author
George B. (George Baird) Hodge
1828–1892
A Kentucky lawyer and politician who moved from the U.S. Naval Academy to the courtroom and then into the turmoil of the Civil War, he led Confederate cavalry forces and later returned to public life. His story traces a sharp turn from national service to sectional conflict in a deeply divided era.
1 Audiobook
Sketch of the First Kentucky Brigade
by George B. (George Baird) Hodge
About the author
Born on April 8, 1828, in Fleming County, Kentucky, George Baird Hodge was educated at Maysville and attended the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He served in the Navy before resigning, then studied law, was admitted to the bar, and built a career in Kentucky politics as a state legislator and attorney.
When the Civil War began, he cast his lot with the Confederacy. He served first in political roles representing Kentucky and later in the field, where he became a colonel and at times commanded a cavalry brigade. Accounts of his rank at the war’s end can be complicated, but reliable sources agree that he was associated with brigadier-general status even though the formal appointment process was disputed.
After the war, Hodge resumed legal and political work and remained a recognizable public figure in Kentucky. He died on August 1, 1892, in Longwood, Florida, leaving behind a life that moved through military service, law, politics, and one of the most divided chapters in American history.