War on the Border

As impending civil war became a reality rather than aarmies. Bloody battles occurred at Mill Springs and
possibility, every state in the United States has aPerryville, and numerous other skirmishes occurred
decision to make - whether to stay with the Union orthroughout the state. Part of the western side of the
join the nascent Confederacy.state attempted to secede from Kentucky, and was
For states where slavery had been abolished, therecognized by the Confederacy, but the Union
decision was clear. For those states where slaverypresence in Kentucky overrode the Confederate
was still a legal institution, the decision of whether tosentiment, and the state officially remained neutral.
remain loyal to the Union or take sides with theMissouri, not unlike Kentucky, was populated by both
Confederacy was much more difficult. For some ofslavery supporters and those who opposed the
these states, the only option was neutrality. Neutrality,institution, and likewise became a battleground both for
however, was an option that proved nearly as perilousthe Federal and Confederate troops, and its own
as joining the fight.residents.
Five states either openly chose neutrality or wereMissouri declined to leave the Union, but Confederate
slave states that refused to leave the Union, andsympathies were rampant in the state, supported by
became known as border states. Most of theseGovernor Claiborne Jackson and other state
states - Kentucky, Missouri, and West Virginia - hadlegislators. Attempts by Jackson to arm the
reasons for declining to take a side that varied fromConfederacy resulted first in the imprisonment of the
state to state; however, the reasons for abstainingstate militia to Union Captain Nathaniel Lyon, which
from engagement in the war boiled down to the factended in a bloody riot, and finally in the exile of the
that in most of these states, slaveholders and thosestate government to Confederate Arkansas. The
who were either against slavery were often splitprovisional government, supported by Lincoln, added to
evenly.the Union presence in the state, and much of the
Delaware was a border state in name only.fighting in Missouri was done by guerrilla gangs such as
Surrounded by free states, Delaware declined to leaveQuantrill's raiders, who attacked Union troops and
the Union despite the fact that it was still a slavecivilian supporters of the Union alike.
holding state. Although slavery had been widespread inNowhere, however, were division more deep and
Delaware during the colonial period, by the 1860s,destructive than in Virginia. When Virginia chose to
slavery was on the wane. Abolishment of slavery hadsecede, the long-simmering disagreements between
come to the legislature on several occasions, but hadthe powerful southeast part of the state and
been narrowly defeated each time. Most ofnorthwestern part of the state, which considered itself
Delaware's African-American population was free bydisenfranchised, boiled over. Most of this ill-will centered
the time of the Civil War, and Delaware did not musteron the fact that the southeast part of the state, which
any regiments for the Confederacy.held a large number of slaves, was awarded more
Like Delaware, Maryland declined to leave the Uniondelegates than the northwest region, where whites
as well. However, dissent between slaveholders andoutnumbered African-Americans. Slavery, then, was
those who opposed slavery was rife in Maryland, andan issue, but not in the sense that it was in other
the state sent troops to both the Union and theborder states.
Confederacy. Complicating matters further wasUpon Virginia's secession, the Wheeling Convention,
President Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus, whichnamed for the town of Wheeling, and consisting of
had resulted in the imprisonment of several Marylandthose from the northwestern area, voted to repeal
state legislators and the mayor and police chief ofsecession. This resulted in what was known as the
Baltimore, all of whom had supported secession.Restored Government of Virginia, which established
Unlike Delaware, Maryland's close proximity towhat became known as West Virginia, and separated
Washington made it the site of several battles andthe two parts of Virginia.
skirmishes during the war. The single bloodiest day ofNot surprisingly, sentiment for both the Union and
fighting during the war took place at Antietam in 1862.Confederacy was strong in the new West Virginia.
Abraham Lincoln, himself a native of Kentucky, isThose who joined the Federal and Confederate
known to have said of the state, "I hope to have Godarmies were nearly equal in numbers. Guerrilla warfare
on my side, but I must have Kentucky." However,in the new state was rampant, and lasted until 1865.
Kentucky was also the birthplace of ConfederateThe border states were often the sites of some of
President Jefferson Davis, and this coincidence wasthe bloodiest battles of the Civil War, a fact that is
typical of the division in Kentucky regarding the war.both ironic and understandable. The "brother against
Kentucky was a slave state, with a large population ofbrother" situations that typified the war were never
slaves, but was also home to many who either did notmore prevalent than in states where the populace
own slaves or opposed slavery. Although Kentuckywas as divided amongst themselves as the Union and
declared neutrality, the state was occupied by boththe Confederacy were.
Confederate and Union troops, and sent men to both