Kentucky in the American Civil War Kentucky in the American Civil War Kentucky was a border state of key importance in the American Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln recognized the importance of the Commonwealth when, in a September 1861 letter to Orville Browning, he wrote: I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game. Kentucky gone, we cannot hold Missouri, nor Maryland. These all against us, and the job on our hands is too large for us. We would as well consent to separation at once, including the surrender of this capitol. Kentucky, being a border state, was among the
Campaigns of the American Civil War with blue and gray. Units that received campaign credit as a Confederate unit (only applicable to some current Army National Guard units from Southern states) use the same ribbon with the colors reversed. Blue refers to Federal service and gray to Confederate. Joined together they represent the unification of the country after the Civil War. The following inscriptions in yellow, shown in all capital letters, are authorized on the streamers: Campaigns of the American Civil War The campaigns of the American Civil War are categorized in various ways. The U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry has identified 25 campaigns that are