Confederate Governor at Frankfort
Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Confederates Here. The Kentucky State Government moved to Louisville before CSA entered Lexington Sept. 2, 1862. Confederate cavalry moved through Sept. 3 on way toward Louisville. Richard Hawes was inaugurated second Confederate Governor October 4. Generals Bragg and Kirby Smith with large CSA force were present. They withdrew and Union forces occupied Frankfort, Oct. 7, 1862. Dedicated September 27, 1962. For more information, see ExploreKYHistory: CSA Governor at Old State Capitol and ExploreKYHistory: Confederates Here
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
During the Confederate invasion of Kentucky in the fall of 1862, the state government fled Frankfort for Louisville as Southern forces entered Lexington. Confederate cavalry passed through on September 3, and on October 4 Richard Hawes was inaugurated as the second Confederate governor of Kentucky, with Generals Bragg and Kirby Smith present. The ceremony was short-lived: the Confederates withdrew and Union troops reoccupied Frankfort on October 7.
Why it matters
Frankfort was briefly the only Union state capital to fall to Confederate occupation, and Hawes's fleeting inauguration marked the high tide of the Southern bid to claim Kentucky.
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Related people
- · Richard Hawes
- · Braxton Bragg
- · Edmund Kirby Smith
Related events
- · Confederate Heartland Offensive
Themes & tags
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