Guerrilla War in Kentucky

About the Book

Much has been written about Quantrill and the guerrilla war in Missouri. Diligent research has resulted in naming at least 57 guerrillas who met with Quantrill in Missouri prior to his ride into Kentucky. Many do not know that Quantrill and 49 of his followers crossed the Mississippi River and entered Kentucky in January, 1865 to carry on guerrilla war. He was eventually wounded and captured in May and died in June 1865. Essentially nothing has been written about General Stephen Gano Burbridge and the guerrilla war in Kentucky. This book fills that gap and lists over 430 guerrilla actions and skirmishes in 75 of the 120 Kentucky counties. It names over 180 Confederate guerrillas. This book is the only story of Burbridge’s career and the guerrilla war in Kentucky. While in Kentucky, Quantrill and his followers joined home grown guerrillas of Henry Magruder, Marcellus Jerome Clarke “Sue Mundy”, “One-Arm” Berry and his brother Thomas Berry. In his efforts to suppress guerrilla attacks, Burbridge executed innocent Confederate soldiers rather than guerrillas. Because of his cruelty he became shunned by both North and South.

About the Author

The author, Gordon Mellish, graduated from Grove City College, Grove City, Pennsylvania in 1949 where he served as alumni editor of the college newspaper. He served in World War II and the Korean War after which he spent much of his career as a technical and specification writer. He has spoken at many seminars, taught school, and is an excellent public speaker. He is an avid student of the battles of World War II and the Civil War. He continues his hobby of studying military campaigns and has visited the sites about which he writes. He has published several magazine articles and recently the 200,000 word book titles Could the South Have Won the War. He is a member of the Civil War Preservation Trust and lives in Clemmons, North Carolina.