As tensions grew during the Civil War, the Lexington Rifles militia was formed

Editor’s Note: As Lexington celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, the Herald-Leader and kentucky.com each day throughout 2025 will share interesting facts about our hometown. Compiled by Liz Carey, all are notable moments in the city’s history — some funny, some sad, others heartbreaking or celebratory, and some just downright strange.

May 9, 1857 — In 1857, the United States was divided between those who wanted to see slavery come to an end and those who wanted to see it continue. Kentucky was no different.

The commonwealth itself was deeply divided, and tensions between the North and South put the state in the middle of the conflict. While the state was officially neutral, its economy was largely agricultural, and slavery played a significant role on large farms.

Lexington was a major city in Kentucky, as well as a gateway to the frontier. Its education and arts helped it to earn the nickname “The Athens of the West.” But Lexington was also a thriving slave center with Cheapside acting as a slave auction block until the end of the Civil War.

As tensions mounted, John Hunt Morgan, a Confederate general from Alabama, formed the Lexington Rifles in 1857. Made up of some 60 prominent Lexingtonians, the group was thought to be necessary to protect the city against growing tensions.

Primarily what the company did, though, was train. Dressed in green frock coats, gold braided trousers with white belts, and hats called shakos with brass insignia on them, the men drilled twice a week at their armory at Main and Upper streets.

Commanded by Morgan, they adhered to strict rules. He was a disciplinarian who fined violators for infractions, and even once fined himself 25 cents for being late. Because of the discipline and practice, the group performed for adoring crowds in Lexington.

Morgan initially supported Kentucky’s neutral stance but then turned to supporting the Confederacy. As he turned, so, too, did the Lexington Rifles.

In 1859, the group escorted Gov. Beriah Magoffin to Frankfort for his inauguration. Magoffin supported states’ rights and maintaining the institution of slavery. While he believed that states had the right to secede from the Union, he also sought a compromise that would prevent secession.

A year later, John Brown’s Raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, roiled Southern states. The state of Kentucky organized a State Guard to defend against similar uprisings and put the unit under the command of Simon Bolivar Buckner.

Comprised of 132 militias, including the Lexington Rifles, the Guard was designed to be an active militia operating alongside the enrolled and reserve militias.

Magoffin originally said the Guard would be used strictly to protect the commonwealth and repel an invasion. He said the state would use $75,000 to purchase munitions, but none would be used against the United States or the Confederate States.

But when the Civil War began in 1861, members of the Guard left to join both the Union and the Confederacy. The Lexington Rifles had already organized with other Fayette County companies to form the Lexington Battalion.

Later, the Lexington Battalion combined with the Kentucky Rifle Battalion to create the First Infantry Regiment. The Lexington Rifles was one of the first militia groups to leave the state and join the Confederacy.

In battles against the Union, the Rifles devastated supply lines, raided towns, captured horses and disrupted forces.

Have a question or story idea related to Lexington’s 250-year history? Let us know at 250LexKy@gmail.com.