James M. Shackelford

James Murrell Shackelford (July 7, 1827 – September 7, 1907) was a lawyer, judge, and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He has the distinction of having captured Confederate cavalry commander John Hunt Morgan in mid-1863, effectively ending "Morgan's Raid".

Early life Shackelford was born in Lincoln County, Kentucky near Danville on July 7, 1827, to Edmund Shackelford and Susan Thompson.

Civil War service Shackelford was appointed colonel of the 25th Kentucky Infantry on January 1, 1862. His regiment joined Lew Wallace's division during the Battle of Fort Donelson. Exposure to the elements at Fort Donelson forced Shackelford to resign on March 24, 1862, on account of poor health. During his convalescence, Shackelford helped recruit another regiment of Kentucky volunteers which was mustered in as the 8th Kentucky Cavalry with Shackelford as colonel. A few months later, on January 1, 1863, he was promoted to Brigadier General of Volunteers and assigned to command the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XXIII Corps.

Later that year, as Ambrose E. Burnside marched toward Knoxville, Tennessee, he bypassed the Cumberland Gap, leaving a single brigade posted there. Burnside occupied Knoxville on September 1, 1863, and turned his attention back to the Cumberland Gap, dispatching Shackelford's brigade. Shackelford demanded that Confederate general John W. Frazer surrender the gap, but Frazer refused. Burnside personally arrived with reinforcements and forced the Confederates to surrender. Later in the month, Shackelford was promoted to command a division in the XXIII Corps and then in November to command of the Cavalry Corps in the Army of the Ohio. After resigning he moved to Evansville, Indiana.

On March 23, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison nominated Shackelford to the newly created United States Court for the Indian Territory and his appointment was confirmed by the Senate on March 26. He was succeeded in office by Charles Bingley Stuart on March 27, 1893. After leaving the bench, he remained in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and practiced law.

Death and burial James M. Shackelford died in the fall of 1909 at his summer home in Port Huron, Michigan. He is interred in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.