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The Kimberlins Go to War: A Union Family in Copperhead Country
As July 7, 1861, dawned, war was in the air in Lexington, Indiana. The county seat of Scott County was abuzz with the latest news of the southern rebellion. The _Madison Daily and Evening Courier_ told of skirmishes between Federal troops and “secesh” forces at Harpers Ferry and Falling Waters, Virginia. Closer to home, word had come that William A. Sanderson had organized a new outfit, the Twenty-Third Indiana, and was recruiting throughout the Second Congressional District for men to join the regiment.
Although Scott County had been rife with sympathy and support for the South, answering the call to serve the Union cause from the county were Jacob T. Kimberlin, a twenty-one-year-old farmhand; his older brother, John J.; and his cousins, William H. H. Kimberlin, Benjamin F. Kimberlin, and James Stark. These five young men could not have known at the time that none of them would ever again see their homes. They only knew that the Kimberlins were going to war.
This is the story of the Kimberlin family that sent thirty-three fathers and sons, brothers and cousins, to fight for the Union during the Civil War. Ten family members were killed, wounded, or died of battlefield disease, a 30 percent casualty rate that is unmatched in recorded Scott County history. Of the 134 known deaths of Scott County soldiers, ten were members of the Kimberlin clan. Their feelings about the war come from forty letters to and from the battlefield that have survived to this day. The book examines such questions Were they fighting to save the Union or to free the slaves? How did they express grief over the loss of a brother? Did they keep up with their business and the women at home? And what did they think about “secesh” neighbors in southern Indiana who tried to undermine the Union?
Although Scott County had been rife with sympathy and support for the South, answering the call to serve the Union cause from the county were Jacob T. Kimberlin, a twenty-one-year-old farmhand; his older brother, John J.; and his cousins, William H. H. Kimberlin, Benjamin F. Kimberlin, and James Stark. These five young men could not have known at the time that none of them would ever again see their homes. They only knew that the Kimberlins were going to war.
This is the story of the Kimberlin family that sent thirty-three fathers and sons, brothers and cousins, to fight for the Union during the Civil War. Ten family members were killed, wounded, or died of battlefield disease, a 30 percent casualty rate that is unmatched in recorded Scott County history. Of the 134 known deaths of Scott County soldiers, ten were members of the Kimberlin clan. Their feelings about the war come from forty letters to and from the battlefield that have survived to this day. The book examines such questions Were they fighting to save the Union or to free the slaves? How did they express grief over the loss of a brother? Did they keep up with their business and the women at home? And what did they think about “secesh” neighbors in southern Indiana who tried to undermine the Union?
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Published November 14, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 19, 2017
It needed a map of the Scott County area.
October 29, 2025
I first heard of Kimberlin eight or ten years ago when, after I uploaded my first DNA test to Ancestry, another user reached out and said, “Welcome to the world of Kimberlin.”
I had no idea what that meant, but he eventually explained to me that – given my shared DNA matches – he was confident I was related to a family famous for, among other things, sending close to 33 members into the Civil War. Ten of those would die.
It’s taken me the intervening years to come to a similar conclusion myself, but I now believe that my biological great-grandmother was herself the great-granddaughter of John Jacob Kimberlin, the patriarch of the part of the family that found their way to Scott County, Indiana. Jacob was a Revolutionary War veteran, but it was his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, grand-sons-in-law and descendants of his brothers who constituted those 33 volunteers.
At least one of those was, I believe, my great-great-grandfather Barnett Whitlatch, but I’m getting ahead of myself since I have yet to figure out how to tell the story of how I came to learn that – and I still need to muster all the evidence that’s out there.
In any event, I read this book for two reasons. First, to learn what I could of a family that adopted out my biological grandmother. And, second, because I am also working on a book that takes an extended family as its protagonist – and I’m having a hard time.
The early parts of this, the scene-setting, work very well. Later parts are a bit slower when we hear about the ways that the Kimberlin men found their way back into the economic and political life of Indiana.
In between, though, Murphy makes effective use of the physical evidence he’s found – above all, several letters that family members wrote one another while in the Civil War service and ledgers reflecting the expenses of some of the family farms and businesses.
The most striking element here, though, is Murphy’s contention that this matters because the Kimberlins enlisted in the Union cause. While Indiana was a Union state, though, much of its population – especially in Scott County which bordered Kentucky – had Southern sympathies.
The term for that was “Copperhead,” and the consonance of the subtitle says it all – Scott was a Copperhead county, yet the Kimberlins embraced the Union cause with a fervor that few extended families could match.
That’s powerful stuff and good history.
This is academic work, though, not the sort of essayistic family narrative I am struggling to write myself. So, while this more than answers the questions I had about ancestors I didn’t know about until recently, it’s doing different work than I am.
