Governor Gabriel Slaughter, Butler was the first civilian uniformed commander of the Kentucky State Militia, however he was not the only colonel in Kentucky, or the only Kentucky Colonel. In 1813 the Kentucky State Legislature commissioned Richard Mentor Johnson a colonel to form a mounted militia to support the campaign of the War of 1812, this was the state's first cavalry and first legislative colonelcy, this is well documented. This commission was independent of Governor Isaac Shelby during his second term as governor, who supported the War of 1812 with the Kentucky Volunteer Militia. Shelby commissioned Adjutant General Col. John Adair as his first aide-de-camp and Colonel John J. Crittenden as his second aide in 1813 before departing north to the Battle of Thames. Soon thereafter, Kentucky colonels went to assist Colonel Sam Houston defend Texas in the Mexican War. Lincoln's Kentucky colonels In 1861 Kentucky was a swing state in the Civil War, with two Kentucky antagonists, Jefferson Davis as the President of the Confederate States and President Abraham Lincoln the President of the United States and the Commander in Chief of the Union Army. To keep hold of Kentucky in the war, President Lincoln and one of his own colonels, Col. John Marshall Harlan came up with a plan to post 1,000 civilian officers in uniform in Frankfort, Lexington and Louisville; which in reality were "citizen peace and goodwill ambassadors" for the Union being asked to wear the uniform to home and work, with no special duties. The campaign was started from Louisville, it focused on prominent members of society like lawyers, judges, professors, merchants, dock captains, railroad operators and physicians. Although it was a secret program several stories emerged between 1881-1903 later corroborated by Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan's biographical works. Civilian honorary officers While some early colonels served military roles in the state, colonel in Kentucky was a well-known civilian honorific title belonging to attorneys, judges, county commissioners, large land owners and sheriffs well into 1860. Henry Clay of Fayette County and Cassius Clay of Madison County were both Kentucky colonels. In the latter part of the 19th century, Commonwealth colonelcy took on a more ceremonial function with governors. Colonels in uniform attended functions at the Governor's mansion and stood as symbolic guards at state events. By the late 19th century, the title had become more of an honorary one assigning colonelcy duties to the