The Kimberlins Go To War: A Union Family in Copperhead Country

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)The Kimblerlin Family, first white settlers of Scott County, Indiana is used as a focal point to study the impact of the Copperhead movement on southern Indiana during the Civil War. The author has been granted acces to dozens of family letters, to and from the battlefield, that have never been subjected to academic scrutiny. They provide a fascinating mirror that reflects cultural attitudes toward the War, and ultimately, the courage it took to stand firmly for the Union in Copperhead country.This is the story of the Kimberlin Family that sent 33 fathers and sons, brothers and cousins to fight for the Union cause 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. While we know that the Kimberlins suffered disproportionately, our only clues to their feelings about the war come from 40 letters to and from the battlefield that have survived to this day. 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 cause? The answers to these questions will help determine if the Kimberlins were unusual in their patriotism or simply acting as any Union family would in an area of the nation known as Copperhead Countr