The Life and Times of Kimber M. Snyder

Armed with only his rifled musket, Kimber M. Snyder was credited with leading the charge to release Civil War prisoners. One of four fighting sons of a young widow from the hills of Pennsylvania, Kimber decided it was time to go and rescue his fellow soldiers. Tied to trees in the middle of winter, Snyder led a group of men out of their tents to commit this daring deed. However, what made this action so remarkable was that this rescue was not aimed at the Confederates, but at his Union officers! And the prisoners were not southern Rebels, but rather boys from back home, who had refused to forage for food in the middle of winter without shoes and coats. The armed confrontation between the enlisted men and the officers led to Kimber's arrest. The court martial trial that followed was a mixture of truth, lies and conveniently forgotten testimony that led to his acquittal and later, a promotion.

This book follows the history of Kimber M. Snyder from his family's early years in colonial Pennsylvania to his service in the Civil War with the 78th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Included are vivid descriptions of the 78th's military service and their involvement at such major battles as Stone's River, Chickamauga and Pickett's Mill. In addition, there are new insights and interpretations of the regiment's role at the latter two battles, where they have been criticized by some for their performance. By using casualty figures and Union and Confederate records, a new light is shed on the 78th's fighting record.

While this book is a story of Snyder's life and those of his wife and children, it is also the tale of Henderson and Union Counties in western Kentucky and Posey County in southern Indiana, where the veteran tried to eek out a living, while raising his family. Court transcripts, battle reports, census returns, diaries, family lore and years of old newspaper articles are used to illustrate the last half of the 19th century. The Gilded Age excesses of this era escaped the Snyder's grasp, as it did with so many others in the lower Ohio River Valley. Presidential and local politics, high profile trials, the weather, farm prices and the everyday happenings of the region are detailed as the Snyders along with many others, blended into the rural landscape, but more importantly contributed to the building of the country we know today.