Basil Wilson Duke

author

Basil Wilson Duke

1838–1916

Remembered as a Confederate general and later as a writer of Civil War history, he moved from the battlefield into public memory and historical work. His life connects Kentucky, the war years, and the long effort to explain that conflict afterward.

2 Audiobooks

Famous Adventures and Prison Escapes of the Civil War

Famous Adventures and Prison Escapes of the Civil War

by Basil Wilson Duke, Thomas Henry Hines, Frank E. Moran, William Pittenger, A. E. (Adolphus Edwards) Richards, W. H. (William Henry) Shelton, Orlando B. Willcox, John Taylor Wood

History of Morgan's Cavalry

History of Morgan's Cavalry

by Basil Wilson Duke

About the author

Born in Georgetown, Kentucky, in 1838, Basil W. Duke studied law and began his career as an attorney before the Civil War. During the war he became a Confederate officer and rose to the rank of general, serving closely with John Hunt Morgan.

After the war, Duke built a second reputation as a lawyer, public figure, and historian. He is especially remembered for writing about Morgan and for helping shape how the Civil War was remembered in Kentucky and beyond.

Duke died in 1916. Today he is often noted both for his military role in the Confederacy and for the historical writings that kept his name in public view long after the war ended.