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Civil War 150: The Confederate Graveyard and Monument of Bowling Green. Also, the Most Dangerous Confederate.

The Tribute to the fallen Southern Soldiers.

By Admin, BuyLocalBG.com, BuyLocalBg@gmail.com/
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 10:00 AM CST

Many know that Bowling Green was the “Confederate Capitol of Kentucky” so, it’s not shocking we have a great display to point towards Confederate soldiers who have passed. The Confederate Monument is located in the Fairview Cemetery in the older section and was dedicated in 1876.

When they dedicated the monument (made of local white limestone), there was said to have been a crowd of 12,000 at the event, which is staggering if you consider the population in it’s day. The dedication featured a speech from the former Colonel of the 9th Kentucky Calvary, W.C.P. Breckinridge. It cost $1,500 at that time to build. Several hundred bodies were moved to this site and there are believed to be 70 bodies buried in a circle around the monument. The Monument is quite beautiful and a great work of art as well as a historical marker:

My photo does not do this monument justice.

Marker nearby.

In need of cleaning is this frieze.

The Painting thefrieze above was based on.

Many Confederate head stones have not stood the test of time, so many updated markers around the area.

The Monument was created due to the efforts of a man who was from Topeka Kansas and was a private in the 4th Kentucky infantry, George B. Payne. He served as a courier for General John C. Breckinridge and spent time during the war in Bowling Green. Also responsible for the monument is the President of the Warren County Monumental Association Thomas Hines. He was part of the 9th Kentucky Calvary under John Hunt Morgan’s command.

Captain Thomas Hines

Thomas Hines, also known as Captain Thomas Hines was infamous during the Civil War. He was termed by many as “The Most Dangerous Man of The Confederacy.” He enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1861 and served with Morgan’s Raiders in 1862 and 1863 where he was captured in Ohio in July of 1863. Captain Hines helped lead the escape from Federal Prison and then went on to lead the Northwest Conspiracy in 1864. He convinced Confederate President Jefferson Davis of a plan to instill mass panic in the Northern states, by means of freeing prisoners and causing arson in larger Northern cities. Click here to learn of his campaign and the interesting life of this Butler County native.

To find these soldiers of the Confederacy, enter the Fairview Cemetery in the main entrance and go to your right.  If you want to skip ahead to get more detail or start learning more today, check out the Civil War Trail (website link for trail) via the Convention and Visitors Bureau or Kentucky Museum on WKU’s Campus.

Past Civil War 150:

Mt. Moriah Cemetery, resting place of  “African American Union Soldiers.”


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