KENTUCKY FORTS, THE KENTUCKY MILITIA AND STATE GUARD. These are not all the forts in the State of Kentucky, but a good sampling. Fort Campbell: This is a fort of more recent times, it is a military training base located on the Kentucky-Tennessee line, 16 miles south of Hopkinsville. It was approved 6 Jan 1942 with 101,755 acres in Montgomery and Stewart counties of Tennessee and in Christian and Trigg in Kentucky. Grant's Fort: This was also known as Grant's Station, and was a Bourbon County settlement located on Houston Creek near Bryan's Station and the Fayette County line. John Grant, of North Carolina and William Wllis, of Virginia, built this fort in 1779 to accomodate approximately 20-30 families living at the fast over-crowding Bryan's Statin. An Indian war party attacked here in June of 1780. The fort was burned and two men and one women were killed. It was rebuilt later in 1784. The Grant family sold the fort and all of its land 14 June 1788 to George Berry. Fort Harrod: A company of thirty men, named below, arrived 6 June 1774 and together became the first permanent white settlement in Kentucky. They were: James Harrod (leader), James Blair, James Brown, John Brown, James Carr, Abraham Chapline, John Clark, John Crawford, Jared Cowan, John Cowan, John Crow, William Crow, Azariah Davis, Patrick Doran, William Fields, William Garrett, Robert Gilbert, James Hamilton, Elijah Harlan, Silas Harlan, Jacob Lewis, James McCulloch, Samuel Moore, Azor Reese, Jacob and James Sadowsky (Sandusky), Thomas Quirk, Martin Shell, James Wiley, David Williams and John Wilson. They had come from the Monongahela settlement down the Ohio River to the Kentucky River, along the latter about 100 miles. They landed at Harrod's Landing (later Warcick) and then traveled to the Salt River and on to where Harrodsburg now stands. The first settlement was approximately one mile from Salt River and near a large spring. Each man took 1/2 acre lots and ten-acre out-lots. On the south side eight to ten cabins were erected and known as Town Branch. The men drew lots for the cabins and the acreage. On July 8th, Shawnee Indians attacked, killing two men. Dr George Hart was the first physician; others arriving werre George Rogers Clark, the Rev. John Lythe (Episcopal). The first women and children were the Thomas Denton, Richard Hogan and Hugh McGary families. In 1776 Jane Coomes arrived and started a school, and Rev Peter Tinsley, Baptist minister came. Fort Heiman: In southeast Calloway County on a ridge overlooking the Tennessee River. It was constructed by the Confederates January 1862. It was unfished when about 1000 men under Col Adolphus Heiman occupied it. On February 5, the fort was occupied, without a fight, by the 5th Iowa Cavalry until March 1863. Gen Nathan Bedford Forrest mounted guns in Oct 1864, destroyed the steamer Mazepa and then abandoned the fort. Fort Jefferson: This fort was constructed in 1780 under the supervision of George Rogers Clark. Thomas Jefferson issued the order for the construction, and it was situated in the valley of Mayfield Creek, near its confluence with the Mississippi River, 5 miles below the mouth of the Ohio River, now in Ballard County. Construction began 19 Apr 1870 and was completed in June 1780. Capt Robert George was the commander. This fort was attacked by the Chickasaw during the Revolutionary war. Fort Knox: This is a 109,000 acre permanant garrison of the U S Army and takes in part of Hardin, Meade and Bullitt Counties. It is also known as the U S Bullion Depository. It was established in 1918 as Camp Knox, a field artilery training range. During the Civil War, both Union and Confederates fought just north of the fort. Fort Massac: This was located on the Illinois shore of the Ohio, on the long stretch just below the mouth of the Mississippi. George Rogers Clark's army landed here June 24, 1778. It was known as a "captain's command" between 1778 and 1794. Although not located in physical Kentucky, it has played an important part in her history. Fort Mitchell: This lies in a suburban city in the hills of north-central Kenton County in northern Kentucky. The city is the site of 27 earthen fortifications that guarded Cincinnati, Covington and Newport during the Civil War. It was occupied by Union army soldiers and the local Home Guard Militay in the late summer of 1862. Fort Nelson: This is known as the most impressive fortification in pioneer Kentucky, located in Louisville. It was built in 1781 by Richard Chenoweth under a military contract. It's location was between the present 7th and 8th Streets on near Main Street. This was a critical position overlooking the Ohio River and at the head of the Falls of the Ohio. There was a row of sharpened pickets which was unearthed in 1843 and 1844. General George Rogers Clark assisted in the fort's design. Fort Thomas: This is now a suburban city in the northern part of Campbell County on the hills overlooking the Ohio River. It was originally part of a half-million acre grant by Virginia to the Ohio Company in 1749. It was surveyed by Christopher Gist in 1750. There were fortifications in this area during the Civil War. The first commander of Fort Thomas was Col Melville A Cochran. It is now the site of the Brooks-Lawler Army Reserve Center and Veteran's Administration Hospital. Fort Wright: This lies in the hills of northern Kenton County, two miles southwest of Covington. The present area takes its name from an earthen fort which was erected as part of the Cincinnati defense perimeter during the Civil War. The Kentucky Militia was an organized and also an unorganized citizen soldiery dating from the Revolutionary War until the 1850's. For each county in VA (later in KY), the chief executives chose county lieutenants- each holding the rank of Colonel. He enlisted and drilled all able-bodied males 18 to 45 years of age. They did not match the army regulars in their abilities. From the mid 1790's the militia men supplemented regular soldiers in the northwestern campaigns - names including Gen Josiah Harmar, Arthur Saint Clair and Anthony Wayne. They served in 1794 at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and in the War of 1812. Once the Indian Wars of the Old Northwest ended, the Kentucky Militia found itself outmoded. In 1854, the law stipulated that each county was to conduct only one muster every six years - and the General Assembly later abolished the Militia. The Kentucky State Guard was Kentucky's organized volunteer militia in 1860-61 and again came into service from 1878 to 1912. It was the state's universal militia system and took the place of the Kentucky Militia. Gov Beriah Magoffin led the passage of the Kentucky State Guard using the persuasion of John Brown's "widespread and hellish conspiracy against the slave states." Simon Bolivar Buckner, the inspector General noted that perhaps 4,000 men, largely pro-Southern and pro-slavery in outlook participted. It was felt that the guard was actively engaged in Kentucky's secession from the Union. From April to September 1861, during a time of neutrality, the Home Guard companies were formed - with both groups seeking men, recruits, weapons ... but they never fought each other. The groups later became a quiet one until the General Assembly re-established it during major strikes and rioting in Louisville. The guard, lead by the state's adjutant general, was poorly funded and had little over 1,000 men. There were three regiments - Bowling Green, Louisville and Lexington. In 1912, this became the Kentucky National Guard. _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail