Mexican War
1846 – 1848 | Franklin County, Kentucky
Between 1846 and 1848, the United States and Mexico went to war, an event that transformed a continent. By the end of the war, Mexico had lost most of its territory from Texas to California. Franklin County's contribution to the War with Mexico was comprised of two companies: Captain Ben C. Milam's Company C, First Regiment, Kentucky Mounted Volunteers and Company B, Second Regiment, Kentucky Foot Volunteers under Captain Frank Chambers.
Burying the Dead & Memorializing the Fallen
The trustees of the City of Frankfort appropriated $200 and Franklin County matched that amount to bring the bodies of the men of Franklin County back home. Major Ben C. Milam, along with Mr. Ruben A. Hawkins, agreed to return to Mexico and identify the graves of the men whom he had buried there.
The bodies of John Sanders, John Ellingwood, James Seston, Major Updike, L. B. Bartlett, Henry Wolf, W. Blackwell, J. J. Thorp, H. Edwards, A. Goodpaster, Enoch Burton, and Robert Latta were received at Frankfort by the returned volunteers under Major Milam and Captain Chambers and the McKee Guards under Captain Crittenden. They were buried in the State ground at Frankfort on Thursday, September 16, 1847, with military honors.
On July 27, 1847, the burial of the remains of Colonel William R. McKee, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Clay, Captain William T. Willis, Adjutant E. P. Vaughn, Lieutenant Joseph Powell, W. W. Bayless, William Thwaits, N. Ramsey, Thomas Weigert, Alex G. Morgan, C. Jones, H. Carty, McH. Dozier, H. Trotter, C. B. Thomas, and W. T. Green—honored Kentuckians who were killed at the Battle of Buena Vista—took place.
Soldiers Killed in Action & Casualties
| Soldier Name | Details / Notes |
|---|---|
| James Bailey | Soldier |
| Samuel Bartlett | * Killed at the Battle of Buena Vista - February 23, 1847 |
| William Blackwell | * Killed at the Battle of Buena Vista - February 23, 1847 |
| Thomas J. Chambers | Soldier |
| J. F. Ellingwood | * Killed at the Battle of Buena Vista - February 23, 1847 |
| Leander Ford | Soldier |
| Lafayette B. Frederick | Soldier |
| W. J. Hall | Soldier |
| James S. Johnson | Soldier |
| Roberta Latta | Soldier |
| Francis LeCompte | Soldier |
| James Lester | * Killed at the Battle of Buena Vista - February 23, 1847 |
| N. Newton | Soldier |
| Rowland S. Parker | Soldier |
| John Sanders | * Killed at the Battle of Buena Vista - February 23, 1847 |
| Major Updike | * Killed at the Battle of Buena Vista - February 23, 1847 |
| W. Williamson | Soldier |
| Henry Wolfe | * Killed at the Battle of Buena Vista - February 23, 1847 |
| John White | Deserted at Louisville, June 13 |
| James Crummery | Deserted at Matamoros, August 22 |
Company C, First Regiment, Kentucky Mounted Volunteers
John Swigert, John Scott, and W. Holeman were captured near Encarnacion by Mexican forces. In July 1847, they escaped from their guard and after many perilous adventures reached their home in Frankfort.
