Defending Sovereignty and Slavery in 1861
Kentucky's First Major Recruitment Surge
Scott's Anaconda Plan, 1861
Brief Introduction
When the American Civil War commenced in April of 1861, Kentucky remained neutral. Fearful of entering a conflict that could disrupt their internal stability, Kentuckians decided to wait and hope that the North and South could resolve the conflict. Kentucky's Governor Beriah Magoffin declared a state of armed neutrality in May. Stipulating that if either Union or Confederate troops entered the state, Kentucky's militia would regard it as an invasion and resist. Owing to the state's strategic importance, both sides officially respected Kentucky's neutrality and did not officially interfere in the state. Consequently, between April and early September, Kentuckians successfully managed to preserve a degree of stability in the state by maintaining their stance of neutrality.
However, on 4 September 1861, fearing that federal troops were poised to enter Kentucky, Confederate General Leonidas Polk ordered a preemptive invasion of the state. Effectively violating the state's stance of neutrality, Kentuckians condemned Polk and the Confederacy for bringing them into the war. Kentucky's newspapers noted how the Confederacy, a self-proclaimed purveyor of state's rights, violated Kentucky sovereignty and disrupted stability. In response to the invasion, Kentucky invited Union troops into the state and officially allied itself to the federal government. Hoping to utilize the established and stable laws of the Union to preserve slavery from the instability of war, white Kentuckians enlisted in significant numbers.
Between September and December, Kentucky experienced its highest recruitment. Enlisting over 32,000 men, the state surpassed the similarly populated states of Michigan and Wisconsin in less amount of time. The enthusiasm and efficiency of Kentucky's recruitment testifies to the state's desire to defend its society from the instabilities of war.
This data corresponds to the first chapter of my thesis.
Kentucky's Population in 1860
According to the Population Census of 1860, almost twenty percent of Kentucky's population were slaves. Although compared to states in the Deep South, such as Louisiana and Alabama, which had slave populations of 49 and 55 percent respectively, Kentucky still contained a sizeable black populace. Accordingly, maintaining white supremacy, and the socio-economic character of the state, encouraged Kentuckians to favor stability and law. The federal government's enactment of the Fugitive Slave Law had helped curtail these anxieties by lending national legitimacy to the institution. This law, in conjunction with the Confederate invasion and Lincoln's assurances that the war was solely for the preservation of the Union, encouraged Kentuckians to ally with the Union. This graph helps illustrate Kentucky's population prior to the war.
Kentucky had the largest slave population of the Border States. For reference, Missouri had a slave population of 9 percent, Maryland had 12 percent, and Delaware had a little over one percent.
Source: 1860 Population Census
1860 Election Results
These graphs emphasis Kentucky's political beliefs during the 1860 presidential election. As the graph shows, Kentucky favored Unionist candidate John Bell. Although a sizable portion of the state voted for Southern Democrat John Breckinridge, Bell's moderate politics and desire to maintain the Union and the Constitution as it was, appealed to Kentucky voters and the majority voted for him. Unlike Michigan and Wisconsin, which both voted for Lincoln, Kentuckians feared the ties the Republican Party had with abolitionism. Owing to the state's close ties to slavery, not many Kentuckians voted for Lincoln.
These graphs emphasize Kentucky's moderate politics and its desire to maintain the Constitutional Union as it had been. Perhaps more importantly though, these graphs show Kentucky's distaste for radicals on both sides. This moderate political stance helps explain why Kentucky remained neutral at the outset of the war. Kentuckians wanted internal stability in order to maintain their economy and society which, although linked to the North and South, depended on the institution of slavery.
Source: Robinson, Union Indivisible. 151.
Kentucky's Alliance with Slavery during 1861
After Confederate General Polk invaded the state, white Kentuckians quickly organized into federal service. In four months, between September and December, Kentuckians recruited more soldiers than at any other time during the war. Intent on maintaining stability by dispelling the invader, Kentucky far outdistanced the similarly-populated states of Michigan and Wisconsin.
The primary factor which motivated Kentuckians to volunteer in greater numbers than Michiganders or Wisconsinites, was the threat to its internal stability. Although the Confederacy seemed the better candidate to protect slavery than Lincoln's Republican Administration, the fact that the Confederacy violated their neutrality, Kentuckians viewed them as a purveyor of instability. The Constitutional laws of the Union, coupled with Lincoln's assurances that the federal government would protect and preserve Kentucky slavery, motivated thousands to volunteer in a relatively short amount of time.
Source: Adjutant General Reports
Available manpower by the end of 1861
These graphs illustrate each state's recruitment capabilities by the end of 1861. The remaining population represents each state's white military-aged population. As it shows, all three states still had reasonably healthy reserves of manpower by the end of the year. However, Kentucky's lost troops to Confederate recruitment, as well as to its state militia, added additional strain upon the state's white manpower. Heading into 1862, these strains intensified which plagued the state's recruitment ability.
Source: Adjutant General Reports