Daviess County, Kentucky - Biographical sketches (1 of 8 so headed), 1883

Biographical sketches

Previous to the exploration by the Anglo-Saxon race about the iniddle of the eighteenth'century, Kentucky formed a vas't hunting ground upon which the savage tribes of the South and of the North killed the elk and buffalo, and occasionally encountered each other in bloody conflict. No permanent settlements existed within its borders. Its dark forests and cane thickets separated the Cherokees, Creeks and Catawbas of the Soutli from the hostile tribes of Shawnees, Delawares and Wyandots of the North. All ot these tribes encountered the pioneer, and fiercely disputed the settlement of the country. It is certain, however, that these were not the original occupapts of the country, as ancient monuments of deep interest speak, in language not to be mistaken, of a race of men who preceded the rude tribes encountered by Boone and Finley. The origin, language and history of these men are buried in darkness Which may never be dispelled; but the scanty vestiges which they Bave left behind them enable us to affirm hat they far surpassed the rude tribes which succeeded them, in acts and civilization. They had worked the copper mines of the West, and were in possession of copper tools for working in wood and stone. Their large fortifications, constructed of solid masonry, and artificially contrived for defense, show that they had foes to resist, and that they had made some progress in the military art. How long they occupied the country, whence they came, and whither they have gone, no one is able to decide; but certain it is, that the fortifications and cemeteries which have been examined are certainly more than '800 years old, but how much older is only a matter of conjecture. ^

The bounty in lands which had been given to the Virginia troops who had served throughout the old French war, were to be located upon the Western waters, and within less than two years after the return of Boone and Knox from their long hunting excursion, surveyors were sent out to locate these lands upon the Ohio River. In 1773 Captain Thomas Bullitt led a party of surveyors down the Ohio to the Falls, where a camp was constructed to protect them from the Indians. Three brothers from Virginia,' named McAfee, accompanied him to the mouth of the Kentucky River. In 1775 other parties of surveyors and hunters followed, and during this same year James Harrod erected a log cabin upon the spot where Harrodsburg now stands, which rapidly grew into a station, and is doubtless the oldest in Kentucky. In the spring of 1775 the fort, afterward called Boonesboro, was constructed, and five months from that time Boone's wife and daughters joined him and resided in the fort, - the first white women that ever stood upon the banks of the Kentucky River. In 1775 the renowned pioneer, Simon Kenton, erected a log cabin, and raised a crop of corn near the spot where the town of Washington now stands. In the spring of 1776 Colonel Benjamin Logan brought his wife and family to Logan's Fort, about one mile west of the present town of Stanford, in Lincoln County. During this year Colonel George Rogers Clark for the first time made his appearance in Kentucky. He visited different stations, but made no location.

In the winter of 1776 Kentucky was formed into a county by the Legislature of Virginia, and thus became entitled to a separate County Court, justices of the peace, sheriff, constables, coroner, and ipilitia officers. In the spring of 1777 the Court of Quarter Sessions held its first sitting at Harrodsburg, attended by the sheriff of the county and its Clerk, Levi Todd. The first court of Kentucky was composed of John Todd, John Floyd, Benjamin Logan, John Bowman, and Richard Calloway.

The year 1778 was rendered memorable by two great military events. One was the invasion of the country by an army fof Indians and Canadians under the command of Captain Dn Quesne, a Canadian officer, which proved unsuccessful, and thq other was the brilliant expedition of Colonel George Rogers Clark against the English posts at Vincennes and Kaskaskia.

the spot where the city of Lexington now stands; the unfortunate expedition of Colonel Bowman against the Indian town of Ciiillicothe was undertaken and carried out, which resulted in total failure; and the celebrated land law of Kentucky was passed by the Kentucky Legislature. This law was well intended, and tlie settlement and pre-emption features were just and libeial. The defect was the jieglect of Virginia to provide for the general survey of the country at the expense of the Government, and its subdivisions into whole, half, and quarter sections, as is now done by the United States.

The year 1780 was distinguished by the vast number of -emigrants who crowded to Kentucky for the purpose of locating land warrants. Indian hostility was proportionably active, and a formidable expedition, consisting of Indians and English, under Colonel Bird, threatened Kentucky with -destruction; and for the first time cannon were employed against the stockade forts of Kentucky. In November of this year Kentucky was divided into three counties, to which the names of Fayette, Jefferson and Lincoln were given. They had now three County Courts, three Courts of Common Law and Chancery Jurisdiction, and a host of magistrates and constables. No court, capable of trying capital ofi'enses, existed nearer than Richmond.

The year 1781 was distinguished by a very large immigration, by prodigious activity in land speculation, and by the frequency of Indian inroads in small parties. In May a party of Wyandots invaded Kentucky, and committed shocking depredations in the neighborhood of Estill's Station. Captain Estill collecfced a party of equal force and pursued them rapidly ; but he was totally overpowered by the Indians, and himself and nearly all his officers were killed.

A party of Wyandots, consisting of twenty men, encountered Captain Holder, at the head of seventeen Kentuckians, and defeated him with loss.

But these small parties were the mere pattering drops of hail which preceded the tempest. In the month of August an armj'^ of 600 Indian warriors, composed of detachments from all the Northwestern tribes, traversed the northern part oi Kentucky, and appeared before Bryan's Station very unexpectedly. The garrison took prompt measures to repel the enemy. The alarm was given to neighboring stations, while those who remained gave a bloody repulse to the only assault which the Indians ventured to makeupon the fort. The enemy became discouraged, and retreated to the Lower Bhie Lick. By noon the next day 160 men had assembled at Bryan's Station, eager to encounter the invaders. Colonels Todd, Trigg, and Daniel Boone, Majors Harlan, McBride and Levi Todd, Captains Bulger and Gordon, with fortyfive other commissioned officers, including the celebrated McGary, assembled in council and hastily determined to pursue the enemy without waiting for Colonel Logan, who was known to be collecting a strong force at Lincoln, and who might be expected to join them in twenty-four hours. The pursuit was keen and bloody, the Indians coming out victorious. Todd, Trigg, Harlan, McBride, Bulger and Gordon were killed on the field of battle. Sixty officers and men were killed, and seven prisoners were taken. The number of wounded was never ascertained. Some of the fugitives returned to Bryan's Station the night after the battle, and were there met by Colonel Logan at the head of 450 men, who continued his march to the battle-ground. The bodies of the dead were collected and interred, and, having satisfied himself that the Indians had crossed the Ohio, he returned to Bryan's Station and disbanded his troops.

