Annual measurement of college learning
finds history, government sadly lacking

Of the 1,098 American colleges and universities studied for a new report, just 23 received the highest grade for the diversity of subjects students are required to take to receive a degree.

The sixth annual “What Will They Learn?” report was compiled by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), a nonprofit organization that advocates for accountability at U.S. institutions of higher education. Read more

Living offspring of Civil War veterans
are very few, but they’re still around

Fred Upham, 93, relates that his father, as a Civil War soldier, shook hands with President Abraham Lincoln at the White House.

And ninety-two-year-old Iris Lee Gay Jordan remembers the colorful stories her Civil War father told on the porch of her girlhood home.

Upham and Jordan are among fewer than 35 living offspring of men who fought in the War Between the States. These very old “children” were born mostly in the 1910s and 1920s to Civil War veterans and young brides. The fathers, typically on second marriages, were in their 70s or 80s when these children were born.
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Heritage Council requests public input
for preservation of buildings, sites

Public input is being requested for a new five-year strategic plan outlining goals and objectives for helping preserve historic buildings and other sites in the Commonwealth through 2020.

The Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office (KHC) has set up an online survey and also will be arranging a series of public meetings and networking opportunities during the first quarter of 2015. The goal is to gather feedback and creative ideas from a broad range of constituents to help address issues such as how to approach neighborhood preservation more effectively, stem demolition by neglect, and foster greater understanding of the benefits of – and a stronger public commitment toward – the preservation and reuse of old buildings. Read more

‘Boy Colonel’ William O. Boyle honored
at recognition service in Danville

In the summer of 1864 at the age 18, he was the youngest person to reach the rank of colonel. But William Owsley Boyle had little time to relish his promotion. A few months later, he lost his life in a battle at Marion, Va.

On Dec. 18, Union Lt. Col. Boyle was honored in a ceremony at Danville’s Bellevue Cemetery. His descendants, Civil War re-enactors and a state official gave recognition to the Kentuckian who led his men out of harm’s way at the Battle of Atlanta. He was cited as continuing the Commonwealth’s distinguished tradition of proudly serving the nation’s military. Read more

New book well researched
Bourbon was shared, Frankfort
then became an embattled capital
as Union made its move

Reviewed by
By DR. PAUL ROMINGER
Bugle Staff Writer

James M. Prichard, “Embattled Capital: Frankfort Kentucky in the Civil War,” Frankfort Heritage Press, Frankfort, Ky. 2014, 296 pages, including Appendix A, a list of local Civil War soldiers at 68 pages, Appendix B: Kentucky’s African American Civil War memorial, and 26 pages of chapter notes.

This is an interesting book. It is well written, with a style of composition that invites the reader to find a comfortable place to read and enjoy the story. The discussion of Frankfort’s economy as a part of the over-all Kentucky picture is excellent, especially given the size of the city. Whiskey, hemp, wool, cotton, pork and slaves formed the economic basis, linking Frankfort not only with Cincinnati and the North, but also with the South and Midwest by way of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and the railroads.
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Civil War Col. Alexander Hogeland
was ‘the newspapers boy’s friend’

By BRYAN BUSH
Bugle Staff Writer

Virginia native Alexander Hogeland made his mark as a Civil War soldier, but it was the contribution he made as “the newspapers boy’s friend” that established the long-time Louisville resident’s reputation.

His personal campaign after the Civil War provided paperboys with more pay and an improved standard of living that was denied them by national publishers. His exploits formed the basis of the play and motion picture, “Newsies,” concerning the New York City newsboy strike of 1899. He also was known as “the father of the curfew.”
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Holt Home Community Day attended
by 600, minus snakes from soffit repairs

More than 600 people attended the Sixth Annual Holt Home Community Day with more than $2,600 donated to the preservation of the home of Joseph Holt, the first U.S. Judge Advocate General.

