#64 A House Divided

Senator John J. Crittenden (KY)

Maj. General George Crittenden, CSA

Maj. General Thomas Crittenden

The Civil War had an impact on the entire country, but it may have been a particular hell for John J. Crittenden, a seasoned U.S. senator from Kentucky. Not only had his efforts to preserve the Union through a series of compromises failed, but his sons, George and Thomas, ended up on opposite sides of the battle lines once they had been drawn. Both were veterans of the Mexican War, but George distanced himself from his heritage and fought for the South while Thomas grew closer to his father and fought to preserve the Union. What was more, the examples of the two warring brothers spread to the entire family. The two eldest sisters sided with the rebellion while the younger siblings supported the Union. Both men became major generals.

(Source: Eubank, Damon. In The Shadow of The Patriarch: The John J. Crittenden family in War and Peace. Macon: Mercer University Press. 2009)