created "county-based companies of Union men" that it called Home Guards.  However, the organization of these units was "never uniform throughout the state" and was frequently rather "informal."[1]

In Campbell County, several such units popped up, usually based around the town or community where the members lived instead of just the county. These included groups in Brooklyn and Jamestown as well as in the Mt. Vernon and Mt. Pleasant areas of what is now Ft. Thomas. Gus Artsman’s (or Artzman’s) company of the Kentucky Police Guard and the 42nd Kentucky Enrolled Militia regiment also organized largely in Campbell County, the latter not until the late summer of 1862.

Around the state, as summer of 1861 transformed into fall, “many Home Guard units saw action in defense of their communities, although the combat value of most Home Guard companies was slight.” These were not well-trained, disciplined troops. These were groups of men, usually without military experience, coming together for a common cause.

When these local groups entered combat, they often experienced a similar fate as similar companies. “Confederate units, especially those led by John Hunt Morgan, who often encountered Home Guardsmen, seldom had much trouble brushing aside even the most persistent of men.”[2]

Some of these units, or at least some of their men, did, however, fight bravely when they had the chance to “see the elephant.” It did not happen in their own community, but the men of one such unit that formed in Newport, Kentucky, soon witnessed the true nature of combat.

——

William Sanders was born on January 16, 1829, in England, three decades and a wide ocean away from the war that would eventually decide his fate. He later made his way across the cold and often dangerous Atlantic Ocean to the United States, settling in Campbell County, Kentucky by the late 1850s, when he married Elizabeth Band, another immigrant from England, on October 3, 1857, in Newport.

In 1860, he lived in Newport with his wife, two children, and 16-year-old Thomas Sanders, who may have been his nephew, as the census reports he was also an English native. William worked as a clerk. 

After the Civil War started, William joined Artsman’s company of the Kentucky Police Guard, a short-term home guard unit based in Newport, enlisting as a sergeant on September 19, 1861, but he mustered out just two weeks later on October 4. This company included 70 men, likely all or mostly from Campbell County, including a Thomas Sanders, quite possibly William’s family and housemate. Thomas would have been 18 by this time. 

 

After leaving that unit, William enlisted as a second lieutenant in another local group of citizen-soldiers, this time John Arthur’s company of Newport Home Guards. In mid-1862, danger approached a region not terribly far from Campbell County, so the men of this unit travelled south to Cynthiana in Harrison County to face an approaching enemy force.

Confederate General Morgan, of course, was soon to become the scourge of many Union supporters in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, and a hero to southern sympathizers. He had just recently “launched his first major raid into Kentucky,” hoping to interrupt Union communication lines and to recruit more men for his cause.

On July 17, he had arrived in Cynthiana, “strategically located on the Kentucky Central Railroad and the Licking River.” His troops, about 800 in number, soon met the enemy, some of whom had “positioned themselves across the river in houses and had posted artillery to contest the bridge crossing.     

The Confederates attacked and soon forced their opponents to surrender. They “captured more than 300 horses, destroyed Cynthiana’s railroad depot and nearby railroad track, and wrecked a Union camp.”[3]     

 The beaten Union forces included the Newport Home Guards, which had been “badly cut up” during the battle.[4] This unit had suffered losses reported as two men killed, six wounded, and two missing.[5]

 William was one of those casualties, suffering an undocumented wound which was not immediately fatal. He was able to leave the battlefield having “distinguished himself by his bravery” on that ground.

His wounds were apparently serious, as he eventually was admitted to St. John’s Hospital in Cincinnati, where he died of his battlefield injuries on November 18, four months after the engagement. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Southgate, Kentucky, where his colleagues attended the funeral of this immigrant who had given his all in defending his adopted homeland.[6]

His widowed Elizabeth lived until 1920, but in 1871 remarried, now to John Henry Stegeman, another Civil War veteran, having served as a 1st Lieutenant in the 5th Ohio Light Artillery.

Those few lines in the newspaper and a headstone were the closest to fame or glory William Sanders ever received but his story is another one worthy of recognition and a place in the memory of this bloody war.

[1]Hughes, Nicky. Home Guards. Taken from The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Kleber, John E. (Editor-in-chief); Clark, Thomas D.; Harrison, Lowell M.; Klotter, James C.; (Associate Editors) University Press of Kentucky. 1992. p. 438 

[2]Ibid

[3]https://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/99

[4]Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, July 19, 1862

[5]Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, July 21, 1862

[6]Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, November 19, 1862

 

The first photo is from https://www.hmdb.org/PhotoFullSize.asp?PhotoID=711423

The next one is courtesy of https://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/files/show/111

The headstone photograph came from findagrave memorial id 88684715