Leaving Cincinnati, I Again Entered A Slave State - Namely, Kentucky.
When The War Broke Out, Kentucky Took Upon Itself To Say That It
Would Be Neutral, As If Neutrality In Such A Position Could By Any
Means Have Been Possible!
Neutrality on the borders of secession,
on the battle-field of the coming contest, was of course impossible.
Tennessee, to the south, had joined the South by a regular secession
ordinance.
Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, to the north, were of
course true to the Union. Under these circumstances it became
necessary that Kentucky should choose her side. With the exception
of the little State of Delaware, in which from her position
secession would have been impossible, Kentucky was, I think, less
inclined to rebellion, more desirous of standing by the North, than
any other of the slave States. She did all she could, however, to
put off the evil day of so evil a choice. Abolition within her
borders was held to be abominable as strongly as it was so held in
Georgia. She had no sympathy, and could have none, with the
teachings and preachings of Massachusetts. But she did not wish to
belong to a confederacy of which the Northern States were to be the
declared enemy, and be the border State of the South under such
circumstances. She did all she could for personal neutrality. She
made that effort for general reconciliation of which I have spoken
as the Crittenden Compromise. But compromises and reconciliation
were not as yet possible, and therefore it was necessary that she
should choose her part.
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