General E.A. Paine in Western Kentucky: Assessing the "Reign of Terror" of the Summer of 1864

by Dieter C. Ullrich, Berry Craig

Overview

When General E. A. Paine assumed command of the U.S. Army's District of Western Kentucky at Paducah in the summer of 1864, he faced a defiant populace, a thriving black market and undisciplined troops plagued by low morale. Guerrillas pillaged towns and murdered the vocal few that supported the Union. Paine's task was to enforce discipline and mollify the secessionist majority in a 2,300-square-mile district.

In less than two months, he succeeded where others had failed. For secessionists, his tenure was a "reign of terror"--for the Unionist minority, a "happy and jubilant" time.

An abolitionist, Paine encouraged the enlistment of black troops and fair wages for former slaves. Yet his principled views led to his downfall. Critics and enemies falsified reports, leading to his removal from command and a court-martial. He was exonerated on all but one minor charge yet historians have perpetuated the Paine-the-monster myth. This book tells the complete story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476630984
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	01/25/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	194
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Dieter C. Ullrich is head of special collections and archives at Morehead State University. He has done extensive research on the Civil War in the Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky and Tennessee and has published articles in the Filson History Quarterly and other scholarly journals. He lives in Morehead, Kentucky. Berry Craig is a professor emeritus of history at West Kentucky Community and Technical College. He lives in Mayfield, Kentucky.
Dieter C. Ullrich is head of special collections and archives at Morehead State University. He has done extensive research on the Civil War in the Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky and Tennessee and has published articles in the Filson History Quarterly and other scholarly journals. He lives in Morehead, Kentucky.
Berry Craig is a professor emeritus of history at West Kentucky Community and Technical College. He lives in Mayfield, Kentucky.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
One. “I am compelled to be severe”
Two. “This district is intensely disloyal”
Three. “Treason was no more”
Four. “A Reign of Terror”
Five. “Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline”
Six. “Witnesses of known disloyalty”
Seven. “Unity of the Spirit”
Eight. “Served the Union Army and did his duty”
Epilogue
Timeline
Appendix I: Charges and Specifications Preferred Against Brigadier General E.A. Paine, United State Volunteers
Appendix II: The Men Who Worked on the Fortifications at Mayfield, August 17 to September 13, 1864
Chapter Notes
Works Cited
Index

Editorial Reviews

The authors have deeply researched the complex cast of characters.... Carefully analyzed by the authors, whose conclusions make fascinating reading.”—North & South Magazine

From the Publisher