To do so, CWGK publishes the documents that crossed the desk of Kentucky’s five wartime governors. These include the three Unionists–Beriah Magoffin (1859—1862), James F. Robinson (1862—1863), and Thomas E. Bramlette (1863—1867)–and the two provisional Confederate governors, George W. Johnson (1861—1862) and Richard Hawes (1862—1865).

CWGK uses the governor’s office as a lens to uncover the lost lives of everyday people who lived through the unprecedented societal chaos of civil war. Those people, from every corner of the Commonwealth and every walk of life, reached out to state authorities as they navigated the conflict. Their writings, as well as the materials produced by the state in its administrative and military capacities, cover almost every conceivable topic of the war. Through these documents researchers can see a glimpse of how Kentuckians responded to the overlapping crises of war, mobilization, emancipation, and guerrilla violence. Despite these challenges, Kentuckians persisted in living their lives, offering opportunities to study war and its intersections with society. 

To aid researchers in learning about Civil War Kentucky, CWGK has digitized and transcribed each available document that crossed the desk of the five wartime governors. Additionally, the team has created biographies of the people, places, and organizations that appear within those documents. These materials are freely available to the public and aim to create learning opportunities for scholars, genealogists, educators, and others interested in the experiences of wartime Kentucky.