It was an established custom in Kentucky at that time never to suffer an Indian invasion to go unpunished, but to retaliate upon their villages and corn-fields the havoc which their own settlements had experienced. Colonel George Rogers Clark led his regiment of State troops against the Indian villages in Ohio, and invited the militia of Kentucky to join him. One thovisand riflemen responded to the call, and rendezvoused at the mouth of the Licking, under the command of Clark. They penetrated into the heart of the Indian country, and reduced their towns to ashes, and laid waste the whole country with unsparing severity. Having completely destroyed everything within their reach, the detachment returned to Kentucky.

In the spring of 1783 Kentucky was erected into a district, and a Court of Criminal as well as Civil Jurisdiction was formed. The court held its first session in Harrodsburg in the spring of 1783, andjwas opened by John Floyd and Samuel McDowell, as Judges, John May, Clerk, and Walker Daniel, Prosecuting Attorney. Seventeen culprits were presented by the grand jury. During the summer a log court-house and jail of '- hewed or sawed logs nine inches thick" was erected on the spot where Danville now stands. Peace followed in 1783, and Indian hostilities were for a time suspended. In the siimmer of 1784, some depredations were committed by the Indians upon the southern frontier, and Colonel Benjamin Logan received intelligence that a serious invasion was contemplated. Upon an examination of the laws then in existence, the most eminent lawyers decided that no expedition could lawfully and effectually be carried out against the Indian tribes; the power of impressment had ceased with the war, and in a state of peace could not legally be exercised. There was no power known to the law capable of calling forth the resources of the country, however imminent the danger; all of their legislation car e from Richmond, distant many hundred miles, and separated from Kentucky by desert mountains and interminable forests traversed by roving tribes of Indians. The necessity of a government independent of Yirginia was deeply and almost unanimously felt. Several conventions were held, numerous addresses were sent to the Yirginia Legislature, before any action was taken up on the subject. It was not until severalJyears of hard labor, indomitable perseverance and determined efforts upon the part of Kentucky's noble leaders that she was at last separated from her parent State and admitted into the Union. In December, 1790, President "Washington strongly recommended her admission to Congress, and on the ith of February, 1791, an act for that purpose had passed both Houses and received the signature of the President. In April, 1791, a convention assembled at Danville and formed the first Constitution of Kentucky. This Constitution abandoned the aristocratic features of Virginia so far as representation by counties was concerned, and established numbers as the basis. Suffrage was universal, and sheriffs were elected triennially by the people. The Executive, Senate and Judiciary were entirely removed from the direct control of the people. The Governor was chosen by electors, who were elected by the people for that purpose every fourth year. The members of the Senate were appointed by the same electoral college which chose the President, and might be selected indifferently from any part of the State. The Judiciary were appointed as at present, and held their offices during good behavior. The Supreme Court, however, had original and final jurisdiction in all land cases. The Constitution was adopted and the officers elected in May, 1792. Isaac Shelby, a brave officer who had served in the Revolutionary war, was elected Governor; Alexander Bullitt was chosen Speaker of the Senate, and Robert Breckenridge, of the House of Representatives; James Brown was tlie first Socretary of Staff, ;iiid George Nicliolas the lirst Attorucy General. John Brown aiul John Edwards were elected, by joint ballot, Senatijrs to Congress; Frankfort was fixed upon as the futnre eeatof (Tovernment. During its Hrst session, the Legislature was engaged in organizing tlic G<jverninent. Acts ]:iassed establishing the Su])renie Court, (Jounty Court and Court of Justice. Taxes were ijn]iosed u})on land, cattle, carriages, billiard tables, ordinary licenses and retail stores.

In the meantime Indian depredations were incessant, and General Washington, to tlio iniinite distress of Kentucky, persevered in tlie employment of a regular force in the IS^orthwest instead of mounted militia. St. Clair was superseded and General Wayne became his successor. A regular force aided by militia was again organized, and a final effort made to crush the hostile tribes. Iridian murders increased; boats were intercepted at every point on the Ohio, from tlie mouth of the Kanaysrha to Louisville, and in some cases their crews murdered. Stations upon the frontiers were boldly attacked, and were kept perpetually on the alert. Yet the President was compelled by public opinion in tlie East to make another effort for peace with these enraged tribes, and all hostility from Kentucky was strictly forbidden.

But these efforts were as fruitless as all former' ones had proven to be, and in the summer of 1793 preparations for another campaign against the Indians was urged by the President. A powerful regular force had been concentrated at Cincinnati, and a requisition on Governor Shelby was made for 1,000 mounted riflemen. None would volunteer, and a draft was resorted to.

In the following spring 1,500 volunteers took the field with alacrity, under the command of General Scott, and joined the' regular force under Wayne. That intrepid commander marched into the heart of the hostile country, and on the 20th of August attacked them in a formidable position near the rapids of the Miami. A bloody battle was fought, in which the enemy was completely routed. Never was victory more complete. This brilliant success was followed by the most decisive results. A treaty was made with the hostile tribes, which was observed until the war ot 1812.

In October, 1795, a treaty with Spain was concluded, by which the right to navigate the Mississippi to the ocean was conceded to the United States, together with a right of deposit at New Orleans, which embraced all that Kentucky desired.

Histobt Of Kentucky

In 1802 Kentucky, in common with tlie whole Western country, was thrown into a ferment by the suspension of the American right of deposit at New Orleans, which had been guaranteed for three years, with the further provision, that at the end of three years, __should the right of this deposit be withheld, some other place should be afforded near the mouth of that river. The right was refused by Morales, the Spanish Intendant, and no equivalent place of deposit was granted. The excitement increased when it was understood that Louisiana had Seen ceded to France, and that this important point was held by Napoleon, then First Consul of the republic. A motion was made in the Senate of the United States to authorize President Jefferson to take and hold possession of New Orleans; but milder counsels prevailed, and Mr. Monroe was dispatched to France in order to arrange this difficulty with the Consul. The American Minister expected to negotiate for a place of deposit at the mouth of the river, and was informed that for the trifling sum of 15,000,000 francs he could purchase a magnificent empire. No time was lost in closing this extraordinary sale; and thus the first great annexation of territory to the United States was accomplished.

No circumstances of domestic interest claim the attentic^n of the historian, except the trial of Aaron Burr for^treason (a brief outline of which is given in the biography of Jo Daveiss, in the chapter entitled " Sketches of Public Men"), until the war which broke out between the United States and Great Britain in 1812. The general history of that war belongs to the history of the United States, but no history of Kentucky, however brief and general, can pass unnoticed those stirring incidents in the Northwest and Southwest, in which Kentucky acted so prominent a part.

