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Thomas H. Kidd
Sergeant, Company D, 7th Kentucky Infantry
By Alan M. Kidd
Thomas H. Kidd was born in Stokes County North Carolina on May 4, 1833.
His Father, George Kidd, was originally from Virginia and in 1851 took
the family to Scott County, Virginia, where they had a farm in Rye Cove. In
1855 Thomas married Mary Jane Stanfield in Scott County. His older
Brother Demarcus and sister Elizabeth also married that year. Elizabeth
married Charles Carter and Demarcus married Mildred Stewart.
In late 1858, George Kidd, who must have been a restless type, took the
remainder of the family across Pound Gap into Owsley County Kentucky. Thomas
and his young family also moved about that time to Jackson County, settling
in the Sturgeon Creek area, near the Owsley County Line. Charles Carter
also moved to Jackson County, as did several young families from the Rye
Cove area of Scott County. The 1860 Jackson County Census shows no
less that six families from Scott county living in a row in the Sturgeon Creek
district of Jackson County. The only member of the Kidd family to stay
behind in Scott County was Demarcus.
When the call for volunteers came in 1861, Thomas and his neighbors joined
the Union side, despite having only recently arrived from Virginia. Most
of them went into Company D of the 7th Kentucky Infantry. At least 10%
of Company D was made up of former Scott County men, including one of its
Lieutenants, Hampton Flanery, and two of its sergeants, Thomas Kidd and
Robert M. Flanery. Many other former Scott county residents went into
Co. E of the 14th Kentucky Cavalry.
The Civil War was hard on most people in America, but few could have felt the brother
versus brother aspect of the conflict more immediately than those recently
transplanted families from Scott County. In what must have seemed an
instant, their friends and family who remained in Scott County were transformed
into the enemy. While they were joining the Union army they would
know their brothers, fathers, uncles and cousins back in Scott County were
joining Confederate Regiments. Thomas Kidd's family was no exception
to this. His brother Demarcus joined the 48th Virginia Regiment and was
captured during the battle of the Wilderness. Even Thomas's younger
brothers wound up on different sides. Tandy Kidd joined the 14th
Kentucky Cavalry, while Robert Kidd, who went back to Scott County to marry
Prescovy Peters, ended up in the 25th Virginia Cavalry. George Kidd,
Thomas' father, joined the Army as well. He enlisted in the 47th Kentucky
Mounted Infantry and was the only member of the family not to survive the war,
dying of smallpox in Covington Kentucky in June of 1864 shortly after his
regiment helped repel General John Hunt Morgan's Raid into Kentucky.
Thomas joined Captain's Clark's Company of the 3rd Regiment of Kentucky
Volunteers in September of 1861. This unit was soon reorganized into
Company D of the 7th Kentucky Infantry. Thomas enrolled in Booneville
for a period of three years. He was promoted to Corporal in March of
1863, then to sergeant in July of 1864. He was mustered out in October
of 1864, his three year term having come to an end.
Thomas returned to Jackson County, but soon moved to Traveler's Rest in Owsley
County. There he remained until he died in 1906. Tandy Kidd also
returned to Owsley County, but died soon after the close of the war. Robert
Kidd returned from Scott County with his wife and family and settled in Owsley
as well. I imagine he and Thomas compared notes on the view of the war
from the two sides. They seemed to be on good terms as they named
their sons after each other. Demarcus survived the prison camp in Elmira,
New York and returned to Scott County. I don't know if he and Thomas
ever communicated after the war. Thomas' brother-in-law, Charles Carter,
died in Memphis from disease in 1863. As usual in the wars of that time
disease caused far more casualties that the bullets of the enemy. Charles
wife, the former Elizabeth kid seems also to have died, and the 1870 census lists
a 13 year old Rebecca Carter living with Thomas's family. I suspect she
may be a daughter of Charles and Elizabeth, but I don't know this for certain.
Thomas took part in all of the campaigns of the 7th, and subsequently filed for
a pension as a result of chronic rheumatism, resulting from "Camp Fever"
contracted during the Vicksburg campaign. In his application he states
that he first contracted Camp Fever at Black River Bridge Mississippi on or about
May 16th 1863. "The fever was brought on by being over heated and
exhausted during the fight at Vicksburg Miss. and having to lay out in the open
field at night without blankets."
In another document Hampton Flanery, the former First Lieutenant of Company
D supports Thomas' claim. In the Certificate of Disability Hampton Flanery
states that "he was personally acquainted with said Kidd from about 1851 till
enlistment and was satisfied he was sound & healthy & free from diseases of any
kind and continued so till the Spring of 1863 and he states he does know when
said Kidd returned home discharged he was complaining and suffering with
chronic rheumatism & spinal effections."
Thomas did get his pension, at the rate of four dollars a month, subsequently
increased to eight and then sixteen, though Thomas had to go through repeated
medical exams to back up his claim for disability.
Thomas died on July 26, 1906 and is buried near Sexton Creek Post Office on the
Owsley-Jackson County Line. The gravesite is difficult to get to but the
gravestone, one of the standard issue Civil War Veteran grave markers, is still in
good shape. The inscription reads " SERGT. THOS. H. KIDD CO. D 7 KY.
INF." Which is probably how he would like to be remembered.
A partial List of former resident of Scott County Virginia who served in Company
D, 7th Kentucky infantry;
| Charles R. Carter |
Thomas H. Kidd |
| James Neely |
Joseph D. Pendleton |
| James P. Carter |
John N. Pendleton |
| Elhana Flanery |
Edward Stapleton |
| Hampton Flanery |
Thomas Riley Stewart |
| Robert M. Flanery |
Thomas Strong |
| Addison Hensley |
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