Kentucky in the War of 1812
Encyclopedia
During the War of 1812
, Kentucky
supplied numerous troops and supplies to the war effort.
Because Kentucky did not have to commit manpower to defending fortifications, most Kentucky troops campaigned actively against the enemy. This led to Kentucky seeing more battle casualties than all other states combined.
With the impending onset of hostilities, the governor of the Indiana Territory
, future United States President William Henry Harrison
sought military assistance from neighboring Kentucky
. After being appointed brigadier general of the Kentucky militia
on August 22, Harrison went to attain the force in order to defend the Indiana territorial government at Vincennes, Indiana
. Harrison had resigned his military commission in December 1811, but with the help of Kentucky governor Charles Scott, he was able to recruit Kentucky citizens to help defend Indiana; citizens in Ohio and Indiana had heard of the lack of camp provisions and chose not to be burdened by such hardships. As a result, most of Kentucky's militia during the war fought in what was the old Northwest Territory
.
A total of 25,010 Kentuckians fought in war, with five out of six men of military age fighting the British and/or the Indians; they were in 36 regiment
s, four battalion
s, and twelve independent companies.
width="280px" style="margin-left: 0.5em;">
Counties named for fallen River Raisin officers
Allen County
John Allen
Ballard County
Bland Ballard
Edmonson County
John Edmonson
Graves County
Benjamin Franklin Graves
Hart County
Nathaniel G. S. Hart
Hickman County
Paschal Hickman
McCracken County
Virgil McCracken
Meade County
James Meade
Simpson County
John Simpson
A former gubernatorial candidate and state legislator of Kentucky's, John Allen
, on June 5, 1812 was made colonel of the first raised militia in Kentucky to fight in the War of 1812, the 1st Rifle Regiment. At the Battle of River Raisin, Allen was killed while rallying his troops. He was later buried at Frankfort Cemetery
, with the states of Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio
later naming counties in his honor. Eight other officers from Kentucky died at the battle, and had counties named for them. Also among the River Raisin casualties were 400 Kentuckians killed in battle, and eighty who were tomahawked by the Indians after already being wounded from the battle.
Almost all of the American soldiers at the Battle of Wild Cat Creek, in northern Indiana, were citizens of Hopkinsville, Kentucky
in Southeast Kentucky.
Kentucky helped supply the war. A major supply depot for the war was at Newport, Kentucky
. Dubbed Newport Barracks
, the staging area would later serve as a supply depot for conflicts with Mexico later in the century. Saltpeter
was heavily mined in Carter County
and at the Great Saltpeter Cave in Rockcastle County
. But the most notable mining was at Mammoth Cave, whose saltpeter, considered exceptional quality, was numbered at 570,000 pounds produced during the war.
The war also affected the state's economy. Due to the inability to trade during the war with Britain, "rudimentary manufacturing" was spurred during the timeframe. To help pay for the war, a distilled spirits excise tax was levied during the war, and would not end until 1817. The next such tax would not be levied until the Civil War
in 1862.
The War of 1812 had a lasting effect on Kentucky. One consequence was that the Shawnee
never again challenged white control of the state. Also, a number of Kentucky's future leaders served in the war. Counting Isaac Shelby's second term, which began just after the outbreak of hostilities, six consecutive governors of Kentucky were veterans of the war. Later governors Charles A. Wickliffe
and John J. Crittenden
also served as aides-de-camp
in the war. Twenty-two of Kentucky's one hundred twenty counties are named for participants in the War of 1812, including nine that were named after soldiers killed at the Battle of River Raisin.
Isaac Shelby
, Kentucky's 1st and 5th Governor and Revolutionary war hero, helped lead Kentucky militia in the war of 1812 to the liberation of fort Detroit in his 60's, leading to the renaming of the fort as Fort Shelby
. Isaac also traveled with General Harrison into Canada chasing British Troops led by Brock and the Indian leader Tecumseh
at the battle of Moraviantown or as the Americans called it, The Battle of the Thames
.
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
supplied numerous troops and supplies to the war effort.
Because Kentucky did not have to commit manpower to defending fortifications, most Kentucky troops campaigned actively against the enemy. This led to Kentucky seeing more battle casualties than all other states combined.
