Blackburn Guards - Lee's Kentuckians Morale Patch

Flag of Company H, 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment - the "Blackburn Guards" Original flag was donated to the former Museum of the Confederacy and is believed to have been the company flag of the Blackburn Guards.  Historical Source: Most of the Southern states were represented by units in the Army of Northern Virginia at Sharpsburg, but Kentucky is not usually thought of as one of them. However, a Kentucky unit was present at Sharpsburg; the only outfit from that state in Lee's army. A company of Kentuckians left the Commonwealth early in the summer of 1861 to fight for the Confederacy. Dr. Luke P. Blackburn, later Governor of Kentucky, paid to arm and equip the unit, which called itself the Blackburn Guards. Samuel V. Reid of Covington was the first captain of the company, and led his 29 men off to Virginia1. The men were accepted into Confederate service at Nashville on June 10, 1861. Companies from Arkansas were passing through Nashville on their way to Virginia, and the Blackburn Gu