The victory gained byjthe Americans at the battle of Tippecanoe, which took place in Indiana the year previous, insured peace only a short time, as the schemes of the British had so far ripened as to compel the United States to again declare war against them. This war was declared June 18, 1812. The Indians immediately commenced to commit depradations, and during the summer of 1«13 several points along the lake region succumbed to the British.

The first events of the war, upon land, were such as might naturally be expected from a nation essentially pacific, mercantile and agricultural. An invasion of Upper Canada by Hull resulted in the surrender of his army, and the joss of the whole Territory of

Michigan. An attempt to invade Canada upon the Niagara frontier resulted in a total failure, attended with some disgrace and an immense clamor. By the loss of Michigan, all American control over the numerous tribes of Indians of the Northwest was lost, and they poured down from the great lakes upon our extended frontier in great numbers. The war spirit in Kentucky blazed forth with unprecedented vigor. Seven thousand volunteers at once offered their services to the Government, and 1,500 were on the march to Detroit, when the intelligence of Hull's surrender induced them to halt. This disastrous news was received with a burst of indignant fury, such as no event ever excited in Kentucky. The military ardor of the men seemed rather increased than diminished, and a call of the Governor for 1,500 volunteers, to march against the Indian villages of Northern Illinois, was answered by more than 2,000 volunteers, who assembled at Louisville under General Hopkins, and marched into the Indian country, until their provisions became scarce, and their ardor had become cooled by the protracted hardships they had endured, when, without having encountered the enemy, they suddenly abandoned their General and returned home in defiance of all remonstrances. The remainder of the Kentucky volunteers were placed under the orders of General Harrison, the Governor of Indiana Territory, and afterward elected to the Presidency. This gentleman had fought many successful battles, and the last act of Governor Scott's administration was to confer upon him the rank of Major-General in the Kentucky militia, and shortly after the same rank was given him by the President, in the regular service, with the chief command in the Northwest.

The plan of the campaign, as laid at Washington City, was to assemble under the General the militia of Ohio, Kentucky, Yirginia and Pennsylvania, with such regular troops as could be raised, to retake Detroit, overawe the Northwestern tribes, and conquer Upper Canada. The Secretary of War evidently regarded this as a very simple undertaking, and the autumn and winter of 1812-'13 was spent in unsuccessful efforts to carry out this plan. The face of the country presented obstacles to the march of an army with necessary baggage and supplies, which the Secretary seems to have overlooked. The command of the lake was entirely overlooked, and was in the possession of the enemy. Volunteers were furnished in great numbers; they were fall of courage and ardently desired to fight. The Government was anxious to furziisir everything necessary, but every department was inefficient and inexperienced; blnnders, delays and disappointments occnrred without nuiAber; the ardor of the volunteers expended itself in inglorious struggles with hunger, disease, intolerable hardships and privations, and one of the finest of the Kentucky regiments, commanded by the brave and unfortunate Allen, was with much difficulty restrained from disbanding and returning home. The money expended in eftorts to drag provisions and ammunition through a marshy wilderness of nearly 200 miles, would have equipped a fleet sufficient to maintain the command of the lake, and the sums wasted in the Quartermaster's department would nearly have furnished transports for a sufficient force to have seized Maiden. But the campaign was planned as though the swampy wilderness was a high and healthy region, traversed by the best turnpike roads; and the Secretary seemed ignorant that such a body of water as Lake Erie was in existence.

After untold hardships, forced marches through horrible roads, sometimes upon half rations, Jan. 1 found the army with the left wing at Fort Defiance, under General Winchester, and the rigtt at Upper Sandusky, under Harrison. The left wing was composed almost entirely of Kentucky volunteers, and the right of militia from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The object was to advance to the Rapids, thence to make a march upon Detroit. The left wing took the lead and reached the Kapids on the 10th, where they halted to wait tlie arrival of General Harrison. On the 14th they received intelligence that two companies of Canadian militia and about 200 Indians were at Frenchtown, on the river flaisin, and instantly a burning thirst for battle seized both officers and soldiers. Frenchtown was about thirty-pight miles from the Rapids, and only eighteen miles from the British garrison of Maiden. The lake was frozen hard, and the march over the ice from Maiden could be made in a few hours. Tlie British could in a short time throw 2,000 men upon Frenchtown, and no support was nearer than Upper Sandusky, at least five days march distant, i'et a detachment of 990 Kentucky militia was thrust forward within the very jaws of the British garrison, to strike at this detachment of Indians and Canadians. Colonel Lewis commanded the detachment, and under him were Colonel Allen, Majors Graves and Madison.

The battle was fought on the 18th of January. Major Reynolds commanded the British and made a spirited defense, but was driven from all his defenpes, under a continual charge, for more than two miles, with some loss. Prompt intelligence of the action was sent to General Winchester on the night after the battle, and on that evening he commenced his march with a reinforcement of 250 regulars under Colonel "Wells, leaving 300 men to guard the camp. He reached Frenchtown the evening of the 20th, and found Colonel Lewis still in possession of the towa. On the evening of the 2l8t General Winchester learned that a large force was at Maiden, apparently preparing for a march - yet he slighted the intelligence, and on that evening gave permission to Colonel Wells to return to the Rapids and fixed his own headquarters nearly a mile from the camp, at the houise of Colonel Navarre. At daylight the next morning the camp was suddenly attacked by about 2,000 British and Indians in two divisions. The British regulars under Proctor advanced against the picketing, andu nder a heavy fire'of cannon and musketry. They were received by the Kentuokians with a torrent of fire which did vast execution. Thirty of the British regulars fell dead within musket-shot of the lines, and three times that number of wounded were borne to the rear. The survivors retreated in great disorder. In the meantime the Indians and Canadians attacked Wells' regiment, and after a brief action this regiment gave way in confusion. Winchester came up from his distant quarters in time to witness the flight of theregimetit, and strove to rally it within cover of the picketing occupied by the Kentuckians, but the panic was so complete that no order could be heard, and these unhappy men fled through a deep snow along the road by which they had advanced from the Rapids thirty-six hours before. They were pursued by four times their number of Indians, and an indiscriminate and almost total butchery ensued. Colonels Allen and Lewis exerted themselves bravely to rally and re-form the fugitives, but Allen was killed and Lewis taken, as was also the Commander-in-chief. Many Kentuckians united in the effort to rally the fugitives and bring them within the shelter of the picketing, among whom were Woolfolk, Simpson and Meade, ail of whom were killed. Scarcely a man of the fugitives escaped death or captivity, and not a Kentuckian who had sallied from the picketings returned.