The crowd included a number of students from area schools, who were encouraged to attend the Sept. 27 event in Hardinsburg. Pupils from two local high schools were in attendance along with those from the Breckinridge County Area Technology Center.  According to Susan Dyer, Friends of the Holt Home president, interior and exterior tours of the circa 1850 structure were numerous and limited only by sufficient tour guides.
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Sarah Wakeman: an uncommon female
soldier whose gender undiscovered

By DR. JUDY PIERCE
Bugle Staff Writer

Researchers indicate that anywhere from 400 to 1,000 women became soldiers disguised as men during the Civil War. Many of the women who joined the army were virtually unknown due to lack of documentation. But, Sarah Rosetta Wakeman’s army career as Pvt. Lyons Wakeman is well documented.

The documentation is not only found in official records of the Civil War, but in the many letters she wrote home describing her life with the 153rd New York Infantry Volunteers. Read more

‘The Plot’ provides surprising twist
to Lincoln assassination conspiracy

U.S. Marshal Clay McDowell believes indicted Lincoln assassination conspirator Mary Surratt is innocent.

He reasons the evidence against her is circumstantial and there’s no solid proof she was among those plotting to kill President Abraham Lincoln. And, even if she were to be found guilty, America would never hang a woman.

McDowell’s superior disagrees.

“Someone’s really going to pay,” he maintains. “Who better than Mary Surratt? Hang her and you really underscore the seriousness of the crime.” Read more

Fort Duffield defense role remembered
at November commemoration event

Union Civil War Fort Duffield, built in 1861 to protect a Union supply depot at Elizabethtown, was commemorated with a living history program Nov. 2.

The earthen fortification, located at West Point in North Hardin County, experienced a number of events, including a memorial service honoring West Point resident Malvina Hall, who helped nurse sick soldiers.

In addition to skirmish demonstrations, presentations from President and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln and Gov. and Mrs. John LaRue Helm were conducted. A Civil War music concert and sing-a-long by the Kentucky Home Guard Band followed. Read more

Bugle book review…
‘Blake’s Story’ provides deeper look
on perspectives of Civil War emotions

“Blake’s Story, Revenge and Forgiveness,” by J. Arthur Moore and Bryson B. Brodzinski, Xlibris 2014, 160 pages, softcover, $15.50

Reviewed by
ED FORD
Editor/Publisher
The Kentucky Civil War Bugle

War often is viewed by the inexperienced as noble, exciting and heroic. But the perspective changes when you see it first hand. That’s the way it happened for 10-year-old Blake Bradford.

Blake, the central character of this story, lives with his parents on a plantation in Shelby, N.C. The youngster idolizes his father, Micah. When Micah Bradford joins the Civil War in 1861 with other North Carolina patriots, Blake remains close to his father as the men drill, plan and eventually move out to join the Civil War in Tennessee.

The youngster is proud of his father who is named a captain and leads the troops into battle against the Yankees in Kentucky and Tennessee. But everything changes when Capt. Micah is killed at the bloody battle of Shiloh. Read more

Bugle Briefs...
BORA collects, delivers 450 pairs of socks
to Salvation Army for area distribution

The Battle of Richmond Association (BORA) collected and delivered more than 450 pairs of socks for the Salvation Army during December.

Collected within three weeks, the socks were distributed to those in the Army’s Richmond shelter, in children’s Christmas stockings and to anyone else in need, particularly individuals in emergency situations.

BORA also forwarded more than 500 Christmas cards and several dozen new DVDs to U.S. military personnel serving overseas.
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Kentucky’s Civil War leaders…
Jeremiah T. Boyle gained recognition
as lawyer, soldier, railroad entrepreneur

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the 31st in a series about Kentucky’s officers and battle leaders during the Civil War.)

Union Brig. Gen. Jeremiah T. Boyle raised a brigade of infantry at the outbreak of the Civil War and was recognized for his gallantry at the 1862 Battle of Shiloh.

The lawyer, soldier and railroad entrepreneur advocated the abolition of slavery although he was a slaveholder himself. He argued for a gradual emancipation of slaves as a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention in 1849. He served as Commonwealth’s Attorney in 1861 before he began recruiting volunteers for the Union army and received his commission as brigadier general.

Boyle was born and raised in Mercer County (now Boyle County) and was graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1838. He was the son of Judge and Chief Justice John Boyle, for whom Boyle County was named. He then studied law at Transylvania University and became a successful lawyer in Harrodsburg and Danville.
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