Starling wrote in his "History of Henderson County, Kentucky":
"...on Thursday afternoon, when the great guns of the Confederate water batteries and the mortars on board of the Federal gunboats were engaging each other in a frightful artillery duel, the thundering roar was distinctly heard in this county, though perhaps 100 miles away."
He went on to say: "...many men from Henderson had enlisted in both armies... and in this battle were many from Henderson. There was a full company of Confederates, and perhaps, as many Federals, from Henderson engaged in that conflict.
"There were two brothers...one serving in the ranks of the Confederacy and one in the ranks of the Union, again there were three brothers in the same battle, one in the Confederate and two in the Union army. There were classmates, and former bosom friends arrayed against each other, and this made those wicked days more sad and terrible to contemplate."
Maralea Arnett wrote in her book, "The Annals and Scandals of Henderson County, Kentucky:"
"During the battle of Ft. Donelson, Confederate Captain O.B. Steele saw his brother, Cyrus, a Union soldier, lying mortally wounded."
While Henderson's government was loyal to the Union, its citizenry was divided, with sympathies to each side tearing families apart.
