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John Durham and Francis Clark helped spread the Methodist religion in Kentucky. John Durham was a farmer and Francis Clark was a Methodist lay preacher and both men lived in Mecklenburg, Virginia. In 1783, John Durham moved to Perryville, Kentucky. Francis Clark organized the first Methodist society in Kentucky with John Durham as class leader. John Durham organized the Methodist group in his cabin near Perryville. John Durham had been a Revolutionary War soldier and a friend of Daniel Boone. Durham purchased his land from Simon Kenton on the Licking River and on Quirk’s Run. John Durham died in 1817. His son Benjamin Durham was born in 1778 and was also prominent in the Methodist religion. In 1827, the house burned and Benjamin Durham built a large brick home on the site. Benjamin Durham died in 1847. Durham’s Chapel resides on the Perryville-Danville Road, two miles east of Perryville on Godbey Lane. The Durham home became known as the Methodist Tavern, because of the many prominent Methodist ministers who stopped at the home to visit.
America Emma Durham (November 28, 1839-December 5, 1915) married Reverend William Baxter Godbey. America Durham’s father was James Durham, who was a direct descendant of John Durham. Reverend William and American Emma lived in the Durham home. William Baxter Godbey was born on June 3, 1833, in Pulaski County, Kentucky and was president of Harmonia College in Perryville. Dr. Godbey lived until 1920. His son, Dr. William H. Godbey (January 21, 1879-May 6, 1898) had three daughters, Ruth and Minerva Godbey and Effie Godbey Ison. Ruth was born on October 10, 1912 and Minerva Godbey was born on October 16, 1914. After the Battle of Perryville, which was fought on October 8, 1862, the Durham home and Harmonia College were used a field hospitals for the wounded soldiers.
On October 9, the day after the battle, the Prattville Dragoons, also known as the 3rd Alabama Cavalry, rode onto the Durham home. Samuel Olliver, of Prattville, Alabama, formed in early April 1861 organized a company of cavalry and named them the Prattville Dragoons. Captain Jessie Cox, a steamboat captain, became captain, with Samuel Olliver, as Second Lieutenant. Immediately after the Prattville Dragoons formed, they received orders to Pensacola, Florida to become Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s body guard and part of the army. On June 27, 1862, General Bragg left Tupelo, Mississippi and occupied Chattanooga, Tennessee. On July 18, Colonel Joseph Wheeler was ordered to take charge of and reorganize all of the cavalry in the Army of Mississippi and the Prattville Dragoons, 3rd Alabama Cavalry, became a part of Wheeler’s command. On August 14, 1862, General Bragg made preparations to invade Middle Tennessee and Kentucky. Corporal I. Barton Ulmer, of Company A, 3rd Alabama Cavalry, wrote to his mother about the Kentucky campaign. He wrote: “You have no doubt read all about our trip in Kentucky in the papers, but a few incidents concerning our company will not be uninteresting. I know for twenty-six days we had with the Yankees twenty-three fights, and in all our trip we sum up thirty fights or skirmishes and one general engagement, and yet escaped with the loss of only one horse and one man wounded. The hand of Providence certainly interceded on our behalf for we have passed from many dangerous places and it is wonderful that we have not all been killed. At Perryville, General Bragg found the Yankees pressing his rear too hotly and he halted and, with a portion of his army, gave them battle. General Joseph Wheeler’s brigade fought them all day before the battle came off; charged them once with the 3rd Alabama Cavalry and the rest of the day consisted of skirmishing & etc. Our company that day was not in charge, but was dismounted and fought as skirmishers. Captain Cathey’s company F lost four men in the charge, the Captain, two sergeants and one man.i. Captain William B. Cathey, Company F, 3rd Alabama Cavalry, and 1st Sergeant John W. Deshazo were killed in the charge. Private Patrick H. Cline and Thomas Fuller were wounded. Edward Todd and his brother Samuel Todd were also wounded. The action on October 7 was referred to as the action at Pottsville or Brown’s Hill and took place in Washington County, near the Boyle County line, about six miles west of Perryville on the Perryville-Springfield Road.
Ulmer wrote in the same letter that: General Wheeler led the charge himself, and on several occasions, has proved a gallant and successful leader. He has been promoted to the rank of “Chief of Cavalry.” The next day, at the battle of Perryville our position was on the left wing and for a whole day-from 9 o’clock in the morning to 9 at night, kept the enemy’s artillery-infantry skirmishers all day. On receiving the charge the enemy broke and fled in every direction. I was not in the charge. I started but was sent back by one of General Wheeler’s aides, to carry an order to the battery and did not get back until the company was coming out. Ulmer was referring to Calvert’s Arkansas Battery, also known as Helena Artillery, which was one section commanded by Lieutenant S. G. Hanley. During the battle of Perryville, the 3rd Alabama fought against elements of the Union II Corps, under Union General Thomas Crittenden and Colonel Edward McCook’s Cavalry brigade on the Lebanon Road.
On October 9, Confederate General Braxton Bragg pulled his Army of Mississippi, along with General Joseph Wheeler’s Cavalry, out of Perryville. Bragg’s army was followed by General Buell’s Army of the Ohio. According to Captain W. F .Mimms, Company H, 3rd Alabama Cavalry, the Prattville Dragoons “were actively engaged in many capacities meeting with no casualties, but acquiring a few fine horses, though our duties were arduous. We counted this march a picnic” ii. Corporal Ulmer reported that he also acquired a horse for his family slave Elijah to ride. The horses were acquired from the Durham house. According to the oral history of Minerva and Ruth Godbey, the Prattville Dragoons came out of the woods and onto the farm, where a pear orchard was located on their five hundred acres. Ruth and Minerva Godbey’s grandmother was sitting on the porch when the Prattville Dragoons came by and ate pears off of two trees that were located in the front of the yard near the porch swing. The soldiers were hungry. While the soldiers were eating the pears, they became interested in Mr. Godbey’s show horses. The Confederate cavalry did not have enough horses for all their men. The Confederate cavalrymen wanted to buy the horses from Dr. Godbey, but he refused. The Confederate cavalrymen gave seven hundred dollars in Confederate script to Dr. Godbey for his horses and took them anyway.
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