A Horse Breeder

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

Sanders Dewees Bruce was born in Lexington, Kentucky August 18^th 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 20^th Kentucky Infantry; which he helped recruit, was raised, he was mustered in as their Colonel on January 6^th 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 24^th 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 31^st 1902 in New York City; and is buried in Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Ivys

On the 8th of November 1861 in Floyd Co, KY the Battle of Ivy Mountain [aka Ivy Creek or Ivy Narrows] was fought.

The Confederates under Col John Stuart Williams were in Kentucky recruiting. They were running short on ammunition while at Prestonsburg,KY and so went to replenish their supply at Pikeville,KY. The Union General William “Bull” Nelson started out from Prestonsburg with a large number of troops in the attempt to intercept the Rebels. Col Williams hoping to gain time to evacuate to Virginia, sent out a force of cavalry to meet the Union force.

The two opposing forces came together northeast of Pikeville in-between Ivy Creek and Ivy Mountain. The Confederates surprised the Federal soldiers at a narrow point in the road, firing upon the bottled up ranks. During lulls in the fighting the Rebels felled tree into the road and burnt bridges, to slow up the movement of Gen Nelson’s men. With night coming, the obstruction, and a rain beginning to fall the Union troops settled into camp for the night. Col Williams used the time to retreat into Abingdon,VA.

For further reading I recommend
http://www.middlecreek.org/history.htm