Conflict
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
, future United States President William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
sought military assistance from neighboring Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. After being appointed brigadier general of the Kentucky militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
on August 22, Harrison went to attain the force in order to defend the Indiana territorial government at Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
. Harrison had resigned his military commission in December 1811, but with the help of Kentucky governor Charles Scott, he was able to recruit Kentucky citizens to help defend Indiana; citizens in Ohio and Indiana had heard of the lack of camp provisions and chose not to be burdened by such hardships. As a result, most of Kentucky's militia during the war fought in what was the old Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
.
A total of 25,010 Kentuckians fought in war, with five out of six men of military age fighting the British and/or the Indians; they were in 36 regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s, four battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s, and twelve independent companies.
width="280px" style="margin-left: 0.5em;">
Counties named for fallen River Raisin officers
Allen County, Kentucky
Allen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population is 19,956. Its county seat is Scottsville, Kentucky. The county is named for Colonel John Allen, who was killed at the Battle of Frenchtown, Michigan during the War of 1812. Allen County is a prohibition or...
John Allen (soldier)
John Allen was a United States politician and army officer who was killed in the War of 1812.Allen was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, and moved with his father to Kentucky in 1779. He went to school in Bardstown, Kentucky and studied law in Staunton, Virginia. He then returned to Kentucky...
Ballard County, Kentucky
Ballard County is a county located in west of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was created by the Kentucky State Legislature in 1842, and is named for Captain Bland Ballard, a soldier, statesman, and member of the Kentucky General Assembly. He was one of the few Kentucky volunteers to survive the...
Bland Ballard
Bland Ballard was a soldier and statesman from Kentucky.-Biography:Ballard was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 1779, at age 18, he moved to Kentucky, which was the western frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as a scout in George Rogers Clark's 1780 expedition into the...
Edmonson County, Kentucky
Edmonson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1826. As of 2007, the population was 11,978. It is included in the Bowling Green Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat is Brownsville...
Graves County, Kentucky
Graves County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was formed in 1824. As of 2000, the population was 37,028. Its county seat is Mayfield. The county is named for Major Benjamin Franklin Graves, soldier in the War of 1812...
Hart County, Kentucky
Hart County is a county located in the U.S. state — or, more correctly, "Commonwealth" — of Kentucky. It was formed in 1819. , the population was 17,445. Its county seat is Munfordville. The county is named for Captain Nathaniel G. S. Hart, a Kentucky militia officer in the War of 1812...
Nathaniel G. S. Hart
Nathaniel Gray Smith Hart , often Nathaniel G. S. Hart was a prominent Kentucky lawyer,, brother-in-law to Henry Clay and to Senator James Brown of Louisiana. Hart was the Captain of the Lexington Light Infantry during the War of 1812 and died along with most of his men in the River Raisin Massacre...
Hickman County, Kentucky
Hickman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1822. The elevation in the county ranges from to above sea level. As of 2000, the population was 5,262. Its county seat is Clinton. It is the least densely populated county in the state and is a prohibition or...
Paschal Hickman
Paschal Hickman was a United States officer in the War of 1812 who was killed in the Massacre of the River Raisin. Hickman County, Kentucky is named for him....
McCracken County, Kentucky
McCracken County is a county located in the Jackson Purchase, the extreme western end of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 65,514. The county seat, largest city, and only incorporated community is Paducah....
Meade County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,349 people, 9,470 households, and 7,396 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 10,293 housing units at an average density of...
Simpson County, Kentucky
Simpson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 16,405. Its county seat is Franklin. The county is named for Captain John Simpson, a Kentucky militia officer who fought in Battle of Fallen Timbers in the Northwest Indian War, and was killed in the...
A former gubernatorial candidate and state legislator of Kentucky's, John Allen
John Allen (soldier)
John Allen was a United States politician and army officer who was killed in the War of 1812.Allen was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, and moved with his father to Kentucky in 1779. He went to school in Bardstown, Kentucky and studied law in Staunton, Virginia. He then returned to Kentucky...
