Gen. Basil W. Duke, C.S.A.
Georgetown, Scott County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Gen. Basil W. Duke, C.S.A.. A close associate of brother-in-law John Hunt Morgan, Duke provided tactics, discipline, and spirit, major elements of success of famous 2nd Ky. Cavalry. Wounded in battle twice, 1862; captured July 1863 in Ind.-Ohio raid; exchanged August 1864. After Morgan's death, Basil Duke appointed to command brigade. Later led part of the escort for Jefferson Davis in April-May 1865. (Reverse) Basil W. Duke (1838-1916) - Scott County native Basil Duke-attorney, politician, and author-is most noted for Civil War service to Confederacy. Admitted to bar in 1858, he began law practice in St. Louis. After Civil War he settled in Louisville. Elected to Ky. House of Rep. Duke led powerful railroad lobby and was bitter enemy of Wm. Goebel. Writings include History of Morgan's Cavalry. Buried Lexington.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Scott County native Basil W. Duke (1838–1916) served the Confederacy as the trusted lieutenant and brother-in-law of John Hunt Morgan, giving discipline and dash to the famed 2nd Kentucky Cavalry. Twice wounded in 1862 and captured during the 1863 Indiana–Ohio raid, he later took command of Morgan's brigade and helped escort Jefferson Davis in the war's final weeks. Afterward he practiced law in Louisville, entered politics, and wrote the History of Morgan's Cavalry.
Why it matters
Duke embodies the daring of Morgan's raiders and later became the chief chronicler who shaped how the Confederacy's Kentucky cavalry is remembered.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Basil W. Duke
- · John Hunt Morgan
- · Jefferson Davis
Related events
- · Morgan's Raid, 1863
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Confederate Governor George W. Johnson
Scott County, KY
This was the home of George W. Johnson, a Scott County native who in November 1861 was named Kentucky's first Confederate governor—leader of a shadow government in a state that never left the Union. When Confederate forces withdrew from Bowling Green into Tennessee in early 1862, Johnson followed. He served as an aide to General John C. Breckinridge but insisted on fighting as a private at Shiloh, where he was mortally wounded in April 1862, still holding the title of governor.
Morgan at Midway
Midway, KY
On July 15, 1862, John Hunt Morgan's raiders swept into Midway during their first Kentucky raid, having seized hundreds of Union horses and mules at Versailles. Learning of an approaching troop train from Frankfort, Morgan tore up the tracks and set his howitzers—but the warned train reversed course, and a second decoy at Lexington also failed. His men reached Georgetown that evening, having sown confusion across the Bluegrass by rail and telegraph.
Sue Mundy's Raids at Midway
Midway, KY
After John Hunt Morgan's death in September 1864, Jerome Clarke—notorious under the name 'Sue Mundy'—formed his own guerrilla band and raided Midway that November, killing a resident named Adam Harper. Union forces executed four Confederate prisoners in reprisal. In February 1865, Clarke returned alongside the infamous William Quantrill, burning the depot and stealing fifteen horses, a reminder that Kentucky's guerrilla war raged on to the conflict's very end.
Confederate Governor at Frankfort
Frankfort, KY
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.