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 November 11, 2025 Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives Office of the Governor, James F. Robinson: Governor's Official Correspondence File, Military Correspondence, 1862-1863 KYR-0001-027-0036 R2-55 to R2-56

Hodgenville, LaRue County, Kentucky James Fisher Robinson (governor, state senator, businessman, attorney, and farmer) N001004 1800-10-04 1882-10-31 Categories: People

Twenty-second governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, banker, and legislator. Son of Jonathan Robinson and Jane Black Robinson. Married to Susan D. Mansell Robinson on December 26, 1821. Father of Emilie Jane Robinson and James F. Robinson, Jr. Married Willina S. Herndon Robinson on May 30, 1842. Father of Scott Herndon Robinson, John McCracken Robinson, George Sidney Robinson, Madison Johnson Robinson, Stephen Gano Robinson, Willa Ewing Robinson, Philip Eldon Robinson, and Stephen Gano Robinson. Educated at Forest Hill Academy and Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. Trustee of Georgetown College. President of the Farmers' Bank of Georgetown. Represented Fayette and Scott Counties in the Senate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 1851 to 1855. Owned thirty-five enslaved persons in 1860. Represented Fayette and Scott Counties in the Senate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 1861. Speaker of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from September 3, 1861, to September 5, 1861. Speaker of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from August 16, 1861, to August 18, 1862. Governor of Kentucky from August 18, 1862, to September 1, 1863. Returned to practicing law and farming on retiring from politics in 1863.

Eighth Manuscript Census of the United States (1860), Slave Schedules, Kentucky, Scott County, District No 1, p. 216B, 230A. Eighth Manuscript Census of the United States (1860), Slave Schedules, Kentucky, Scott County, District No 2, pp. 235, 236, 252. Eighth Manuscript Census of the United States (1860), Slave Schedules, Kentucky, Jefferson County, Louisville Ward 4, p. 266. John David Smith, “James F. Robinson (1862-1863),” ed. Lowell H. Harrison, Kentucky’s Governors (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2004), 89-92. William Henry Engle, Pennsylvania Genealogies: Scotch-Irish and German (Harrisburg: Lane S. Hart, 1886), 553, 556-7. Robert D. Murray (Larue County, Kentucky, attorney & circuit ct clerk) N00004503 1822? Categories: People

Larue County, Kentucky, attorney and court clerk. Kentucky native. Married to M. E. Murray. Father of Francis Murray, Elizabeth Murray, M. C. Murray, and Henry Murray. Attorney in Larue County in 1860. Commonwealth's attorney pro tem in 1861. Clerk of the Larue Circuit Court in 1863.

Relationships Political: Beriah Magoffin (Governor of Kentucky 1859-1862) Political: Government of the United States of America

Eighth Manuscript Census of the United States (1860), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Larue County, Hodgensville, p. 146. Annual Report of the Auditor of Public Accounts of the State of Kentucky, for the Fiscal Year Ending October 10, 1863, Legislative Document Series, No. 10 (Frankfort, KY: Wm. E. Hughes, State Printer, 1864), 303. KYR-0001-020-1582. Hodgenville, Kentucky P00001715 Categories: Places

Seat of LaRue County, Kentucky.

37.574, -85.74 “Hodgenville, Kentucky," USGS: Earth Explorer, accessed January 3, 2022, https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/. Robert M. Rennick, Kentucky Place Names (Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1987), p. 143. Kentucky P001800 Categories: Places

State in the upper south of the United States. Capital at Frankfort. Located on the Ohio River.

38.2009, -84.8733 "Frankfort, Kentucky," USGS: Earth Explorer, accessed June 14, 2019, https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/. The Kentucky Encyclopedia, ed. John E. Kleber (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992). LaRue County, Kentucky P00001718 Categories: Places

County in west central Kentucky. Seat at Hodgenville, Kentucky. Located on the Rolling Fork River.

37.574, -85.74 “Hodgenville, Kentucky," USGS: Earth Explorer, accessed January 3, 2022, https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/. Robert M. Rennick, Kentucky Place Names (Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1987), 166. Louisville, Kentucky P00000337 Categories: Places

Seat of Jefferson County, Kentucky. Located on the Ohio River.

38.2527, -85.7585 "Louisville, Kentucky," USGS: Earth Explorer, accessed June 12, 2019, https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/. Robert M. Rennick, Kentucky Place Names (Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1987), 179. Government of the United States of America O00002945 1776-07-04 Categories: Organizations

Administrative body of the United States of America. Comprised of the Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, and Executive Branch. Capital at Washington, District of Columbia.