So, I’m back to trying to figure out a voice that works for my project…one that I hope will eventually let me tell the story of how I came to make my personal Kimberlin discovery.
I had no idea what that meant, but he eventually explained to me that – given my shared DNA matches – he was confident I was related to a family famous for, among other things, sending close to 33 members into the Civil War. Ten of those would die.
It’s taken me the intervening years to come to a similar conclusion myself, but I now believe that my biological great-grandmother was herself the great-granddaughter of John Jacob Kimberlin, the patriarch of the part of the family that found their way to Scott County, Indiana. Jacob was a Revolutionary War veteran, but it was his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, grand-sons-in-law and descendants of his brothers who constituted those 33 volunteers.
At least one of those was, I believe, my great-great-grandfather Barnett Whitlatch, but I’m getting ahead of myself since I have yet to figure out how to tell the story of how I came to learn that – and I still need to muster all the evidence that’s out there.
In any event, I read this book for two reasons. First, to learn what I could of a family that adopted out my biological grandmother. And, second, because I am also working on a book that takes an extended family as its protagonist – and I’m having a hard time.
The early parts of this, the scene-setting, work very well. Later parts are a bit slower when we hear about the ways that the Kimberlin men found their way back into the economic and political life of Indiana.
In between, though, Murphy makes effective use of the physical evidence he’s found – above all, several letters that family members wrote one another while in the Civil War service and ledgers reflecting the expenses of some of the family farms and businesses.
The most striking element here, though, is Murphy’s contention that this matters because the Kimberlins enlisted in the Union cause. While Indiana was a Union state, though, much of its population – especially in Scott County which bordered Kentucky – had Southern sympathies.
The term for that was “Copperhead,” and the consonance of the subtitle says it all – Scott was a Copperhead county, yet the Kimberlins embraced the Union cause with a fervor that few extended families could match.
That’s powerful stuff and good history.
This is academic work, though, not the sort of essayistic family narrative I am struggling to write myself. So, while this more than answers the questions I had about ancestors I didn’t know about until recently, it’s doing different work than I am.
So, I’m back to trying to figure out a voice that works for my project…one that I hope will eventually let me tell the story of how I came to make my personal Kimberlin discovery.
August 14, 2020
Not only an excellent account of the Kimberlin family but a helpful glimpse of life in antebellum Scott County and Southern Indiana. In addition to family correspondence Murphy showed his mastery at using a variety of primary sources, including governmental records. I appreciated his descriptive analysis of the complexities of early nineteenth-century Indiana politics (which is often ignored) showing that a "united" Union did not exist which is vital in understanding the Kimberlin and Southern Indiana saga.
Even though I awarded this book with five-stars I would mention two areas that need consideration: 1. Some local maps would have been quite useful in following the narrative (the absence of local maps is surprising with the large number of illustrations included). 2. When detailing antebellum politics it is hard to follow the author at times. He goes back and forth between state and federal legislative bodies and the reader is not for certain of which he is noting.
Even though I awarded this book with five-stars I would mention two areas that need consideration: 1. Some local maps would have been quite useful in following the narrative (the absence of local maps is surprising with the large number of illustrations included). 2. When detailing antebellum politics it is hard to follow the author at times. He goes back and forth between state and federal legislative bodies and the reader is not for certain of which he is noting.
October 30, 2018
This is a fascinating story of the Kimberlin family from southern Indiana. I descend from John Jacob Kimberlin and his wife Ruth Clendennin - their granddaughter, Mary Kimberlin married my Daniel Williams. They were early pioneers in Shelby County, Indiana.
The book, "The Kimberlins Go To War" tell the story of all of Kimberlin men who fought for the Union , fathers, sons, cousins, uncles. Their stories tell of the family hardships and the struggles to survive during the war.
This is very well-written and researched. I enjoyed it and am proud to be a descendant!
The book, "The Kimberlins Go To War" tell the story of all of Kimberlin men who fought for the Union , fathers, sons, cousins, uncles. Their stories tell of the family hardships and the struggles to survive during the war.
This is very well-written and researched. I enjoyed it and am proud to be a descendant!
April 8, 2018
The author's writing style at times makes following the narrative of family members difficult. Well researched family and early Southern Indiana history meld to clearly explain the social, economic and political climate prior to and during the Civil War. Matter of fact statement s of the impact one pioneer family had on Southern Indiana and the impact the Civil War had on that family.
September 9, 2020
I really liked this book but then I like hearing the back stories of the people involved before and after the Civil war. Would recommend
December 29, 2022
A fantastic books about my relatives. a honest depiction of the times and families involved in the war.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews