Marcellus Jerome Clarke
Encyclopedia
Marcellus Jerome Clarke (also called M. Jerome Clarke)(1844–March 15, 1865) was a Confederate
captain who in 1864 became one of Kentucky's
most famous guerrillas
. He was rumored to be "Sue Mundy
", a character publicized by George Prentice, editor of the Louisville Journal.
in 1844.
At the age of 17 in 1861, he enlisted as M. Jerome Clarke in the 4th Kentucky Infantry, 1st Kentucky "Orphan" Brigade
, Confederate States Army
(CSA). While with the 4th Kentucky, Clarke was captured at Fort Donelson
and later escaped from Camp Morgan. He saw action with the 4th Kentucky at the Battle of Chickamauga
.
Clarke was reassigned to Morgan's Men, the unit headed by Brig. Gen.
John Hunt Morgan
. By then he was a captain. While with Morgan's Men, he took part in the famous Morgan's Raid
, storming into Union
territory in Kentucky and across the border into northern states of Ohio
and Indiana
, which was against Morgan's orders.
", and caused Major General
Stephen G. Burbridge
, military governor of Kentucky, substantial embarrassment. Combined with the fact that Clarke's gang (referred to by the Journal as "Mundy's Gang") had joined with William Quantrill's
Raiders, Clarke was seen as a dangerous enemy of the Union. On the night of February 2, 1865, this joint force of Quantrill and Clarke rode into Lair Station, Kentucky and burned the railroad depot and freight cars. A week later on February 8, 1865, the guerrillas killed three soldiers, took four more prisoners, and destroyed the remnants of a wagon train.
near Breckinridge County
. They were to capture Clarke and his gang. Four Union soldiers were wounded in the altercation. With Clarke were Henry Medkiff and Henry C. Magruder, wounded in an earlier attack.
Major Wilson escorted the three men to Brandenburg, where they boarded a steamer for Louisville. Military authorities kept Clarke's trial a secret, and the verdict had been decided the day before the trial. He pleaded to be treated as a prisoner of war but was tried as a guerrilla. On March 14, military authorities planned Clarke's execution, even though the trial had not started. At the brief hearing, Clarke was said to have "stood firm and spoke with perfect composure." Clarke stated that he was a regular Confederate soldier and that the crimes he was being charged with he had not committed, or they had been committed by Quantrill. During the three-hour trial, Clarke was not allowed counsel or witnesses for his defense. Three days after his capture, Union authorities scheduled Clarke for public hanging just west of the corner of 18th and Broadway in Louisville.
On March 15, Rev. J.J. Talbott visited the 20-year-old Clarke in prison and notified him that he would be hanged that afternoon. Reportedly Clarke knelt and prayed, asking Talbott to baptize him. With Clarke dictating, the minister wrote four letters for him: to Clarke's aunt, his cousin, a young lady named Lashbrook, and his fiancee. Clarke's last requests were for his body to be sent to his aunt and stepmother in Franklin to be buried in his Confederate uniform, next to his parents.
When the carriage arrived at the gallows, Clarke gave one last statement to the crowd. He said: "I am a regular Confederate soldier-not a guer[r]illa... I have served in the Army for nearly four years... I fought under General Buckner at Fort Donelson and I belonged to General Morgan's command when I entered Kentucky." His last words were "I believe in and die for the Confederate cause." Several thousand people were estimated to have attended Clarke's execution, attracted by rumors that he was "Sue Mundy". After authorities cut Clarke's body down from the scaffold, some witnesses cut off buttons from his coat as keepsakes. Police arrested three men for fighting over his hat.
On October 29, 1865, Union authorities hanged Henry Magruder behind the walls of the Louisville Military Prison. He had been allowed to heal from his wounds before being hanged. Before his death, Magruder wrote his memoir and declared he was the real "Sue Mundy". Thus ended the careers of two famous Kentucky guerrillas.
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
captain who in 1864 became one of Kentucky's
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
most famous guerrillas
Guerrilla warfare in the American Civil War
Guerrilla warfare in the American Civil War followed the same general patterns of irregular warfare conducted in 19th century Europe. Structurally, they can be divided into three different types of operations—the so-called 'People's War', 'partisan warfare', and 'raiding warfare'...
. He was rumored to be "Sue Mundy
Sue Mundy
Sue Mundy was a fictional guerrilla character created by George D. Prentice, the editor of the Louisville Journal, who opposed the heavy-handed military rule of General Stephen G. Burbridge in Kentucky during the American Civil War.-History:...
", a character publicized by George Prentice, editor of the Louisville Journal.
Confederate soldier
Marcellus Jerome Clarke was born in Franklin, KentuckyFranklin, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,996 people, 3,251 households, and 2,174 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,074.7 people per square mile . There were 3,609 housing units at an average density of 485.1 per square mile...
in 1844.
At the age of 17 in 1861, he enlisted as M. Jerome Clarke in the 4th Kentucky Infantry, 1st Kentucky "Orphan" Brigade
Orphan Brigade
The Orphan Brigade was the nickname of the First Kentucky Brigade, a group of military units recruited from the Commonwealth of Kentucky to fight for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. The brigade was the largest Confederate unit to be recruited from Kentucky during...
, Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
(CSA). While with the 4th Kentucky, Clarke was captured at Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson was a fortress built by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River leading to the heart of Tennessee, and the heart of the Confederacy.-History:...
and later escaped from Camp Morgan. He saw action with the 4th Kentucky at the Battle of Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
.
Clarke was reassigned to Morgan's Men, the unit headed by Brig. Gen.
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War.Morgan is best known for Morgan's Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio...
. By then he was a captain. While with Morgan's Men, he took part in the famous Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid was a highly publicized incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Northern states of Indiana and Ohio during the American Civil War. The raid took place from June 11–July 26, 1863, and is named for the commander of the Confederates, Brig. Gen...
, storming into Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
territory in Kentucky and across the border into northern states of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, which was against Morgan's orders.
Confederate guerrilla
Following Morgan's death on September 4, 1864, Clarke formed his own guerrilla band, and returned to Kentucky in October. He raided throughout the state, killing Union soldiers and destroying supplies. His raids seemed to inspire the Louisville Journals stories of the infamous "Sue MundySue Mundy
Sue Mundy was a fictional guerrilla character created by George D. Prentice, the editor of the Louisville Journal, who opposed the heavy-handed military rule of General Stephen G. Burbridge in Kentucky during the American Civil War.-History:...
", and caused Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Stephen G. Burbridge
Stephen G. Burbridge
-External links:* — Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush...
, military governor of Kentucky, substantial embarrassment. Combined with the fact that Clarke's gang (referred to by the Journal as "Mundy's Gang") had joined with William Quantrill's
William Quantrill
William Clarke Quantrill was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. After leading a Confederate bushwhacker unit along the Missouri-Kansas border in the early 1860s, which included the infamous raid and sacking of Lawrence, Kansas in 1863, Quantrill eventually ended up in...
Raiders, Clarke was seen as a dangerous enemy of the Union. On the night of February 2, 1865, this joint force of Quantrill and Clarke rode into Lair Station, Kentucky and burned the railroad depot and freight cars. A week later on February 8, 1865, the guerrillas killed three soldiers, took four more prisoners, and destroyed the remnants of a wagon train.
Capture and hanging
On March 12, 1865, fifty Union soldiers from the 30th Wisconsin Infantry, under the command of Major Cyrus Wilson, surrounded a tobacco barn ten miles south of BrandenburgBrandenburg, Kentucky
Brandenburg is a city in Meade County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,049 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Meade County.-History:...
near Breckinridge County
Breckinridge County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,648 people, 7,324 households, and 5,309 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,890 housing units at an average density of...
. They were to capture Clarke and his gang. Four Union soldiers were wounded in the altercation. With Clarke were Henry Medkiff and Henry C. Magruder, wounded in an earlier attack.
Major Wilson escorted the three men to Brandenburg, where they boarded a steamer for Louisville. Military authorities kept Clarke's trial a secret, and the verdict had been decided the day before the trial. He pleaded to be treated as a prisoner of war but was tried as a guerrilla. On March 14, military authorities planned Clarke's execution, even though the trial had not started. At the brief hearing, Clarke was said to have "stood firm and spoke with perfect composure." Clarke stated that he was a regular Confederate soldier and that the crimes he was being charged with he had not committed, or they had been committed by Quantrill. During the three-hour trial, Clarke was not allowed counsel or witnesses for his defense. Three days after his capture, Union authorities scheduled Clarke for public hanging just west of the corner of 18th and Broadway in Louisville.
On March 15, Rev. J.J. Talbott visited the 20-year-old Clarke in prison and notified him that he would be hanged that afternoon. Reportedly Clarke knelt and prayed, asking Talbott to baptize him. With Clarke dictating, the minister wrote four letters for him: to Clarke's aunt, his cousin, a young lady named Lashbrook, and his fiancee. Clarke's last requests were for his body to be sent to his aunt and stepmother in Franklin to be buried in his Confederate uniform, next to his parents.
When the carriage arrived at the gallows, Clarke gave one last statement to the crowd. He said: "I am a regular Confederate soldier-not a guer[r]illa... I have served in the Army for nearly four years... I fought under General Buckner at Fort Donelson and I belonged to General Morgan's command when I entered Kentucky." His last words were "I believe in and die for the Confederate cause." Several thousand people were estimated to have attended Clarke's execution, attracted by rumors that he was "Sue Mundy". After authorities cut Clarke's body down from the scaffold, some witnesses cut off buttons from his coat as keepsakes. Police arrested three men for fighting over his hat.
On October 29, 1865, Union authorities hanged Henry Magruder behind the walls of the Louisville Military Prison. He had been allowed to heal from his wounds before being hanged. Before his death, Magruder wrote his memoir and declared he was the real "Sue Mundy". Thus ended the careers of two famous Kentucky guerrillas.
External links
- Bryan S. Bush "Guerrilla Warfare in Kentucky"