Sept 1, 1861

". . . I think it of the greatest consequence to the Southern cause in Kentucky and elsewhere that I should be ahead of the enemy in occupying Columbus and Paducah.

Respectfully, your obedient servant, L. Polk"

Going by Polk's statement here, it doesn't seem to me that he was the least bit concerned about neutrality, Camp Dick Robinson, boats being seized on the Ohio River, or whether some folks in Columbus invited him to visit. Nobody in Paducah asked him to stop by, and he intended to occupy that town too. I think it's obvious he had learned of Fremont's intention to occupy Columbus, knew how important blockading the Mississippi River was, and decided to beat Fremont and Grant to the punch. If he had waited a day or two and let Grant seize Columbus, the Federals would have been seen as the truly serious violators of Kentucky's neutrality, and the Confederates' image as victims would have been enhanced. I suspect, however, that the Federals would have prevailed anyway because the majority of the state's population and its legislature were pro-Union. Plus, if it had come to battles at that time, the Confederates didn't have the military strength in the state or within reach to prevail. That's proven by what actually happened in the ensuing months.

Doug Fiske