Kentucky Played a Major Roll in the Forgotten War of 1812

June marked the bicentennial of the start of the War of 1812.  Not many Kentuckians know much about the conflict, aside from the burning of the White House, and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”  Even fewer know about the role the Commonwealth played in it, despite the fact that if you live in the Jackson Purchase, you likely live in a county named for a soldier who fought and died in one battle of the War of 1812: Major Bland Ballard, Major Benjamin Graves, Captain Paschal Hickman, and Captain Virgil McCracken.  

For some more background, Todd Hatton spoke with Jim Holmberg, Curator of Special Collections for the Filson Historical Society in Louisville.