Restoring Law and Order: The Kentucky State Guard in the Black Patch War of 1907-1909

The Kentucky State Guard’s campaign against the Silent Brigade in 1907-1909 offers lessons for the operational art of civil security and supporting civil law enforcement. The Silent Brigade was a guerrilla army that terrorized western Kentucky in a conflict that came to be known as the Black Patch War. Scholars disagree about whether the Kentucky State Guard was effective in its campaign, or whether other circumstances led to the decline of the Silent Brigade. This monograph argues that the Kentucky State Guard contributed significantly to a permanent reduction in crimes committed by the Silent Brigade. The reduction in Silent Brigade attacks can be explained through the concept of “centers of gravity” introduced by Carl von Clausewitz and incorporated as an element of operational design in American military doctrine. The strategic concept of interaction and isolation, introduced by American defense theorist John Boyd, further explains why these actions of the State Guard were effective. The Kentucky State Guard’s campaign in the Black Patch War demonstrates the effectiveness, against an economically motivated guerrilla enemy force, of targeting the enemy’s economic center of gravity while simultaneously disrupting its command and control.