While this dreadful butchery was enacted within sight and hearing of both armies, the Kentuckians, now commanded by Majors Madison and Graves, remained within their enclosure, and tor tour hours kept the enemy at bay. During this time six field pieces played upon them incessantly, and at length their ammunition was reduced to a single keg of cartridges. Proctor then snm-

XDoned them, through General "Winchester, to surrender, offering honorable conditions and ample protection to the wounded. After considerable parley the terms were accepted, and the whole detachment became prisoners of war. The conditions were faithfully kept ao far as men and officers were concerned, but inhumanly violated with regard to the wounded. These wereJeft in Frenchtown, without a guard, as had been stipulated, under the care of the American surgeons, attended by a single British officer and a few interpreters. A number of drunken Indians entered the town on the morning after the battle, and the helpless wounded were murdered with circumstances of shocking barbarity. The wounded officers, Major Graves, Captains Hart and Hickman, were tomahawked, and two houses, crowded with wounded officers and men, were set on fire, and consumed, with their helpless inmates. This, dreadful crime is chargeable to the gross negligence, if not willful connivance, of Proctor, and is an indelible stain upon the honor of the British arms.

The brave and veteran Shelby had succeeded Scott as Governor of Kentucky, and, upon the intelligence of the dreadful disaster at Raisin, was authorized and requested by the Legislature of Kentucky, to take the field in person, at the head of the reinforcements which volunteered their services in profusion, to supply the places of their countrymen who had fallen, or been led into captivity. Four regiments instantly tendered their services, com; manded by the Colonels Dudley, Boswell, Cox and Caldwell, the whole forming a strong brigade under General day. A portion of this force was pushed forward by forced marches, to reinforce Harrison, who was now nearly destitute of troops . (the term ot service having expired), and was lying at the Kapids, exposed to a coiip de main from the enemy, who lay within striking distance at Maiden, and might by a little 'activity repeat the terrible blow of the Raisin, upon the banks of the Maumee. The war had not lasted six months, there was but one regular British regiment in Upper Canada, and the United States had already lost the whole Territory of Michigan, and instead of taking the ofiensive, was occupying a weak, defensive position, within her own territory, the enemy being strongest upon the point of operation, and having complete command of the lake.

During the winter Harrison employed himself in fortifying his position below the Rapids, which was called Camp Meigs, in honor of Governor Meigs, of Ohio. On the 12th of April the advanced guard of the Kentucky reinforcement reucliecl Cfiuiii iLeigs, and on the 26th of that month the British flotilla appeared upon the lake at the mouth of the Maumee Eiver. A vast force of Indians, under the celebrated Tecumseh, attended the British army, and cut otf communication with the interior. On the -ith of May General Clay, with the residue of the Kentucky brigade, had reached Fort Deiiance. General Harrison sent orders to Clay to land 800 men vipou the northern shore, opposite the fort, to carry the I>ritish batteries there placed, to spike the cannon, destroy the carriages, then regain their boats and cross over to the fort. The residue of the brigade was ordered to land upon the southern shore and fight their way through the Indians tt) the fort.

These orders would have been easily executed, had the troops been well drilled, and had the object of Harrison, which was to silence the batteries, been distinctly understood by the officers. These batteries were slightly guarded, and the Indian force was on the opposite side of the river. Clay received the order from Hamilton and directed him to communicate it to Colonel Dudley, who was charged with the execution. Dudley does not seem to have thoroughly understood the object of Harrison, and he did not communicate to his subordinates the precise nature of his orders. The great mass knew nothing more than that they were to light an enemy on the northern shore, and were totally ignorant that when the cannon were spiked and the carriages destroyed their object was accomplished. They accordingly ruslied upon the batteries, and the real object of the expedition was accomplished. A small force of Indians and Canadians, however, showed themselves upon the skirts of the wood, and opened a straggling lire, which was eagerly returned by the Kentackians, and the retreating enemy was hotly followed up, in considerable disorder, for nearly two miles. The detachment was dispersed in small parties, no general command was retained over it, and no one seems to have understood that they were to retreat rapidly to their boats as soon as the cannon were spiked. The consequences were such as might have been predicted. Proctor came up with the British force and intercepted their retreat; the Indians crossed over in great numbers, and reinforced the retreating party, which had decoyed the Kentuckians into the woods, and the whole detachment, with the exception of about 1.50 men, was killed or taken. The prisoners were taken within the walls of the old British fort below under a very slender guard, and while liuddled together in this place, the Indians aurased themselves by shooting and scalpinp; them. This cruel sport continued until it was interrupted by the arrival of Tecumseh at full gallop, who instantly, and with great indignation, put a stop to the massacre.

On the wliole, the 5th of May was disastrous to the American army. The news of tlie capture ol' Fort George by General Dearborn, liowever, alarmed Proctor, and the little effect produced by Ilia fire, togetlier with the large force whicli had reinforced Harrison, induced liim to abandon tlie siege and return to Maiden. The force under Proctor, inchiding Indians, was probably 3,200 men; Harrison's force, including Clay's brigade, about 2,500, rank and lile, lit for duty. Proctor remained quiet at Maiden, organizing an Indian force for a second invasion of Ohio. Harrison remained at Upper Sandusky, engaged in preparing for decisive operations in the fall.

The Secretary had now learned tlie importance of commanding Lake Erie. Lieutenant Perry, of the navy, liad been detached from the squadron under command of Chauncey, on Lake Ontario, to superintend the equipment of a fleet on Lake Erie, and take command of it wlicn ready for service. The crisis of the campaign arrived, and on tlie 10th of September the flotilla of Lieutenant Perry engaged the British fleet under Captain Barclay, a British officer of great experience, who had fought under Nelson at Trafalgar. Tlie number of men in the respecta\'^e squadrons was nearly equal. The British vessels carried sixty-three guns, and the Americans fifty-four. The British had six vessels, and the Americans nine. Seven of the American vessels were mei-e gunboats, most of them carrying only one gun, and none of them more than three, while the remaining two, the Lawrence and Niagara, carried twenty guns each. A detachment of 150 of the lientucky volunteers served on board of Perry's fleet as marines, and iqjon this new element acquitted themselves with the greatest bravery.

