In the decades following the Civil War there was a long line of United States Presidents who had seen service during the conflict.  One future president, James A. Garfield, was in command of a Union offensive into Eastern Kentucky 150 years ago today.  On January 10^th, 1862, Garfield looked to defeat a Confederate force near Middle Creek, Kentucky under the command of Humphrey Marshall.  Garfield had no military experience before the war, and Middle Creek would be his first test as a commander.

Garfield was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio on November 19^th, 1831.  His father died before Garfield turned 2, and he was raised by his mother until he left home at age 16.  Throughout the 1840’s and 1850’s, Garfield tried a vast number of professions, but eventually settled on working in higher education as a professor and administrator for most of his pre-war career.  In the late 1850’s he became politically active and was sympathetic to the newly formed Republican Party.  Republican officials in Garfield’s vicinity recruited him and when his native state went to war he was eager to support the Lincoln Administration’s call to arms.

Above: Garfield as a brigadier general.

After some political maneuvering Garfield was commissioned as colonel of the 42^nd Ohio Infantry in the summer of 1861.  He had only been in command for a few months when he was given a brigade of infantry and chosen to lead an expedition into Eastern Kentucky.  There were surely more experienced officers available for the task, but Garfield must have displayed some virtues which put him in the challenging role.  Garfield’s expedition began near Louisa, Kentucky along the modern West Virginia border.  His force of about 2,100 had reached Prestonburg, Kentucky by early January, where the federals were confronted by a force of 2,500 Confederates.

Garfield exhibited an aggressive posture, which for an inexperienced commander was very risky.  Lucky for him the Confederates were poorly equipped and lacked much of the cohesion which the better supplied Union regiments had.  On January 10^th Garfield’s men moved forward and after some sharp skirmishing were able to force the Confederates to withdraw in what has become known as the Battle of Middle Creek.  The victory earned Garfield a promotion to brigadier general dated from January 11^th, 1862.  Middle Creek would be followed up by Union commander George Thomas just over a week later at Mills Springs, and secured Eastern Kentucky for the Union early in 1862.

Above: Garfield after the Civil War.

Garfield would go on to serve in the Union Army until December of 1863 when he resigned his commission to take his seat in the House of Representatives, to which he had been elected as a Republican.  He served in the House until 1881, when he took office as President of the United States.  Garfield had only been president for a few months when he was shot by Charles J. Guiteau in a railroad station in Washington.  After 80 of suffering Garfield died in a cottage on the Jersey Shore on September 19, 1881.  He was interred in a large mausoleum at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.