Son of a Frankfort lawyer, Monroe led the charge which decided the battle's outcome. He and his regiment later saw action at Chickasaw Bluffs, Arkansas Post, Champion Hill, Thompson's Hill, and other important battles. In 1864 Monroe assumed command of the Frankfort garrison and successfully defended his hometown from Morgan's raiders.
Lieutenant Colonel George W. Monroe of the 22nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, U.S.A.
Born in Adair County in 1835, George Wood Monroe was the sixth son of Judge Benjamin Monroe of Frankfort, Kentucky. A prominent Frankfort attorney during the 1850s, Benjamin had served as judge of the Western Kentucky Circuit Court during the 1830s. His son George grew up in Frankfort and attended the town's public schools.
We don't know what special qualifications led to Monroe's military commission, but we do know that on December 12, 1861, the 22nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry was organized at Camp Swigert, Greenup County, Kentucky, with D.W. Lindsey as colonel and Monroe as lieutenant colonel. Company A of the 22nd Kentucky was composed of men recruited at Frankfort and Louisville, which means that some of them may have been Monroe's personal friends. The regiment's other companies were composed of men from Greenup, Carter, and Lewis Counties.
Middle Creek was the regiment's baptism of fire, during which Monroe performed gallantly, leading a detachment of the 22nd Kentucky up the steep hill opposite Graveyard Point and driving the men of the 5th Kentucky from their trenches. In his battle report Garfield praised Monroe for his bravery, saying that his heroic charge was "determinate of the day."
Monroe and his regiment saw action under several different commanders. They accompanied General George W. Morgan during hi retreat from Cumberland Gap in October 1862, and they served with Sherman's command during the expedition to Chickasaw Bayou, Mississippi, in December 1862. On December 29, Monroe led an unsuccessful charge against the heavily defended Confederate position at Chickasaw Bluffs, along the Yazoo River above Vicksburg, that resulted in the deaths of three officers of the regiment and the wounding of Monroe and four other officers.
Major Don A. Pardee
Trained at the U.S. Naval Academy, Pardee played a key role at Middle Creek, leading two companies of the 42nd Ohio in an assault on Moore's 29th Virginia. Promoted to lieutenant colonel for his leadership during the Battle of Pound Gap, he also distinguished himself during the fights at Rogers Gap, Chickasaw Bayou, and Port Gibson.
Lieutenant George W. Gallup
A Catlettsburg lawyer, Gallup helped organize the 14th Kentucky and initially served as its quartermaster. He later became its commander, and from August 1863 to May 1864, operating from his base at Louisa, he served as commander of the military district of eastern Kentucky. Transferred to Georgia, he and his men joined Sherman's command and saw action in all the battles of the Atlanta campaign, incurring 157 casualties in the process.
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