The action began between eleven and twelve o'clock, with scarcely a breath of air to stir the bosom of tlie lake. Perry in the Lawrence, accompanied by two of the small ve.ssel.s, bore down u])on the e'lomy, but was not closely followed by Lieutenant Elliott in the Niagara, and the rest of the sjnall \essels. For two hours Perry remained exposed to the fire of the whole Bi-itish fleet, by which his vessel was cut to ),)iccos, and three fourths of liis crciw killed and wounded. EUiotf dnring this time was never within less tlian half a mile of the enemy, and the remainder of the fleet was not nearer than a mile and a half, save the two small vessels that accompanied him. By two o'clock Perry's vessel was totally disabled, but the rest of the fleet was but little injured. The lake was so smooth that the distant gun-boats, from their long twenty-four and thirty-two pounders, threw their shot with great y)recision, and had made themselves felt in the action; but Elliott's brig, which formed so essential a part oi the force, had as yet annoyed the enemy but little, and had fouglit principally with two twelve-pounders, the only long guns she had. At two o'clock Perry left the La'WTence iinder command of her Lieutenant, and in an open boat rowed to tlie Niagara. Upon Perry's expressing dissatisfaction at the manner in which the gunboats were managed, Elliott volunteered to bring them up. He left the Niagara in a boat for that purpose, and passed swiftly down the line, ordering them to cease flring, and by the combined use of their sweeps and sails, to press forward into close action. Instantly a new impulse was given to the whole line.

The well-known signal for close action was now seen flying from the Niagara, and after a delay of fifteen minutes to enable the gun-boats to come up. Perry bore down upon the British line, passed through it, and delivered a raking fire of grape and canister, from both broadsides, at half pistol-shot distance. The dreadful cries from the Queen Charlotte and Lady Provost, which followed this close and murderous discharge, announced the fatal accuracy with which it had been delivered. The gun-boats were now within pistol-shot and a tremendous cannonade, accompanied by the shrill, clear notes of many bugles from the English vessels, announced that they expected to be boarded, and were summoning their boarders to repel the anticipated assault. No boarding, however, was attempted. The superior weight of the American mettle was now telling, in close fight, when the full power of their cannonades was felt, and in fifteen minutes the enemy surrendered, with the exception of two of their smallest vessels which attempted to escape. The attempt proved fruitless, and the whole fleet of the enemy became the prize of the captors. The loss on both sides, owing to the dreadful slaughter on board the Lawrence, was nearly equal. The American loss was twenty-seven killed and ninety-six wounded considerably more than half of which was sustained by the crew of the Lawrence. This victory, never surpassed in splendor, was decisive of the fate of the campaign. On the 5th of October, Gov- ernor Shelby, with 4,000 Kentuckians, reinforced General Harrison, and took part in the brilliant victor}- of the river Thames, which closed the hostilities in the Northwest.

The most brilliant event of tlie last war was the battle of New Orleans. It created a deep sensation at the time, and the vast political consequences which have resulted from it have engraved it deeply and indelibly upon the minds of the American people. Twenty-five hundred Kentucky militia under Major General John Thomas took part in this great battle. Less than one fourth of them were armed, as their arms werejon flat-boats that did not amve until after the engagement.

After the close of the war, tlie civil history of Kentucky is memorable by the dreadful monetary derangement which led.to the passage of the relief laws, and gave rise to the most embittered and violent conflict of parties which has ever occurred in Kentucky. In 1816 George Madison was elected Governor. He died a few months after his election, and Gabriel Slaughter, the Lieutenant- Governor, became Governor unti 1 1820. In the meantime the financial affairs of the civilized world were in a state of painful disorder. The long wars of the French revolution had banished gold and silver from circulation as money, and had substituted an inflated paper currency, by which nominal prices were immensely inhanced. At the return of peace, a restoration of specie payments and the return of Europe to industrial pursuits, caused a great fall in the nominal value of commodities, accompanied by bankruptcy upon an enormous scale. In Kentucky the violence of this crisis was enhanced by the charter of forty independent banks, with an aggregate capital of nearly $10,000,000, which were by law permitted to redeem their notes with the paper of the Bank of Kentucky, instead of specie.

These independent banks were chartered at the session of 1817-'18. The Bank of Kentucky had then resumed specie payments, and was in good credit. In the summer of 1818 the State was flooded with the paper of these banks. The consequences were such as might have been anticipated. Speculation sprang up in all directions. Large loans were rashly made and as rashly expended. Most of these bubbles exploded within a year, and few were alive at the end of two years.

In the meantime the pressure of debt became terrible, and the power to replevy judgments was extended by the Legislature from three to twelve months by an act passed at the session of 1819-'20.

By the terms of this charter the Legislature had the ])Ower of electing a number of directors, which gave the control of the board. This power was eagerly exercised during this winter. A conservative president and board were turned out by the Legislature, and a president and board elected who stood pledged before their election to receive the paper of the Bank of the Commonwealth, in paj^ment of the debts due the Bank of Kentucky. This was intended to sustain the credit of its paper, but the effect was instantly to strike down the value of the stock of the Bank of Kentucky to one half its nominal value, and to entail upon it an eternal sus])ension of specie payments. The paper of the new bank sunk rapidly to one half its nominal value, and the creditor had his choice of two evils. One was to receive one half his debt in payment of the whole, and the other was to receive nothing at all for two years, and at the end of that time, to do the best he could, - running the risk of new delays, and of the bankruptcy of his securities.

Great was the indignation of the creditor at this wholesale confiscation of liis property, and society rapidly arranged itself into two parties, called Relief and Anti-Eelief With the first party wei-e the great mass of debtors and some brilliant members of the bar, sncli as .Tohi) Rowan, William T. Barry and Solomon P. Sharp. With the Anti-Relief party were, ranged nearly all the mercantile claos, a vast majority of the better class of farmers. An angry conflict sprang up in the newspapers, upon the stump, in the taveru? and highways, which gradually invaded the most private and domestic circles.

The question of the power of the Legislature to pass the act was raised at an early day and was quickly brought before the Circuit Courts. Judge Clark, of Clark County, boldly decided the act unconstitutional, in the first case which came before him, and the act was carried to the Supreme Court. That high tribunal was then occupied by John Boyle, Chief Justice, and William Owsley and Benjamin Mills, Associate Judges. Tiie question came directly before them in case of Lapsley vs. Brashear, at the fall term 182S, and they decided that the act of the Legislature was in violation of the Constitution of the United States, and totally void. The clause in the Constitution with which the act conflicted was that which prohibited the States from passing any law impairing the obligation of contracts. The opinion created an immense sensation in the State, and the conflict of parties was renewed with redoubled fury.

