Monday, January 6, 2014

A Horse Breeder

Sanders Dewees Bruce an expert on horse breeding was made the Colonel of the Union 20th Kentucky Infantry January 6th 1862.

Sanders Dewees Bruce was born in Lexington, Kentucky August 18th 1825, the son of John Bruce.  He graduated in 1846 from Transylvania University and went in the mercantile business.  He served in the Kentucky State Militia as a Captain of the Lexington Chasseurs.

When the Civil War started Bruce decided to fight for the Union, despite other family member choosing to side with the Confederacy [his sister Rebeca was married to Confederate General John Hunt Morgan].  Bruce started his service as the Union Inspector General of the Kentucky Militia.  When the 20th Kentucky Infantry; which he helped recruit, was raised, he was mustered in as their Colonel on January 6th 1862.  In February of 1862 Bruce was in command of a Brigade in Union General William Bull Nelson’s Division of the Army of the Ohio.  Bruce led his Brigade when Nelson was ordered to reinforce Union General Ulysses S Grant at Pittsburg Landing during the Battle of Shiloh.  He would serve as post commander in Bowling Green, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee.  When he resigned from Union service June 24th 1864, due to a stroke, he was serving as the Provost Marshal of Lexington, Kentucky.


After the war ended Bruce moved to New York City.  He published “The Turf, Field and Farm” a magazine where he used his knowledge of horse breeding.  He became a member of the Coney Island Jockey Club, and wrote the “American Stud Book” and “The Horsebreed’s Guide and Handbook”.  Bruce died January 31st 1902 in New York City; and is buried in Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky.

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