The Kentucky Governor Who Was a Former Confederate Officer

Simon Bolivar Buckner Sr. served as a Lieutenant General in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Despite this, he was elected Governor of Kentucky in 1887. At the time of his death in 1914, Bucker was the oldest Confederate officer above the rank of Brigadier General, and the oldest living graduate of West Point.

Simon Bolivar Buckner SrPhoto byWikimedia

Early Life

Simon Bolivar Buckner Sr. was born in Munfordville, Kentucky on April 1, 1823. Growing up, he was close friends with Thomas J. Wood, who went on to serve as a General in the Union Army. In 1838, the Buckner family moved to southern Muhlenberg County where he attended school in Greenville and then Hopkinsville.

United States Military Academy

In 1840, Bucker enrolled in the United States Military Academy. While he was there, he became close friends with Ulysses S. Grant, who enrolled in 1841. Buckner graduated in 1844 and was assigned to an infantry regiment at Sackett’s Harbor on Lake Ontario. In 1845, Buckner returned to the Academy as an assistant professor.

Mexican-American War

After the Mexican-American War started, Bucker resigned and returned to the U.S. Army. He fought in the battles of Churubusco (where he was wounded), Contreras, Molino del Rey, the Battle of Chapultepec, the Battle of Belen Gate, and the assault and capture of Mexico City.

The Young Chief

Following the war, Buckner returned to West Point but resigned in 1850 over the Academy’s requirement to attend chapel. In 1850, he married Mary Jane Kingsbury and returned to the Army. He served at various locations, including Fort Snelling and Fort Atkinson, where he earned a reputation for dealing fairly with the Oglala Lakota, who nicknamed him “Young Chief.”

Chicago and the Illinois Militia

In 1855 he resigned and went to work for his father-in-law in Chicago. By 1857, he was enrolled in the Illinois State Militia.

Return to Kentucky

Toward the end of 1857, Buckner and his family moved to Louisville, Kentucky. The following year, he was named Captain of the local militia, the Citizen’s Guard. Two years later, in 1860, he was named Inspector General of Kentucky.

Kentucky Divided

When the Civil War started, Kentucky was neutral, which Buckner supported. However, when the state legislature took a pro-Union stance, he resigned his commission in the militia. Soon after, he was offered a commission as a Brigadier General in the Union Army but turned it down — twice.

In September 1861, Buckner accepted a commission in the Confederate Army as a Brigadier General. Kentucky officials responded by indicting him for treason and seizing his property. General Albert Sidney Johnston assigned Buckner to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he commanded 4,500 troops.

Grant Engages Bucker at Fort Donelson

In February 1862, after Union forces led by his friend, General Ulysses S. Grant, captured Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, Johnston ordered Buckner to march to Fort Donelson and help defend the fort. After the fort’s commanding officer, General John B. Floyd, fled, Buckner surrendered to Grant.

When Buckner asked for favorable terms of surrender, Grant responded with the famous line,  “No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted.” This moment gave Grant his nickname, “Unconditional Surrender.”

This illustration depicts Union gunboats attacking Fort Donelson.Photo byWikimedia

Despite the harsh terms, Grant and Buckner met and reminisced before Bucker was taken as a prisoner of war. Grant offered to loan him money, but Buckner declined. Although Bucker was embarrassed about the surrender, he did not hold a grudge against Grant.

Return to the Battle

After spending five months as a prisoner of war, Buckner went on to take part in the Battle of Munfordville and the Battle of Perryville during the Confederate Heartland Campaign. He later took part in the Battle of Chickamauga, and the Knoxville Campaign.

Post War Parole

After the war ended, the terms of Buckner’s parole prohibited him from returning to his home state of Kentucky for three years. 

New Orleans

During that period, he took up residence in New Orleans and secured a staff position with the Daily Crescent newspaper. He also prospered in several business ventures, including the founding of a successful fire insurance company.

Entry Into Politics

In 1868, Buckner returned to Kentucky and became editor of the Louisville Courier. Other successful business ventures made him a wealthy man. Buckner also became active in politics, serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1868.

Buckner Visits Grant

In July 1885, Buckner visited his old friend Ulysses S. Grant, who was dying of esophageal cancer at Mount McGregor, New York. The two men discussed their time at West Point and in Mexico. Buckner pleased his dying friend by relaying his belief that former Confederates appreciated Grant’s “magnanimity at the close of the war.” A few weeks later, Buckner served as a pallbearer at Grant’s funeral in New York.

Ulysses S. Grant writing his memoirs in 1885.Photo byWikimedia

Governor of Kentucky

In 1887, Buckner was elected as Governor of Kentucky, despite being a former Confederate officer. He served as Governor until 1891. He also served as a delegate to the state’s 1890 constitutional convention, which drafted Kentucky’s current constitution.

The Last Confederate

In 1908, he became the last surviving Confederate officer to hold the rank of Lieutenant General, with the passing of General Stephen D. Lee and General Alexander P. Stewart.

Death and Burial

Buckner died at his home in Munfordville on January 8, 1914, at 91 years old. At the time of his death, Buckner was the only surviving Confederate officer above the rank of Brigadier General, and he was the oldest living graduate of West Point. He was buried at Frankfort Cemetery, in Frankfort, Kentucky.

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