, on June 5, 1812 was made colonel of the first raised militia in Kentucky to fight in the War of 1812, the 1st Rifle Regiment. At the Battle of River Raisin, Allen was killed while rallying his troops. He was later buried at Frankfort Cemetery
Frankfort Cemetery
The Frankfort Cemetery is located on East Main Street in Frankfort, Kentucky. The cemetery is the burial site of Daniel Boone and contains the graves of other famous Americans including seventeen Kentucky governors.-History:...
, with the states of Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
later naming counties in his honor. Eight other officers from Kentucky died at the battle, and had counties named for them. Also among the River Raisin casualties were 400 Kentuckians killed in battle, and eighty who were tomahawked by the Indians after already being wounded from the battle.
Almost all of the American soldiers at the Battle of Wild Cat Creek, in northern Indiana, were citizens of Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
in Southeast Kentucky.
Homefront
Newport, Kentucky
Newport is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 census. Historically, it was one of four county seats of Campbell County. Newport is part of the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio Metro Area which...
. Dubbed Newport Barracks
Newport Barracks
Newport Barracks was a military barracks on the Ohio River, across from Cincinnati, Ohio in Newport, Kentucky. It was operational from 1803 until 1894.-History:In 1803, James Taylor Jr. solicited the help of his cousin, James Madison, who was then U.S...
, the staging area would later serve as a supply depot for conflicts with Mexico later in the century. Saltpeter
Potassium nitrate
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Its common names include saltpetre , from medieval Latin sal petræ: "stone salt" or possibly "Salt...
was heavily mined in Carter County
Carter County, Kentucky
Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1838 and was named for William Grayson Carter, a state senator at the time of its creation. The county seat is named for his uncle, Robert Grayson. As of 2000, the population was 26,889. Its county seat is Grayson,...
and at the Great Saltpeter Cave in Rockcastle County
Rockcastle County, Kentucky
Rockcastle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 16,582. Its county seat is Mt. Vernon. The county is named for the Rockcastle River which runs through it...
. But the most notable mining was at Mammoth Cave, whose saltpeter, considered exceptional quality, was numbered at 570,000 pounds produced during the war.
The war also affected the state's economy. Due to the inability to trade during the war with Britain, "rudimentary manufacturing" was spurred during the timeframe. To help pay for the war, a distilled spirits excise tax was levied during the war, and would not end until 1817. The next such tax would not be levied until the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in 1862.
The War of 1812 had a lasting effect on Kentucky. One consequence was that the Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
never again challenged white control of the state. Also, a number of Kentucky's future leaders served in the war. Counting Isaac Shelby's second term, which began just after the outbreak of hostilities, six consecutive governors of Kentucky were veterans of the war. Later governors Charles A. Wickliffe
Charles A. Wickliffe
Charles Anderson Wickliffe was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. He also served as Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, the 14th Governor of Kentucky, and was appointed Postmaster General by President John Tyler...
and John J. Crittenden
John J. Crittenden
John Jordan Crittenden was a politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as United States Attorney General in the administrations of William Henry Harrison and Millard Fillmore...
also served as aides-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
in the war. Twenty-two of Kentucky's one hundred twenty counties are named for participants in the War of 1812, including nine that were named after soldiers killed at the Battle of River Raisin.
Isaac Shelby
Isaac Shelby
Isaac Shelby was the first and fifth Governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina. He was also a soldier in Lord Dunmore's War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812...
, Kentucky's 1st and 5th Governor and Revolutionary war hero, helped lead Kentucky militia in the war of 1812 to the liberation of fort Detroit in his 60's, leading to the renaming of the fort as Fort Shelby
Fort Shelby
Fort Shelby may refer to:* Fort Shelby , a military installation in Detroit, renamed from Fort Lernoult in 1813, and also commonly referred to as Fort Detroit during the War of 1812....
. Isaac also traveled with General Harrison into Canada chasing British Troops led by Brock and the Indian leader Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
at the battle of Moraviantown or as the Americans called it, The Battle of the Thames
Battle of the Thames
The Battle of the Thames, also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was a decisive American victory in the War of 1812. It took place on October 5, 1813, near present-day Chatham, Ontario in Upper Canada...
.