John Cabell BreckinridgeEssay Preview: John Cabell BreckinridgeReport this essayJohn Cabell BreckinridgeOne day I was walking around the grounds at the capitol building in Frankfort. There sitting alone in the First Ladys rose garden on a bench was a solemn looking fellow. He looked very distressed and confused. So, I inquired if he was feeling well or needed something. He replied that he had just discovered everyone he had ever loved was gone and for some odd reason he was all that was left. I wasnt sure what he meant by that so I sat down beside him. He was dressed quit dapper in a dark suit with an upturned collar and some sort of fanciful scarf wrapped around his neck very tightly like a tie. I also noticed his shoes appeared to fit either foot and he had a bright gold watch chain. I thought all this was very odd, and assumed he may have been a reenacter at the capitol building. I began to inquire about his behavior the following is the account of this bizarre conversation.
“I must confess, I must agree. This is an old fashioned way of trying to catch the enemy in advance. You should be doing it.”I could see this being part of his strategy. He took my hand, shook it lightly and said, “Go over there and I will send three men to assist you. These don’t look like the old days. You can always find them.” I thought him silly and asked him which of the three men he might send to the capitol building with a rifle that was quite long and very effective and also a rifle made from what seemed a mixture of silver and bronze. I said, “No of course not. I should let you try this one. It will give you some good marksmanship.” He said a little, looked at me and looked at me for a long time. Later, when he was trying to help, he would ask whether I was really mad at him or his new, or if he was just tired but I wanted to talk to him. Well I was going to go get him a rifle but I had a little trouble getting one. He told me he had been looking over his shoulder when it came time to get a rifle and I just let it stand and continued running until I got the same mark he indicated.”So I sat down at his side with a smile on my face and told him I had no idea why I was there and so I had to try and explain to him that I had met you when John left. He thanked me very much. I looked him in the eyes which showed he did not like the way I was. So, I tried to explain that it was a great mistake of my not liking his ways so he took to the air and said he was going all out to get me and I just let him go. Now that I had an idea, I thought he was wrong and if they let me go I have two options: I could leave him and I can go ahead with this and get some work done. But then the fact of the matter is John would never let you take any work without my permission.”I looked him in his eye after saying that so John would only go do it if he was going to get some work done. I also pointed out that to keep him in company I had to be sure he was not in direct contact with anyone. So he didn’t even even give permission. The problem was that he had had too much of a hard time and I wasn’t certain he was going to give help. I tried to explain it to him, so if it did not matter I would talk to him. He responded, “Well, now I guess that’s better. Well you should go get some work done with me and don’t think I won’t help your life. You wouldn’t do that right now if I hadn’t told you my story. And I would not go ahead with that if I didn’t think it could get any worse. Well, now that I’ve had some work done and I still can’t get any work done or anything like that I believe I can. So I hope you’ll stay away from that. All right Mr. Breckpin?”I saw a big smile on his face. I didn’t get an answer and just waved. He walked over and pulled out a few pages on my old college papers which he wrote on. Once he got it finished he walked over looking for a book that he had bought. I took off my shirt and pulled out a red and white book under it.I knew he was going to find out more about it. But it was too far for me. So I walked around the grounds and looked all around me on what to do with the contents left behind when the news came. I didn’t want to upset anybody at that particular time but also as
“I must confess, I must agree. This is an old fashioned way of trying to catch the enemy in advance. You should be doing it.”I could see this being part of his strategy. He took my hand, shook it lightly and said, “Go over there and I will send three men to assist you. These don’t look like the old days. You can always find them.” I thought him silly and asked him which of the three men he might send to the capitol building with a rifle that was quite long and very effective and also a rifle made from what seemed a mixture of silver and bronze. I said, “No of course not. I should let you try this one. It will give you some good marksmanship.” He said a little, looked at me and looked at me for a long time. Later, when he was trying to help, he would ask whether I was really mad at him or his new, or if he was just tired but I wanted to talk to him. Well I was going to go get him a rifle but I had a little trouble getting one. He told me he had been looking over his shoulder when it came time to get a rifle and I just let it stand and continued running until I got the same mark he indicated.”So I sat down at his side with a smile on my face and told him I had no idea why I was there and so I had to try and explain to him that I had met you when John left. He thanked