The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1914-01-13
GENERAL BUOkNER
ANsWE i Isl 4 GALL |
Veteran of Two Wars Pass
ed Away at Home in
Hart County
BREAK COMES SUDDEN
Death Results After a Few
Days Unrestricted
at State Capital
BREAK COMES SUDDEN

born April 1, 1928, at Glen Lily, Hart
county, KY, where he died at nine
o'clock Thursday night.
The house in which Gen. Buckner
was born was built by his father in
1904.
Gen. Buckner died at his home,
Glen Lily, in Hart county, few miles
out from Munfordville. He appeared
to break all at once and died of the
weight of his ninety years after a
critical illness of only few days.
With him when he died were his
wife, his son, Lieut.. Simon Bolivar
Buckner, Jr, and his wife's sister,
Miss Louise Claiborne. He had
not been away from home for some
time, but had remained active and
cheerful, and was up and about the
house until the first part of the week.
His son, Lieut.. Buckner, who is
stationed at the United States Army
post at Fort Thomas, KY, had been
at home for Christmas, and returned
to his post when his fathers rapid
failure summoned him home again.
The veteran retained conscious
ness until within few hours of his
death. The attending physician, DR..
j. A. Adams, of Munfordville, attrib-
uteS death to a general breaking
down, complicated with no acute con-
| dition other than those produced by
the weaknesses of age.
Gen. Buckner died in tn same house
| in which he was born on April l, 1923,
an mpretentious log structure in
which he lived the greater part of his
| life with the utmost simplicity.
The large farm in late years had
been managed by Mrs. Buckner, who
| was Miss Della Claiborne, of Rich
mond, Va, and whom he married in
1886. In previous years, however,
when Gen. Buckner conducted the
place. he worked day by day in the
fields with his hands.
| His body was buried in the State
| Cemetery at Frankfort, Saturday,
where rest numbers of other Govern
ors of Kentucky. A special Louis
vile and Nashville train bore the
body from Munfordville to the CAPT.
tai on Saturday. Confederate veter-
ans organizations had charge of the
funeral.
Gen. Buckner was the last of the
i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of the Confeder-
ate army. He was the son of Aye
lette H. Buckner and Elizabeth Ann
Morhead Buckner. His father was
among the Kentucky volunteers who,
under Gen. William Henry Harrison,
fought the battle of the Thames.
! After attending the best schools of
| the day he received an appointment
to West Point from Congressman
William Triplett in June, 1849; was
graduated from that institution four
years later, and entered the army as
a brevet Second Lieutenant I'm the
Sixth United States Infantry.
Two years later he was with the
army in Mexico, participating in the
seige of Vera Cruz and the battles of
Cerro Gordo, San Antonio, Cherubus.
CO, Molina Del Rey, Chapultepec,
Carita del Bella and in the capture OF
the City of Mexico. He was wounded
at Cherubusco and breveted First
Lieutenant for gallantry in that bat
tie, and subsequently received the
brevet rank of Captain.
Retiring from the army in 1860, he
returned to Kentucky, and at the be
ginning Of the war between the States
was Inspector-General of the Ken
lucky State Guard. President Lin
coin rendered him an appointment as
Brfgadier-General, which he declined
In September, 1861, he entered the
Confederate army, receiving al
once a commission as Brigadier- Gen
eral He was third IN command a
Fort Donaldson, and when General.
Floyd and Pillow abandoned thei
commands to avoid capture, Genera
Buckner refused to desert his com
rades. On the last days battle o
that memorable conflict, an effort wa.
made to force the Union army bacl
to allow the Confederates to escape
General Buckner with his brigad
fought valiantly throughout the da,
and at nightfan had succeeded il
driving the enemy back a sufficien
distance to allow Floyd and Pillow t,
advance their troops across the opel
field to escape. Then came an orde
from the officer in command to re
treat to the Notifications. This wa
done, and that night a conference
was held In which it was" decided tina
Floyd and Pillow should make thei
escape, but General Buckner decline,
to desert his army, preferring t
share the fate of the men under him
His forces shattered, he, the thir'
commanding officer, facing an arm,
three times the number of his com
mand, and seeing further resistanc
useless, he then surrendered to Gen
eral Grant.
Returning to the army after eigh
months solitary confinement in For
Warren, he was at once promoted t,
MajorGeneral After continuous &C
tive service during the ensuing years
i of the war. he reached the grade o
2 Northumberland. Today no othe
Confederate of SO high rank is liv
ing.
!. Years after the war had ended Gen
eral Buckner was elected Governor Of
Kentucky. and for four years was q
jverftable sentinel on the watch tower