Pulitzer-Prize winning historian Dr. James M. McPherson summarized Kentucky's role during the American Civil War (1861-1865): "It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that the Confederacy would have won the war if it could have gained Kentucky," McPherson writes, "and, conversely, that the Union's success in retaining Kentucky as a base for invasions of the Confederate heartland brought eventual Union victory."
Today, the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS), administrator of the Kentucky Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, is working to highlight the Bluegrass State's importance during America's most significant conflict. Working with many partners, KHS is creating Civil War heritage tourism development opportunities, educating students, training teachers, developing initiatives for new scholarship and encouraging events and activities across the commonwealth.
For a list of Civil War sesquicentennial events in Kentucky, visit the Kentucky Historical Society online.
