Abraham 'abe" Buford.

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Abraham Buford.

Birth: January 18, 1820.
Death: June 9, 1884.

Wife: Amanda Harris Buford ( ? - 1879 ).

Children: William Abraham Buford, ( 1848 - 1872 ).

Burial: Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky.

Brigadier-General Abram Buford was born in Kentucky in 1820  He entered the United States Military Academy in 1837, an< 3 at graduation in 1 841 was promoted in the army to brevet second lieutenant of the First Dragoons. He served on the frontier and in the Mexican war, having reached by that time the grade of first lieutenant. He was brevetted at Buena Vista for gallant and meritorious conduct, was ordered again on frontier duty and was in the Santa Fe expedition of 1848. On October 22, 1854, he resigned, having then the rank of captain in the First Dragoons. He became a farmer near Versailles, Woodford County, Ky., being also at one time president of the Richmond & Danville Railroad.

When it became evident that war between the North and South could not be averted, Captain Buford without hesitation cast his lot with the South. During the occupation of Kentucky by Bragg and Kirby Smith in 1862, a cavalry brigade was organized in the State, of which Buford was put in command with a commission as brigadier-general, dated 3d of September, 1862. He retired from Kentucky with the cavalry command of General Wheeler and formed part of the latter's force at Murfreesboro. In the latter's campaign Buford's brigade was composed of the regiments of Colonel Smith, Grisby and Butler, in all about six hundred and fifty men, and was actively engaged in the cavalry fighting, including the La Vergne raid. Soon afterwards he was ordered to report to General Pemberton at Jackson, Miss., and by the latter was assigned to Port Hudson, La.

In April he was ordered to Jackson with two regiments, and this was the nucleus of the brigade under his command, Loring's division, which took part in the battle of Baker's Creek, Johnston's operations against Grant, and the defense of Jackson. Included in the brigade were the Seventh Kentucky, Colonel Crossland, and part of the Third, Major J. H. Bowman. The Eighth Kentucky, mounted, was detached. Buford's command took a prominent part at Baker's Creek, and he was commended for his leadership. Remaining with the army under Johnston and later Polk, in his brigade in the early part of 1864, including five Alabama regiments, the Third, Seventh and Eighth Kentucky and Twelfth Louisiana.

But he soon returned to the cavalry service with his three Kentucky infantry regiments, mounted, and given command of a division of Forrest's command, including -the three Kentucky infantry regiments already named, Colonel Faulkner's Twelfth and Forrest's Alabama regiment, formed one brigade under Colonel A. P. Thompson, and the Tennessee brigade of Colonel T. H. Bell. With this command Buford took part in Forrest's spring campaign in West Tennessee, and was so prominent in the famous victory of Tishamingo creek that Forrest declared his obligations principally due to Buford.

During the Atlanta campaign he took part in the operations in Northern Alabama and Tennessee in a number of engagements, among which Johnsonville is the most famous ; and later he was with Forrest in the operation about Franklin and Murfreesboro and the rear guard fighting of Hood's retreat, until he was severely wounded at Richland creek, December 24th. In February, 1865, he was assigned to command all Alabama cavalry within the limits of General Taylor's department. After the close of the war he resumed the occupation of farming in Kentucky, and served again in the Legislature of 1879. His death occurred June 9, 1884, at Danville, Ill..