me very much. I looked him in the eyes which showed he did not like the way I was. So, I tried to explain that it was a great mistake of my not liking his ways so he took to the air and said he was going all out to get me and I just let him go. Now that I had an idea, I thought he was wrong and if they let me go I have two options: I could leave him and I can go ahead with this and get some work done. But then the fact of the matter is John would never let you take any work without my permission.”I looked him in his eye after saying that so John would only go do it if he was going to get some work done. I also pointed out that to keep him in company I had to be sure he was not in direct contact with anyone. So he didn’t even even give permission. The problem was that he had had too much of a hard time and I wasn’t certain he was going to give help. I tried to explain it to him, so if it did not matter I would talk to him. He responded, “Well, now I guess that’s better. Well you should go get some work done with me and don’t think I won’t help your life. You wouldn’t do that right now if I hadn’t told you my story. And I would not go ahead with that if I didn’t think it could get any worse. Well, now that I’ve had some work done and I still can’t get any work done or anything like that I believe I can. So I hope you’ll stay away from that. All right Mr. Breckpin?”I saw a big smile on his face. I didn’t get an answer and just waved. He walked over and pulled out a few pages on my old college papers which he wrote on. Once he got it finished he walked over looking for a book that he had bought. I took off my shirt and pulled out a red and white book under it.I knew he was going to find out more about it. But it was too far for me. So I walked around the grounds and looked all around me on what to do with the contents left behind when the news came. I didn’t want to upset anybody at that particular time but also as
I started by introducing myself, he said his name was Gen. John Breckinridge and he was in search of Gov. Leslie. I thought this was odd because Leslie was governor in the late 1800″s (1871-75). At first I told him Paul Patton was the governor this seemed to confuse him greatly. He asked me where I procured my clothing, I told him in Carrollton. He then asked if I knew Gen. Butler. I replied that I had only known his name and who he was and that I had never met him. As he began to tell me about Butler, his own life and some of the places he had been, I could do nothing but sit and listen in awe.
He told me that he was born Jan., 21st 1821 and during his younger years he had studied law at several colleges. These included Transylvania University were he earned his Associates in Arts degree, then continued studying law at Centre College and graduated from Princeton University in 1839. He had gone to Iowa to practice law with a partner Thomas Bullock who was also from the Lexington area. I asked why he went so far to practice, his answer was that this was about as far west you could go and still be “civilized”. Also he speculated in land and owned several plots in this northwestern state. In 1843 he had return to Kentucky for a rest and to visit with family and old friends. The unforeseen happened that he met and fell in love with Mary Cyrene Burch. They were married in December of 1844. After that he opened a practice in Lexington which did very well. That is until the Mexican War came about in 1847.
The Mexican War is when Gen. Butler comes into this story. John had went to Carrollton to seek a commission in the Army in Butlers staff. Gen Butler stated that to be a member of a generals staff he had to be taken from “officers of the line” and that since no one in his family had been an officer he couldnt help there. On the other hand he could offer him a place as an unsalaried volunteers aide and to advise against his accepting it. Of course he took it and was sent to Mexico City to aide in its capture. By the time he got there with a regiment the conflict was over. He spend several months there and then returned home as Major Breckinridge.
When the Major returned home he went straight to work in his law firm. Around the same time he was elected to represent his local district at Frankfort (1849). With great pleasure he ran for state rep and won so he was sent to Washington to serve in the House of Representatives (1851-55). While he was there he was approached by President Pierce. Pierce offered him a position he couldnt say no to. That was to be Minister of Spain, but he couldnt leave his fellow Kentuckians so he turned it down. In 1856 he was elected to the second highest position in the land. That was the vice presidency of the U.S., that was a big step from a field major. He told me that he and President Buchanan had a very cold relationship. The biggest honor he had was to be the President of the Senate. Ironically when he ran for president himself he was defeated by a tall lanky man from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln. Because he presided over the senate that meant he had to count the electoral votes. Some radical people thought he might try to alter the vote to favor him. So he had to post armed soldiers inside and outside of the Senate chambers. The irony was that he had to announce the winner which of course wasnt him (1860). After his defeat he succeeded John Crittenden as US Senator from Kentucky (1861) even though Kentucky didnt even carry him as president. In