Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1903-10-17

henIucky Ma1Or, what WOuiO happen
in the army. Early in 1861, the Ken
tuckians who wanted to enlist in the
Union army drifted in three direc-
tions. Some went to Rousseau at
Camp Joe Holt in Indiana, others with
Woodruff and Guthrie to Camp Clay
in Ohio, and others again to Camp
ern Kentucky.
''Of all the officers who left Louis
vile in April and May, 1861, none
were more popular than Rousseau and
Woodruff. and brilliant careers
seemed opening to both. Rousseau
went forward without a break to a
major generalship. Woodruff went at
the head of his regiment. the Second
Kentucky. to West Virginia, and at
the very beginning of the campaign
was captured by the enemy at Scary
Creek, and the regiment he had or
ganized went through the war under
the leadership of another.
Neither Woodruff nor any officer
with him when he rode into the en-
emy's lines was at fault, but all were
held prisoners while officers on duty
were winning regulations. Woodruff
never returned to the regiment, but
saw service as a general officer in
commands far removed from the men
who followed him from Louisville
into the Second Kentucky regiment at
Camp Clay.
Meantime, another Second Ken
lucky regiment had been organized
under Col. Speed S. Fry in Eastern
Kentucky, and another First Ken
lucky regiment under Bramlette. The
First and Second Kentucky regiments
organized at Camp Clay were deep in
the West Virginia campaign before the
question of title was settled, and then
Fry's regiment became the Fourth,
and Bramlette's the Third. Rousseau's
regiment finally became the Fifth,
and Whittaker's the Sixth, the colo
nels of all of them winning promo
ton in the army or in public life.
Lieut. Col. Neff and Capts. Hurd
and Austin of the Second Kentucky
were captured with Woodruff, and in
time all were sent to Libby prison.
John r. Hurd was captain of company
F, and his capture advanced to COM
mand Immediately Lieut.. Jacob H.
Smith, who became brigadier gener-
al in the regular army and made a
reputation as a fighter in the Phil
ippines. Hurd, however, soon returned
to his regiment as major, through
what he called a happy circumstance.
while in Libby he noticed that the
Confederate or city surgeons who
came to the officers quarters passed
the guards on green ribbon tied on
the left arm Many of these surgeons
were not in uniform, and one day
when one of them dropped his green
ribbon badge Hurd picked it up, tied
1t on his own arm, and, putting on an
authoritative air, marched past the
guards and out in the streets of Rich
mond. making good his escape and
returning to his regiment with the
prestige of daring adventure.
''The Fourth Kentucky started out
m independent fashion 1t was the
only regiment in the service in which
the companies were arranged in al
phabetical order from right to left,
company A coming on the right and
company X on the left, whereas, UNI
der the rule, the flanking companies
were A and B. This departure seemed
to me at the time pure contrariness.
but Gen. Thomas approved the ar
rangement and it stood to the end 1t
was the Fourth Kentucky infantry
mounted. which in June. 1864. rescued
their friends of the Fourth Kentucky
cavalry at Lafayette. Ca
~CoI. Watkins of the Fourth cavalry
was It Lafayette with $50 men of the