Derrick Lindow, who teaches 8th-grade U.S. history at Daviess County Middle School, has signed a contract with Savas Beatie to publish a book exploring the history of the Civil War in the Daviess County area.
The working title is “Laid Low in the Dust: Partisan Warfare in Western Kentucky,” and the book covers the guerrilla and partisan warfare that was common in this part of the country, especially during the summer and fall of 1862.
The narrative follows Confederate Adam Rankin Johnson, leader of a band of “Partisan Rangers” that started with just three men and grew to about 800 in the span of just a few weeks.
The book also covers the extensive measures taken by the Union forces to quell Johnson’s success as he had captured several towns and garrisons, including Newburgh, Ind., and Clarksville, Tenn.
According to Lindow, the Confederate undoing actually took place in Owensboro.
“I’ve wanted to write something on the Civil War since I was a kid,” Lindow said. “Three years ago, I decided I wanted to write a short history on the Civil War in the Owensboro area. I had always been intrigued by the historic marker on U.S. 431, and what little information there was on the battle, and just wanted to know more.”
He continued, “The more I researched, the more I realized how connected, and how important, the events here were to other aspects of the war. It was then that I decided that this was a much larger story that needed to be told, as guerrilla and partisan warfare is a part of Civil War history that is not as deeply studied as something like Gettysburg or other major battles and armies.”
The historic marker Lindow refers to is for the Battle of Panther Creek, located 7.5 miles south of Owensboro on U.S. 431.
According to the Kentucky Historical Society’s database, that marker includes the following information: “Sept. 19, 1862, Confederate force occupied Owensboro. USA troops at old Fairground refused demand for surrender. Skirmish followed. Union soldier swam Ohio River to summon help from Indiana Legion. CSA retired to here. Home Guards from Indiana crossed river and attacked next day. CSA retreated with 36 killed, 70 wounded. USA loss, 3 killed and 35 wounded.”
This site has been proposed for the relocation of the base on which currently stands a statue commemorating Confederate soldiers, which is scheduled to be moved from the Daviess County Courthouse lawn in the future.
Lindow said the main audience for his book is anyone who is interested in the Civil War or local history.
“I think a lot of people will be surprised at just how important the actions of the Union and Confederate forces were in this area,” he said.
As a teacher of U.S. history, Lindow strives to bring the past to life for his students, and hopes this book accomplishes that goal for readers of all ages.
Now that he has signed a contract, Lindow said the next steps will involve working with editors and cover design.
“I’m really excited to begin this phase of putting a book together,” he said.
The book will be available on the publisher’s website, savasbeatie.com, as well as Amazon and other sites and locations.
