Most 19th Century wills start something like this: “I, John Smith, of the County of Clark and State of Kentucky, do make this my last will and testament.”

James W. Craddock’s began a little differently: “Dear Sweet, The mails are stopped for the present….”

This was the beginning of a letter to his sweetheart, Margaret Nicholas, in Winchester.

It was written during the Civil War while Craddock was serving as commander of a Union regiment at Lebanon, Kentucky.

At that time, March 23, 1863, his unit was helping to repel Gen. John Pegram’s Confederate invasion.

Craddock’s letter stated, “The rebels are now at Somerset, about seven thousand strong, advancing toward Danville. They will be in your County shortly and, as Willie will not be able to protect you, I advise you to secure the mare. Let your father ride her off.”

He concluded the letter with the following paragraph: “If I fall, D.A. Sayre & Co. in Lexington are my Bankers. Mr. Buckner also owes me. Whatever they say about it will be right. I want you to have whatever I may leave and to this extent this is my will.”

This would be the last record of Craddock’s military career. He died at the Officer’s Hospital in Louisville on June 2, 1863. His cause of death was listed as “Haemorrhage from Bowels.” He was 33 years old.

Craddock was born in 1830 in Hart County, Kentucky.

At 18 he joined the Army during the Mexican War. He was assigned to Company D, 8th Infantry, but probably enlisted too late to have been in the fighting.

By 1860, Craddock had made his way to Winchester.

That July, he was residing at the National House, predecessor of the Rees House and Brown-Proctor.

At that time, the hotel was residence to a dozen or so of the city’s unmarried businessmen. When war broke out, three of them would don Union blue and three Confederate gray.

In January 1862, Craddock mustered in as captain of Company A, 20th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, joining a number of local men.

Charles S. Hanson — a brother of Confederate Gen. Roger Hanson — was a lieutenant colonel in the regiment, Benjamin F. Buckner was a major and Daniel T. Buckner was a sergeant major.

That April, the regiment was in the bloody battle at Shiloh. They fought at the Peach Orchard, where Albert Sidney Johnston — a Kentuckian and Confederate general — was killed. The more than 23,000 casualties at Shiloh far exceeded other battles of the war up to that time.

A few weeks later, while still at Shiloh, Craddock was promoted to colonel and placed in command of the 16th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry.

Craddock’s regiment would serve in Kentucky; his first post was Munfordville, his hometown.

That winter, Gen. John Hunt Morgan launched his second Kentucky raid (the so-called Christmas Raid).

In late October, Union Gen. Jeremiah Boyle sent the 20th Kentucky to Bowling Green and Russellville. With the 16th still at Munfordville, he hoped to drive Morgan into a trap, but did not succeed.

In December, Craddock was in pursuit near Lebanon, but Morgan slipped away again.

The new year found Craddock, now also commanding the 7th Tennessee, still chasing Morgan; however, the infantrymen were unable to catch up to Morgan’s fast-moving cavalry.

The day before Craddock wrote his letter to Margaret, Gen. Pegram had crossed the Cumberland River with his cavalry brigade. Craddock’s regiment was at Lebanon anticipating the path Pegram would take, but Gen. Quincy Gilmore’s forces stopped and defeated Pegram at Somerset.

As Craddock warned Margaret, the rebels did reach Winchester that month.

Col. Roy Cluke led a small raid into Kentucky terrorizing the countryside — including his home county of Clark — before withdrawing to Tennessee.

The “Willie” who Craddock referred to in his letter was Margaret’s brother, William D. Nicholas. William had resided at the National House at the same time as Craddock. During the war he served under Morgan as a captain in the 8th Kentucky Cavalry (Cluke’s regiment).

After the war, William returned to Winchester and married Solomon Vanmeter’s daughter, Elizabeth. They lived in Fayette County at Duncastle Farm, which Elizabeth inherited from her father.

William was the founder and cashier of Lexington’s Second National Bank.

Margaret took Craddock’s letter to Clark County Court in June 1863.

After Benjamin F. Buckner and Samuel G. Stuart testified they recognized Craddock’s handwriting, the court accepted the letter as his will and admitted it to probate.

No further mention appears in the probate records, perhaps because he left no estate here.

The Army provided an inventory of the effects found at his death — clothing, a pistol, gold watch and $347 in treasury notes — which they sent to his brother, G.W. Craddock, a Frankfort attorney. Presumably, his brother sent it on to Margaret.

A few years, later Margaret married Jesse T. Williams. He and Craddock had been two of the founders and charter members of the Winchester Odd Fellows — Hickman Lodge, No. 72 — in April 1861. This is the lodge that erected the handsome building at 64-66 S. Main St.

Williams was then the owner of a wool carding factory on East Broadway that later became Clark Chapel AME then Jordan Electric and has now been repurposed and recently opened as Wildcat Willy’s Distillery and Restaurant.

Craddock was interred in Frankfort Cemetery.

His sweetheart died 37 years later, in 1900. Margaret is buried beside her husband in Winchester Cemetery.

Harry Enoch, retired biochemist and history enthusiast, has been writing for the Sun since 2005. He can be reached at henoch1945@gmail.com.