Inscription:Capt. Andrew Offutt / Nov. 9, 1837 / Oct. 7, 1921 / He served in the Federal Army / From 1861 to 1865 in the / 5th Kentucky Cavalry / and went with Sherman / to the sea / His wife / Elizabeth A. Offutt / Sept. 6, 1845
A rare monument to the Union cause, this marble and granite work was erected by the Offutt family to honor a Civil War veteran. Captain Offutt is depicted in a tunic length coat and kepi hat, hands resting on a sword. It is apparent that the family, and likely the deceased, viewed his service as a Union soldier to be one of his most important life contributions, for Offutt lived another 56 years after the end of the War.
As a member of the 5th Kentucky Cavalry organized at Columbus, Kentucky, in December 1861, Offutt was mustered in at Gallatin, Tennessee in March 1862.
The 5th Cavalry saw duty in the Armies of the Ohio and the Cumberland, before joining up with the Military Division Mississippi. Offutt and his regiment were with General William T. Sherman in the Campaign of the Carolinas, which led to the surrender of Confederate General Joseph Johnston on April 26, 1865. It was one of the significant surrenders that marked the end of the War.
Questions/Activities:
Write a biography of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891).
