A Civil War Reprisal
Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
A Civil War Reprisal. Near here on Nov. 2, 1864 four innocent Confederate prisoners were executed in reprisal for the murder of Union supporter, Robert Graham of Peaks Mill, Franklin Co. All Kentuckians: Elijah Horton of Carter, Thomas Hunt and John Long of Mason, Thornton Lafferty of Pendleton counties. Hunt's body reburied at Maysville, others in the Frankfort Cemetery. Dedicated in 1962. For more information, see ExploreKYHistory: A Civil War Reprisal
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
On November 2, 1864, near Frankfort, four Confederate prisoners were shot in reprisal for the murder of Robert Graham, a Union supporter from Peaks Mill. All four were Kentuckians—Elijah Horton, Thomas Hunt, John Long, and Thornton Lafferty—drawn from counties across the state and, the marker notes, innocent of the crime. Their executions reflect the brutal cycle of retaliation that consumed Kentucky as guerrilla warfare tore at the divided commonwealth.
Why it matters
Reprisal killings like this one reveal the Civil War's darkest border reality, where the line between soldier and civilian, justice and vengeance, collapsed entirely.
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Related people
- · Robert Graham
- · Elijah Horton
- · Thomas Hunt
- · John Long
- · Thornton Lafferty
Themes & tags
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