The judiciary, by the Constitution, held their offices during good behavior. Nothing less than two thirds of both Houses could remove them. The canvass of 1824 was conducted with the hope of obtaining this result. General Joseph Desha was the candidate of the Relief party for theofficeof Governor, and was elected by an overwhelming majority. A vast majority of both Houses were ot the Relief party. The three judges were summoned before the Legislative bar, and calmly assigned reasons at length, for their decision, which were replied to by Rowan, Bibb and Barry. A vote was at length taken and the constitutional majority of two thirds could not be obtained. The Relief party then renewed the assault in a formidable direction which had not been foreseen. The majority could not remove the judges by impeachment, because their majority was not two thirds of each House. But they could repeal the act by which the Court of Appeals had been organized, and could pass an act organizing the court anew. A bill to this effect was drawn up, and after an excited and protracted debate, was passed by a large majority in both Houses.

judges. William T. Barry was Chief Justice, and John Trimble, James Haggin and R. II. Davidgo were Associate Justices. Francis P. Blair was appointed Clerk, and took forcible possession of the records.

The old court, in the meantime, denied the constitutionality of the act, and still continued to sit as a Court of Appeals anddecid'^ such cases as catne before them. A great majority' of the bar of Kentucky reorganized them as the true court, and brought their causes by appeal before their tribunal. A certain proportion of cases were taken to the new court, and some of the circuit judges obe^'cd their mandates exclusivel}', refusing to recognize the old court. This judicial anarchy could not possibly endure. The people were again appealed to by both parties, and the names of Relief and Anti-Relief became merged in the title of New Court and Old Court. The result was the triumph of the Old Court party bya large majority in the popular branch of the Legislature, while the Senate still remained attached to the New Court. In consequence of this difference between the two Houses, the reorganizing act still remained- unrepealed, and the canvass of 1826 saw both parties again arrayed in a final struggle for the command of the Senate. The old court party again triumphed, and at the ensuing election the obnoxious act was repealed and the three old judges re-established. All the acts ' *' the New Court wore treated as a nullity. This is one of the mob. signal triumphs of law and order over the fleeting passions which is recorded in the annals of a free people.

The fate of the Bank of the Commonwealth, and the replevin laws connected with it, was sealed with the triumph of the Old Court party. The latter were repealed, and the former was gradually extinguished by successive acts of the Legislature, which directed that its psper should be gradually burned instead of beinsr re-issned. In a few years its paper disappeared from circulation, and was replaced by the paper of the United States Bank, of which two branches had been establislied in Kentucky, one at Louisville and the other at Le.>cington. It was the policy of the great Jackson party of the United States to destroy this institution entirely, and the re-election of Jackson in 1832 sealed its doom. It became obvious to all that its charter would not be renewed, and the favorite policy of that party was to establish State banks throughout the Union tosui^py its place.

at its sessions of 1833-'34:, established the Bank of Kentnclcj, titfi Northern Bank of Kentucky, and the Bank of Lonisville, the flrat with a capital of $5,000,000, the second with a capital of $3,000,- 000, the third with a capital of $2,000,000.

The result of this enormus multiplication of State banks throughout the United States, consequent upon the fall of the National Bank, was vastly to increase the quantity of paper money afloat, and to stimulate the wildest spirit of speculation. Daring the years of 1835-36 the history of one State is the history of all. All rushed into the market to borrow money, and eagerly projected plans of railroads, canals, stock-water, navigation and turupikeroads, far beyond the demand of commerce, and in general without making any solid provision for the payment of the accruing interest, or reimbursement of the principal.

This fabric was too baseless to endure. In the spring of 1837, all the banks of the Union suspended specie payments. Kentucky was then in the midst of a scheme of internal improvement, upon which she was spending about $1,000,000 annually, embracing the construction of turnpike-roads and the improvement of her rivers, and she was eagerly discussing raih'oad projects on a princely scale. In this state of things the Legislature of 1837 met, and legalized the suspension of the banks, refusing to compel them to resume specie payments, and refusing to exact the forfeiture of the charters. Specie disappeared from circulation entirely, and the smaller coin was replaced by paper tickets, issued by cities, towns and individuals, having a local currency, but worthless beyond the range of their immediate neighborhood. The banks in the meantime were conducted with prudence and ability. They forebore to press their debtors severely, but cautiously and gradually lessened their circulation and increased their specie, until, after a suspension of a little more than onej'ear, they ventured to resume specie payment.

This resumption was general throughout the United States, and business and speculation again became buoyant. The latter part of 1838 and nearly the whole of 1839 witnessed an activity in business and a fleeting prosperity which somewhat resembled the feverish order of 1835 and 1836.

But this seeming prosperity was only transitory. In the autumn of 1839 there was a second general suspension of specie payment, with the exception of a few Eastern banks. It became obvious that the mass of debt could not much longer be staved off.

Bank receipts multiplied in every direction. All public improvements were suspended, and Kentucky was compelled to add fifty percent to her direct tax or forfeit her integrity. In the latter part of 1841 and in the year 1842, the tempest, so long suspended, burst in full force over Kentucky. The dockets of her courts groaned under the enormous load of law-suits, and the most frightful sacrifices of prosperity were incurred by forced sales "under execution. The revival of the ancient Relief party again assumed a formidable appearance in the elections of 1842, but was encountered in the Legislature with equal skill and firmness. The specie measures of the Relief party were rejected, but liberal concessions were made to them in other forms, which proved satisfactory to the more rational members, and warded off the fury of the tempest which at first threatened the most mischievous results. The middle term of the Circuit Courts was abolished; the magistrates were compelled to hold four terms annually, and forbidden to give judgment, save at their regular terms. The existing banks were required to issue more paper, and give certain accommodations for a longer time and a regular apportionment. During the years 1843 and 1844 society gradually assumed a more settled and pros])erous state. In 1836 Judge Clark was elected Governor; Robert P. Letche in 1840, and Judge William Owsley in 1844. General Harrison was before the people as a Presidential candidate during the years 1836 and 1840, and was warmly supported by the party in Kentucky wliicli successively bore the name of "Anti-Relief" "Old Court," "National Republican" and "Whig."

In 1844 Clay was a second time before the people as a candidate for the Presidency, and was opposed by James K. Polk of Tennessee, a member of the old Jackson party. Clay was supported as usual in Kentucky, with intense and engrossing ardor, and obtained its electoral vote by a majority exceeding 9,000. He was supported by the Whig party of the Union with a warmth of personal devotion which has seldom been witnessed, and was never surpassed in the annals of popular government. The great national issue involved in this election was the annexation of Texas to the United States. Polk was the champion of the party in favor of annexation, and Clay opposed it as tending to involve the country in foreign war and internal discord. The annexation was accomplished, but tiie war followed in its train.

