to bring the struggle to an honorable conclu-
sion. “This has been a magnificent epic,” he
advised. “In God’s name let it not terminate in
a farce.” Following the fall of Richmond in
April 1865, Breckinridge fled south to join
General Johnston in North Carolina, where he
served as legal counsel during surrender ne-
gotiations with Gen. William Tecumseh Sher-
man. Fearing he would be charged with trea-
son, Breckinridge then fled the country and
sought asylum in Cuba and England.
Breckinridge remained abroad until De-
cember 1868, when he returned home under a
general amnesty advanced by President An-
drew Johnson. He then resumed his legal ca-
reer in Lexington, Kentucky, advocated eco-
nomic development of the state, and served as
a voice for national reconciliation. To that end
he denounced Ku Klux Klan violence and ad-
vocated allowing former African American
slaves to testify in court. Breckinridge died at
Lexington on May 17, 1875, mentally and phys-
ically exhausted by his previous exertions,
aged but 54 years. During his brief time in uni-
form, he managed to bring additional luster to
this most famous of Kentucky families.
See also
Bragg, Braxton; Davis, Jefferson; Johnston, Joseph E.;
Lee, Robert E.
Bibliography
Conrad, James L. The Young Lions: Confederate
Cadets at War.Mechanicburg, PA: Stackpole Books,
1997; Davis, Robert S.Breckinridge: Statesman,
Soldier, Symbol.Baton Rouge: Louisiana State Uni-
versity Press, 1974; Davis, William C. The Battle of
New Market.Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975;
Davis, William C. Honorable Defeat: The Last Days
of the Confederate Government.New York: Har-
court, 2001; Davis, William C. The Orphan Brigade:
The Kentucky Confederates Who Couldn’t Go
Home.Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University
Press, 1980; DeLaughter, Roger V. The Third Battle
of Winchester.Lynchburg, VA: H. E. Howard, 1997;
Gindlesperger, James. Seed Corn of the Confeder-
acy: The Story of the Cadets of the Virginia Mili-
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pensburg, PA: Burd Street Press, 1997; Harrison,
Lowell H. “John C. Breckinridge: Nationalist, Con-
federate, Kentuckian.” Filson Club History Quar-
terly47 (1973): 125–144; Haughton, Andrew. Train-
ing, Tactics, and Leadership in the Confederate
Army of Tennessee: Seeds of Failure.Portland, OR:
Frank Cass, 2000; Heck, Frank H. Proud Kentuck-
ian: John C. Breckinridge, 1821–1875.Lexington:
University of Kentucky Press, 1976; West, Jeffrey.
From Winchester to Cedar Creek: The Shenandoah
Campaign of 1864.New York: Simon and Schuster,
1997; Woodworth, Steven E.This Grand Spectacle:
The Battle of Chickamauga.Abilene, TX: McWhin-
ney Foundation Press, 1999.BROCK, ISAAC
Brock, Isaac
(October 6, 1769–October 13, 1812)
English General
W
idely hailed as the “savior of Upper
Canada,” Brock was an enterprising,
highly successful military officer who
served in the War of 1812. His decisive, inspir-
ing leadership thwarted two American inva-
sions and preserved Canada for the British
Empire. Brock consequently remains Canada’s
most revered military hero, and his memory is
perpetuated by a towering monument.
Isaac Brock was born in St. Peter Port,
Guernsey, on October 6, 1769, into a moder-
ately well-to-do family. He was commissioned
an ensign in the famous Eighth Regiment of
Foot (the King’s Own) in 1785, rose to lieu-