Pvt. Bradford Pipes

Company I, 7th Kentucky Cavalry ( Morgan's raiders)

Bradford Pipes was the 8th child of 12 children born to William Pipes and Nancy Gray in Boyle County, Kentucky. He was born December 15th, 1841.  I have little biographical data about Bradford, but his father William was the youngest son of Revolutionary War soldier John Pipes Jr. and his second wife Mary Morris.

Bradford joined up with Morgan's Raiders in September of 1862 along with three of his cousins. One of the cousins, Obediah B. Pipes, was my Great Grandfather. The others were Elias Hardin Pipes and Silas M. Pipes. They were all assigned to Gano's unit, Company I, of the 7th Kentucky Cavalry. They all supplied their own arms, supplies and horses and galloped off into a small piece of history. Bradford participated in most of the raids into Kentucky from their quarters in northern Tennessee. He also was a member of the last great raid led by John Hunt Morgan into Indiana and Ohio in July of 1863. His records from the archives indicate that he was captured by the 5th Indiana Cavalry in Meigs County Ohio on July 19th,1863. He appears on a roll of prisoners at Gallipolis, Ohio dated July 21st, 1863 that show him being transferred to Cinncinatti. We know that he was later transferred to Camp Douglas, Illinois and spent the remainder of the war there. He signed the Oath on February 12th,1865 and was released. His captors describe him as being 5' 10" tall, light complected, with dark hair and grey or blue eyes.

The rigors of war or the prison camp life or possibly sickness contracted on the return trip home may have been too much for Bradford as he passed away shortly after his return, on September 11th, 1865.  He is buried in the Doctor's Fork Union Church cemetery near Gravel Switch, Kentucky  His gravestone reads:

Farewell dear Bradford

No lips can speak

No voice can tell

Of the anguish felt by all

                       Return to soldiers list