History Ov Kentdck.T. St

the popular chord as to eu\ist 1.3,700 volunteers, wliich the Governor had called for and conld accept less than 5,000 men. The war closed trhunphantl)- for the United States in 18i8, by the annihilation of the Mexican anriies and the capture of the Mexican capital.

In IS-ts, upon the might)- wave of exultation. General Zachary Taylor was home into the presidency. The life-Iongclaims of Kentucky's greatest sons were sot aside and the excited nation placed the victorious soldier at tlie helm of tlie state. With the inauguration of Taylor came the demand of California for admission as a State, and tlie necessity of providing territorial (-rovernments for the other acquisitions which the United States had Jiniade. AVith tliese demands came the exciting question whether the States to be cars^ed out of the new domain should be free or slave States. The advocates of the Wilmot proviso on the one hand, and the advocates of the obliteration of any geographical line restricting- the extension of slavery on the other, waged loud and clamorous wrangle in every hamlet of the Union, and fiercest of all in the council halls of the nation.

The election of General Taylor to the Presidency had forever blighted what was supposed, by both friends and opponents, to be the cherished ambition of Kentucky's peerless son, Henry Claj' - his election to the Presidency. Stricken in years, and with waning physical strength, a purer and loftier ambition for a time aroused all the energies of his gallant soul. Resuming his seat in the Senate of the United States, the grandest period of his life was its close. Cass, Douglas, "Webster, Foote - men who had shivered many a lance upon his buckler - recognized the imperial grandeur of his efforts, and generously hailed him chief among the giants. Under his leadership the compromise measures of 1850 were adopted, resulting in the admission of California, without restriction of slavery (although her State Constitution had forbidden it), and in the extension of the Missouri Compromise line of 36° 30' through the new Territories, north of which slavery was interdicted, and south of which the people were permitted, in organizing their State Governments, to decide the question for themselves. And then Henry Clay sank to his last, long sleep, beneath the monument erected to the memory of his services, his genius and his fame.

But with his death dropped, never to wave again in successful conflict in Kentucky, the Whig banner, which so proudly floated at the head of tlie hosts of his admiring followers.

'the question of calling a convention to revise and amend the Constitution of Kentucky, which was adopted in 1799, was twice approved by the people with remarkable unanimity. One hundred members were accordingly chosen, and May 7, 1850, the new Con- Btitntion was adopted by a popular majority of 61,361. June 3 the convention again assembled, adopted several amendments, and June 11 adjout-ned, after proclaiming the third, or present, Constitution.

In 1851 the Democratic party succeeded in electing their candidate, Lazarus W. Powell. The two Houses of the General Assembly, however, were Whig. The tide ebbed in 1855, and by a combination between the Whig and Native American parties, Charles S. Morehead was elected Governor. In 1-856, under the impetus given by the position of John C. Breckenridge on the Democr^io ticket as candidate for the "Vice-Presidency, the State was, carried by the Democrats by ^n overwhelming majority; and in 1859 that organization elected its candidate for Governor, Beriah Magoffin, and succeeded in obtaining a decided majority in both Houses of the Legislature.

In the meantime grave events had been occurring in Congress, and tihreatening and porteutious prominence was again nianifestiug itself in the question of slavery. The citizens of the slave-holding States heard with ill-repressed indignation the stigma cast upon the institution, and viewed with restless jealousy the attempt made by the Abolitionists to destroy it. The slave-holder believed the institution to be not only best for the social and agricultural development of the country, but a blessing to the slave, right in principle, correct in morals, and sanctioned by Divine command. The Abolitionist^, on the contrary, believed slavery an unmitigated curse to the slave, a dishonor to a free people, and blighting in its effects upon the dominant race: Many believed the institution advantageous and desirable in certain localities, and were content to restrain it only by parallels of latitude. Many sought to evade decisive positions by taking refuge in the delusive sophistry of popular sovereignty, as exercised by Territorial Legislation. All shades of opinion not absolutely favorable to slavery, gradually molded themselves into a decisive opposition to the institution.

In 1860 the encroaching party had assumed gigantic and formidable dimensions, while the South stood desperately and determinedly at bay; and, when Territorial Governments were about to be formed for Kansas and Nebraska, demanded that the Territorial restrictions by legislative enactment should be repealed, and that slavery should be allowed to go when climate, soil, and the wishes of the people, or the interests of the immigrants, should carry it. Yiolence, bloodshed, and rapine marked the contest on the soil of the new Territories; excitement, »nger and bitter recriminations, the discussions in Congress. The conservative men of the North finally yielding to the demands of the South, united with her representatives, and repealed the obnoxious restrictions. The repeal was the signal for an outbreak of popular excitement and denunciation in the North, such as her statesman had never previously encountered.

In the conventions of 1860 the Democracy divided, one portion nominating Mr. Douglas as their candidate for the Presidency, the other nominating John C. Breckenridge, of Kentucky. jThe Whigs nominated John Bell, of Tennessee, and the Republicans, or declared enemies of the institution of slavery, nominated Abraliam Lincoln, of Illinois, but a native of Kentucky. The schism of the Democratic party and the' refusal of the Whigs to cooperate with either portion of it resulted in the election of Mr. Lincoln to the Presidency, by a plurality vote. Immediately, South Carolina seceded from the Union, followed by Georgia and all the Gulf States; ultimately by Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia and Missouri. Then Kentucky found herself face to face with the mighty question, which had been so long threateningly evolving itself, and now inexorably pressed for a solution.

Kentucky had, more extensively than any of the older States, contributed to the population of the newer and younger States. The tastes of her people and their descendants were eminently and almost exclusively agricultural. In the gratification of these tastes^ and in the prosecution of pursuits kindred to such tastes, for nearly a third of a century, her youug and enterprising men had been accustomed to seek for themselves homes located in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. The ramifications of family ties were so extensive that State lines were practically ignored. Thousands of people found in Ohio and Indiana those occupations which provided daily sustenance, but returned at nightfall to sleep in Kentucky. These facts and their surroundings ought all to be carefully considered before admitting the justice of the denunciations of the North, so frequently pronounced against Kentucky as traitorous, or the taunts of th^ fiery South, that she was cowardly, avaricious, and more prone ta'pro^ tect her wealth than to defend her honor. The time came when, upon many a stricken field, in many a desperate and headlong charge, in full many a heady fight, the imputation of cowardice was answered - as it has not often been answered.

