Crittenden

by Louise Plunkett

There are many incidents connected with Crittenden concerning the thrilling and tragic days of the “War Between the States,” for its position as a border town brought the suffering and tragedy very close to the people here.  General Lew Wallace and his soldiers camped in the Daniel's field near the Southern Railway Station here.  On Sunday morning while the congregation was assembled at the Christian Church, with their horses tied to the hitching post in the churchyard, “Morgan's Men” came to the church yard and took all the horses.  When the members learned of their loss, Mr. W. L. Collins hurried to his stable, selected a valuable horse, and followed the raiders.  Mr. Collins traded this horse for his even more prized horse which was taken from the church yard.  

At one time during the war, a rumor spread through Crittenden that a Negro uprising had started and was rapidly gaining force.  They thought the mob would soon be in town.  About a hundred people gathered at the Finley homestead and a messenger was sent on horseback to Walton.  The messenger learned that it was not an “uprising,” but a harmless gathering of Negroes for their own entertainment.  

From a collection of essays written in American Literature Eleven.  The class was taught by Ms. Hazel Ogden of Grant County High School in the 1963-1964 school year, and was typed by the typing classes of Mrs. Mattie Cox.  It is copyrighted by the Grant County Schools, and is used here with their kind permission. We found a copy in UK's King Library.