GDG- Re: turning point?

[Biggsk at aol.com]

Margaret,

>>>>>Except that it broke the tenuous sitzkrieg over  Kentucky's "neutrality" 
(memo to Maryland: this one works better if you do not  actually have the 
capacity to cut off access to the nation's capital), and  Bragg & co were dead 
wrong about the people of Kentucky flocking to the  Confederate banner and the 
young men of Kentucky rushing to enlist (to be  fair, Lee had the same problem 
in Maryland in 1862, although it would have  probably gone better if he hadn't 
been going through the Unionist part of the  state). >>>>




Kentucky's "neutrality" was done by September, 1861 after numerous  Union 
violations of it starting in late April, 1861 and put to bed completely  when 
Polk moved in early September.  Yet, both sides knew what KY  could offer and 
Bragg listened to (in particular) John Hunt Morgan and also to  John Breckinridge 
as did Kirby Smith, whose idea the invasion was (and this was  an invasion - 
the Confederates did instead to stay in the state).  They did  get a few 
hundred recruits on the campaign but not nearly what Bragg had been  lead to 
believe - and this started two things from Bragg afterwards:
 
1) Get rid of the inept Polk.
2) Never listen to the Kentuckians again and get them out of my army  ASAP.
 
He tried to fire Polk but Jeff Davis would not let his friend get  cashiered. 
 Secondly, Bragg began to reorganize his Army of the Mississippi  (renamed 
the AOT in November, 1862)  and he broke up the KY cabal - and  when ordered to 
send reinforcements to Mississippi in May, 1863, sent  Breckinridge's Division 
to get them out of his army.  He also broke up the  Tennessee troops as much 
as possible, as they were siding with their KY  counterparts.
 
Bragg/Smith's campaign went into the mountainous areas of the state as well  
as the bluegrass areas, and with the former, it was heavily pro-Union.  The  
bluegrass was split about 55-45 Union - western KY, the old Jackson Purchase,  
was 99.9 per cent Confederate.  The same pretty much applies to Tennessee  by 
the way.
 
However, I do believe that had Bragg been able to solidly defeat Buell  
things might well have been different in terms of recruiting.  Politically  and 
sentimentally, KY was pro-South in enough capacity that had the Confederates  
been able to base an army in the state, those sitting on the fence would have  
fallen off into the Confederate camp and joined in far greater numbers.   Until 
that happened, they were not willing to make the break and risk their  
economic futures.
 
As it was, they became a Confederate state after the war largely because  
they found themselves occupied by the Union Army for a few years!
 
Greg Biggs  (who can see KY from my front  door!)
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