It is not possible in this brief outline of the history of Kentucky to give a detailed account of the civil war. Kentucky remained neutral for one year, and then pledged herself to thg, cause of the Union. The war ceased in April, 1865, with the entire subjugation of the South. All that the States-Kights men had prophesied would be accomplished if unresisted - all that the Union men had denied to be the object of the war - was accomplished; the South was conquered, the slaves were freed, and negro political equality recognized throughout the nation. JSTeighborhood strifes and animosities had been engendered in everj' village and hamlet. Men who had been playmates in boyhood, who under ordinary circumstances would have gone through life leading for kindly support on each other, had found social ties disrupted, and persecuted each other with vindictive hate. Mothers wept in every household for the lost darlings who were sleeping the sleep of the brave, in both Federal and Confederate uniforms? But the terms of peace had hardly been signed when the great popular heart of the State swelled with magnanimous and generous rivalry in the efibrt to repair the past. The people of the whole State seemed to remember with sorrowful pride the noble men who had died gallantly in the ranks of either army. Over their faults was thrown the mantle of the sweet and soothing charities of the soldier's grave; while for their services was manifested and displayed unstinted admiration for the valor with which they had borne the dangers and privations of war.

The next Legislature wiped from the statute book every vindictive or discriminating law, and the Executive of the State, Governor Thomas E. Braralette, himself a soldier who had served with distinguished ability in the Federal army, led public sentiment in the effort to grant practical amnesty for the past. And now the children of Kentucky, once more united, chastened by the sorrows of the past, dropping tears of reverential respect for those that have fallen, turn hopefully to the duty of providing best for the living, with a firm faith in the ultimate triumph of free institutions and the cause of constitutional liberty.

Histoky Of Kentucky State Officees

1816. - George Madison, Governor; Gabriel Slaughter, Lieutenant Governor; Charles S. Todd, Secretary. Governor Madison died at Paris, Ky., October 14, and on the 2l8t of the same month, Gabriel Slaughter, Lieutenant-Governor, assumed the duties of Executive; John Pope, and after him, Oliver G. Waggoner, Secretary.

1832. - John Breathitt, Governor; J. T. Morehead, Lieutenant- Governor; Lewis Saunders, Secretary. Governor Breathitt died Feb. 21, 1834, and on the 22d of the same month, James T. Morehead, Lieutenant-Governor, took the oath of office as Governor of the State; John J. Crittenden, William Owsley, end Austin P. Cox were successively Secretary.

1836. - James Clark, Governor; CharlesA.Wickliffe, Lieutenant- Governor; James M. Bullitt, Secretary. Governor Clark died Sept. 27, 1839, and on the 5th of October Charles A. Wickliffe, Lieutenant-Governor, assumed the duties of Governor.

1848- '.51. - John J. Crittenden, Governor; John L. Helm, Lieutenant-Governor; John W. Finncll, Secretary. Governor Crittenden resigned July 21, 1850, and John L. Helm became Governor until the iirst Tuesday in September, 1851.

1859-'63. - Beriah Magoffin, Governor; Linn Boyd, Lieutenant- Governor (died Dec. 17, 1859); Thomas B. Monroe, Jr., Secretary. Governor Magoffin resigned Aug. 18, 1862, and James F. Robinson, Speaker of the Senate, became Governor.

1867-71.--John L. Helm, Governor; John W. Stevenson, Lieutenant-Governor; Samuel B. Churchill, Secretary. Governor Helm died Sept. 8, 1867, and John W. Stevenson took the oath as Governor. In August, 1868, he was elected Governor, serving until Feb. 11, 1871, when he resigned to take his seat in the United States Senate; the Speaker of tlie Senate, Preston II. Leslie, became Governor.

Eminkist Men From Kentucky

Ambassadoj's, JPoreign Ministers, etc. - Richard C. Anderson, Jr., Colombia and Congress of Panama; William T. Barry, Spain; John C. Breckenridge, Spain; James Brown, France; Allen A. Burtop, Colombia; Anthony Butler, Russia; Beverly L. Clarke, Guatemala and Honduras; CassiusM. Clay, Russia; Green Clay, Italy; Henry Clay, Ghent; James B. Clay, Portugal; Thomas H. Clay, Nicaragua and Honduras; L. H. Clayton, Honduras; Thomas Corwin, Mexico; Ninian Edwards (declined), Mexico; Joseph Eve, Texas; Peter W. Grayson, Texas to United States; A. Mars Hancock, Malaysia Edward A. Hannegan, Russia; J. O. Harrison, Spain; Charles J. Helm, Havana; Elijah Hise, Guatemala; Robert P. Letcher, Mexico; Robert B. M''"fee, New Granada; Alex. K. McClung, Bolivia; A. Dudley M , Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland; Humphrey Marshal], Central America, China; Thomas P. Moore, Colombia; Thomas H. Nelson, Chili and Mexico; James C. Pickett, Colombia

Officers United States Oovernment. - Henry Clay, Sacretary of State; George M. Bibb, Sscretary of Treasury; Thomas Corwin, Secretary of Treasury; James Guthrie, Secretary of Treasury; Isaac Shelby (declined), Secretary of War; Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War; Josejih Holt, Secretary of War; Wm. T. Barry, Postmaster- General; Montgomery Blair, Postmaster-Goneral; Orville HBrowning, Secretary of Interior; Amos Kendall, Postmaster- General; John McLean, Postmaster-General; Charles A.Wicldiffe, Postmaster-General ; Wtn. J. Brown, Assistant Postmaster-General; Robert Johnson, Assistant Postmaster-General; John Breckenridge, John J. Crittenden, Felix Grundy, James Speed, Henry Stanberg and Geo. M.Bibb, Attorneys-General; Benj.H. Bristow, Solicitor- General; Thomas II. Blake, John McLean, John Whitcorab, Commissioners General Land-Office; Murray McConnell, Fifth Auditor United States Treasury; John C. Breckenridge, Secretary of War, Confederate States.

Besides the foregoing, there are seventy-eight that have been Members of Congress from other States, and twenty-one presidents of colleges not in Kentucky.

Kentucky School Statistics

From the lately issued report of the superintendent of public instruction, we glean the following statistics of the common schools of Kentucky;

"While there are 478,554 children enrolled, the average number in attendance is only 158,218, or less than one third. There are 6,177 districts and 3,518 school-houses, so that about one third of the districts in the State are without school-houses.

Illiteracy In Kentucky

According to Census Bulletin No. 313 there are in Kentucky 258,180 persons ten years of age and upward unable to read, and 348,362 unable to write.

The native white population is 614,311; the per cent, unable to write, 22.8. The foreign white population, 58,964; the percent. unable to write, 9.7. The colored population, 190,223; the per cent, unable to write, 70.4.