| Soldier Name | Rank / Notes |
|---|---|
| Joel Ashley | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| G. W. Bailey | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| James Bates | Private (Captured by Mexicans - January 22, 1847) |
| Ben B. Bennett | Sergeant |
| Johnny Calvender | Private |
| Silas Calvert | Private (Captured by Mexicans - January 22, 1847) |
| Robert Church | Private |
| Robert Cochran | Private (Captured by Mexicans - January 22, 1847) |
| Clinton D. W. Cook | Private |
| Nathanial C. Cook | Private |
| Richard Davenport | Private |
| Zachariah Dougherty | Private (Captured by Mexicans - January 22, 1847) |
| Bennett Edwards | Private |
| Humphrey Evans | Sergeant |
| James E. Evans | Private |
| B. S. Fields | Private |
| Lewis J. Foster | Corporal |
| B. S. Gayle | Private - Bugler |
| Richard D. Harlan | 2nd Lieutenant |
| D. Hancock | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Thomas Harper | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Jeremiah Harrison | Private |
| William Hassett | Private |
| Fielding S. Hawkins | Private |
| James Herring | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| A. W. Holman | Private (Captured by Mexicans - January 22, 1847) |
| R. B. Howard | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| W. P. Jones | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| J. J. Kendall | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| James F. Lee | Private |
| Samuel C. Leonard | Private |
| A. J. McDonald | Private |
| J. D. McKee | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| James H. D. McKee | 1st Lieutenant |
| William McLean | Private |
| S. McQueen | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| T. J. Macy | Private |
| Samuel Mars | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| L. Martin | Private |
| Ben C. Milam | Captain |
| F. M. Milam | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| J. G. Miles | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| A. J. Mitchell | Private |
| S. Montague | Private |
| R. P. W. Noel | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Ben Franklin Pearce | Private |
| W. H. Price | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| E. T. Parrent | Corporal (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| John H. Redish | Private |
| A. B. Reed | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Joseph Robb | Private |
| W. M. Robb | Corporal (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| John T. Roberts | Sergeant |
| John A. Scott | Private (Captured by Mexicans - January 22, 1847) |
| John S. Semonis | Private |
| George M. Shannon | Private |
| John A. Snelling | Private |
| J. J. Soward | Private |
| W. W. Stapp | Private |
| W. C. Stockton | Private |
| W. H. Sudduth | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| John Swigert | Corporal (Captured by Mexicans - January 22, 1847) |
| B. Utterback | Corporal (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| William Whitehead | Private (Captured by Mexicans - January 22, 1847) |
| A. Wilkerson | Private (Captured by Mexicans - January 22, 1847) |
| J. Wilson | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| W. S. Woods | Private (Captured by Mexicans - January 22, 1847) |
Company B, Second Regiment, Kentucky Foot Volunteers
| Soldier Name | Rank / Notes |
|---|---|
| George Allen | Private |
| John Amen | Private |
| Samuel P. Barbee | 2nd Lieutenant |
| Elias T. Bartlett | Private |
| Samuel S. Bartlett | Private |
| James Blazehard | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Benjamin O. Branham | Private |
| Emil Brea | Private |
| Geo. W. Chambers | Bugler |
| Frank Chambers | Captain |
| Patrick H. Chambers | Private |
| John J. Christopher | Private |
| Wesley Christopher | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| James Coleman | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| John L. Collins | Private |
| L. Craig | Private |
| James W. Cummings | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| James B. Davidson | Corporal |
| Daniel Easley | Private |
| Geo. W. Edwards | Private |
| Richard P. Evans | Corporal |
| Chas. R. Featherston | Private |
| Enoch Ford | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| William F. Gaines | Sergeant |
| Richard A. Gayle | Private |
| Ambrose W. Hampton | Corporal |
| William Hardy | Sergeant |
| Abel P. Harris | Private |
| James W. Harris | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Ruben A. Hawkins | Private |
| John R. Hayden | Private |
| William M. Hayden | Private |
| Matthew L. Hazlett | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Thomas B. Heffner | Bugler |
| William Henderson | Private |
| David J. Herndon | Private |
| Wilson J. Jordon | Private |
| Clark Knott | Corporal |
| Henry C. Long | 2nd Lieutenant |
| James E. McGune | Private |
| David McQueen | Private |
| William K. Major | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Hanson S. Mayhall | Sergeant |
| Moses L. Milam | Private |
| Thomas J. Milam | Private |
| James Monroe | 1st Lieutenant |
| John E. Monroe | Private |
| William Morrison | Private |
| Alexander Moss | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| William D. Robertson | 2nd Lieutenant |
| James R. Page | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| William W. Perrin | Private |
| Almus W. Polsgrove | Private |
| John Polsgrove | Private |
| James N. Reed | Private |
| Benjamin Robinson | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Stephen Sesfield | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Wm. R. Satterwhite | Private |
| James W. Sheets | Private |
| Samuel Sheets | Private |
| Robert Sheridan | Private |
| James Sherrin | Private |
| William Skyler | Private |
| Norman Sidbottom | Private |
| Walker Stephens | Private |
| James D. Taylor | Private |
| John Taylor | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Thomas J. Todd | Private (Discharged due to disabilities) |
| Lewis Tull | Private |
| Thomas Webb | Private |
| James L. Williams | Private |
| W. Williams | Private |
| Merriat Young | Private |
Sources & Research Guide
Source: The History of Franklin County, Kentucky by L. F. Johnson, 1912.