First
Kentucky "Orphan" Brigade 
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Pvt. Peyton Buckner Byrne
Co. C, 5th Kentucky Infantry
compiled by George Kaut, his gt-gt grandson
Peyton Buckner Byrne is the son of Peyton Byrne and Barbara Linn; the grandson of Samuel Byrne and Clarissa Buckner; and great-grandson of George Byrn and Lydia (no record of maiden name). Peyton was born on January 9, 1809 in then Harrison County, Virginia.
He served as an assistant to the Marshall of the Western District of Virginia for the census of 1840. His signature appears on the sheets for Braxton County, along with the necessary statements for oath of office and validation of data, all being in his handwriting. Circa 1845, Peyton and his family, along with a brother and his wife, left Virginia and moved to Kentucky, settling in Greenup County.
Peyton was inducted into the service at Prestonsburg, Kentucky from Greenup County on October 19, 1861 into Company C, the Fifth Regiment of Kentucky Infantry of the Confederate States Army. He was at that time 52 years and 9 months old.
He initially enlisted for one year of service and left at home his wife, Sarah Ann, and six children, the oldest at 20 years and the youngest at 2 years. In 1862 Peyton reenlisted and served until he was paroled out as a prisoner of war at Meridian, Mississippi on May 12, 1865. He was at that time 56 years and 4 months old.
Peyton lost his left eye was a result of wounds received during the Battle of Chickamauga, September 19/20, 1863. His military records shows he was in hospitals from November of 1863 until being paroled in 1865.
Family members tell that when Union troops were in Greenup County, Peyton almost lost his house. Soldiers were going to burn it down, and would have had it not been for the pleading of his wife. She was able to persuade them out of their attempt to destroy and pillage the property of a Confederate soldier.
Peyton aligning with the South can be understood in view of the facts that he was born and raised in Virginia, and that his first-born son was named Patrick Henry, possibly after the great statesman and orator from Virginia. He wrote a poem in 1864 titled "Land of the South," which so beautifully expresses his very strong personal feelings about the South and his home state of Virginia. It must have hurt him deeply when in 1863 the western part of the state, which included his home county of Braxton, sided with the North and became West Virginia.
After the war he returned home and continued his farming as his physical condition would allow. He had developed chronic rheumatism during his period of service and was very poor of health when paroled.
Peyton died on January 31, 1886 in Greenup County, Kentucky. He lived 16 years past his wife, Sarah Ann, who predeceased him in 1870. Although several possible locations have been mentioned, the actual burial sites for Peyton Buckner Byrne and his wife, Sarah Ann have yet to be officially determined.
Peyton Buckner Byrne, said by his descendants to be ca.
1865
Many thanks to George Kaut for sending this information and photo in for display on this page.
Click here to read more information on Peyton Buckner Byrne.
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