A Confederate prison for captured Union soldiers was opened at Andersonville, GA in February 1864. The Andersonville stockade surrounding only 16 acres, housed as many as 30,000 Union prisoners during the summer and fall of 1864.

Over 10,000 prisoners died there of disease or starvation. Both northern and southern prisons operated under poor conditions. However, Andersonville was likely the worst of these because of severe overcrowding and lack of food.

Among the poor souls who succumbed there were Endeman Tussey and John Inman of the 24th Kentucky Infantry Regiment. The cemetery located adjacent to the prison is shown as it appears today.

JWF — Wednesday, January 20th 2020

My roots are there, in Laurel.

Something always pulls me back to that place at the foothills of the East Kentucky mountains. Maybe it’s the people, their genuine goodness, the lifelong friendships forged in my youth.

There is familiarity with the place, my great-grandfather’s farm with high ridges and green meadows. There the echoes of the past are loudest. The stories by my grandfather about his father and family during the Civil War. I wondered why those boys of Laurel were so intent in their support of the Union.

Why did these farm boys join the fight at all. In the “Boys of Laurel” I try to tell their stories so that they are not forgotten.

JWF — Wednesday, November 11th 2020

General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in the early afternoon of April 9, 1865. General Lee realizing that he was surrounded and all supplies cut off agreed to met with General Grant and discuss terms of surrender.

The meeting took place in the village of Appomattox Court House in the parlor of Wilmer McLean’s home. The village of Appomattox Court House is now protected as part of the National Park Service.

The accompanying pictures show some recent pictures of the McLean house and the room where the two Generals met and agreed to terms of surrender.

JWF — Wednesday, July 1st 2021

In late October, 1861, General Felix Zollicoffer and 6,500 Confederate troops invaded Kentucky from Tennessee up the Wilderness Road with the goal of occupying central Kentucky and disrupting federal recruitment. In the Confederates way was one regiment of Union infantry, a several companies of cavalry and local home guard militia. The Union troops and Home Guards occupied the heights along the Wilderness Road at the top of Wildcat Mountain. The Union position was reinforced the day and evening before the battle with regiments from Indiana and Ohio along with a partial Battery of Artillery. An intense battle took place on October 21 with multiple charges by Confederate troops only to be repelled resulting in the retreat of Zollicoffer’s men back to Tennessee, thus ending the first Confederate invasion into Kentucky. Many of the Home Guard militia would muster into the Union Army as company A of the Kentucky 24th Infantry, known as the “Boys of Laurel.”

JWF — Wednesday, October 14th 2022

Company A of the 24th Kentucky Vol Infantry Regiment (Union) was comprised of boys from Laurel County, Kentucky. They are often referred to as the Boys of Laurel or as Scoville’s boys after their captain, Hector Scoville.

One of the many battles they fought in was the Battle of Resaca, Georgia. The battlefield is enormous and comprises a long valley with ridges on either side with a creek running through the valley. Sherman’s Union Army occupied one ridge and Joe Johnston’s Confederate Army the opposing ridge.

The battle took place on May 14 and 15th of 1864, and is particularly noteworthy for the 24th Kentucky because they were forward in the attack and their Brigade (Manson’s Brigade, Cox’s Division of Schofield’s Corps) took heavy casualties.

Of the 1700 men in the Brigade, 615 were killed wounded, or missing. One reason for the high casualties of Manson’s Brigade was that their right flank was exposed because the advance of Judah’s Brigade was stopped due to the swampy terrain.

I visited the battlefield several times before but was unable to trace the movements of the Boys of Laurel. That all changed when I toured the battlefield this week with historian Tony Patton. We retraced the steps of the regiment from one ridge, across the valley, through the creek, and up ridges to the confederate lines where the battle took place.

A few photos are attached included. Panels from top to bottom, left to right shows → the entrance, a view of the valley, Camp Creek and Resaca historian Tony Patton, a map showing the movement of Manson’s Brigade including the 24th KY, and a ridge near remnants of Confederate rifle pits.

Please send any questions or comments on the contact form below, or direct email to: freemanjw50@gmail.com

JWF — Sunday, March 17th 2024