Basil W. Duke

Basil Wilson Duke (May 28, 1838 – September 16, 1916) was a lawyer in Kentucky and a Confederate general officer during the American Civil War. Afterward he achieved renown as a historian. His most noted service in the war was as second-in-command to his brother-in-law John Hunt Morgan. Duke later wrote a popular account of what was called Morgan's Raid (1863). He took over Morgan's command in 1864 after Morgan was killed by Union soldiers. At the end of the war, Duke served among Confederate President Jefferson Davis's bodyguards after his flight from Richmond, Virginia, through the Carolinas.

Duke has had lasting influence as a historian who recounted the Confederate experience. As a historian he helped to found the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Kentucky, and started efforts to preserve the Shiloh battlefield. He wrote numerous books and magazine articles, most notably in the ''Southern Bivouac''. At his death, he was one of the last few high-ranking Confederate officers. Historian James A. Ramage said of Duke, "No Southerner was more dedicated to the Confederacy than General Basil W. Duke." Provided by Wikipedia