Relationships Military: 68th Regiment Kentucky Enrolled Militia Economic: Hiram Barney (New York attorney and customs collector) Political: Leonard B. Cox (Fleming County, Kentucky, attorney and judge) Political: William Scott Botts (Fleming County, Kentucky, attorney and politician) Political: George Jackson (Bullitt County, Kentucky, laborer) Political: Hillary G. Jackson (Bullitt County, Kentucky, laborer & private 26th KY Inf USA) Legal: William J. Wadlington (Caldwell County, Kentucky, farm laborer. ) Military: Thornton Williams (Scott County, Kentucky, soldier. Formerly enslaved by Urias Offutt, accused of attempted murder.) Political: Urias M. Offutt (Scott County, Kentucky, farmer. and slaveholder.) Military: George W. Rasure (Floyd County, Indiana, resident and soldier.) Military: Amaziah "Samuel" Rasure (Washington County, Indiana, resident and soldier.) Military: David Rasure, Jr. (New Albany, Floyd County, Indiana, resident and soldier.) Political: Nelson Trusler (Connersville, Indiana, attorney, politician, and soldier) Political: Robert Alexander Dowell (Crittenden County, Kentucky, farmer) Political: Oliver P. Morton (Fourteenth governor of Indiana, attorney, judge, and politician.) Political: John Walter Rutherford (Crittenden County, Kentucky, barkeeper and merchant)

"America's Founding Documents," https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs (accessed on December 1, 2017). Hodgenville, LaRue County, Kentucky 1862-09-07 Correspondence English Version 1 of page "4": Changes to page transcript. Version 2 of page "4": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "4": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 2 of page "2": Changes to page transcript. Version 2 of page "1": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "3": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "2": Changes to page transcript. Version 1 of page "1": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "2": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 0 of page "1": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile.
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Hodgenville Ky Sept. 7th 1862 To His excellency

James F. Robinson Governor of Ky -- Dear Sir

I take the liberty of addressing you a few lines on the existing State of public affairs --

The loyal people in the interior of the State feel that they are left in the dark as to the course pursued by the authorities of our beloved State -- This is one of the most loyal Counties in the Commonwealth, the people having turned out extensively for the war. and if the policy to be pursued by our military authorities was better defined & more generally understood by our people still more of our people would join the standard of the government. Are the people of the State to be abandoned to be plundered by their foes, in order that the Northern border of the State may be defended? We think our troops are defending the wrong border. Why invite the enemy to the northern border of our state by concentrating our forces there, leaving the enemy to enjoy the benefits of the immense growing & fresh harvested crops of the State -- If the enemys forces were on our Southern border it would enable us to turn out twice as many men, as we can now do -- We had all better die defending our homes, than to have them desolated by the enemy & havethem returned to us after they cease to be of any value. There

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are forces enough in the State to drive the enemy back atonce, Why let them get a foothold in the State. We are utterly discouraged --

Another suggestion -- I think it will be necessary for you to send officers properly authorized and accredited to every County, before the militia willl come out A Small Company of men sent to a County for a few days to keep down the disloyalists, & enforce the orders would be very effective -- I would add another suggestion:

A Camp of instruction at Louisville would be of very great advantage to the State -- If you would call 25 or 30 intelligent men from every County of the State, and have them thoroughly drilled for some weeks ^I believe^ it would do more to get up the proper military spirit in the State, if ^than^ any measure you might adopt

--You might take a less number at first and cause them to be surrounded by others -- In the next plan we ought to have more cavalry in Ky than any other description of troops -- Our people are accustomed to horse back exercise & are much better adapted to cavalry than to infantry -- Lastly no Country such as ours can be efficiently defended by an infantry force -- Our public men ought certainly to be convinced of that fairly by this time.

--You may well ask why I am staying at home & making suggestions instead of being in the field -- I can only say

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that I have good reasons for ^remaining^ being as I am -- I am ready to join any local force at any time & fight if necessary to the bitter end -- To do this effectually the people ought to be prepared by thorough drilling.

I hope you will not take these suggestions as having originated from any spirit of fault finding, for they certainly do not --

Excuse me for troubling you with this letter -- It is designed for good -- If I can be of any advantage to you in the way of furnishing the necessary information from here please command me

Very Respy

Robt. D. Murray --