Kathy,

There are a number of John Hudsons listed in the Kentucky Adjutant General's Report.

John Hudson (no middle name) was a private in Co. A, 14th Kentucky Cavalry. He enlisted on Aug. 15, 1862; mustered in Nov. 6, 1862, at Mt. Sterling; and mustered out at Maysville, Sep. 16, 1863. This is not a likely candidate as the 14th Kentucky Cav. was from further northeast than Wayne County.

There is a John Hudson (no middle name) listed as a private in Co. D, 9th Kentucky Infantry. Some of the names of the other men in this company are more common to Wayne County and nearby. This man joined on Sep. 25, 1861; mustered in on Nov. 26, 1861, at Columbia, Ky. (not very far from Wayne Co.); and mustered out (actually transferred to the 23rd Ky. Veteran Inf.) on Nov. 24, 1864. The entry for the 23rd Kentucky Veteran Inf., Co. K, indicates that this man was discharged from the 23rd Inf. on Jan. 27, 1865, at Huntsville, AL, and that he came from the 9th Inf. on Dec. 1, 1864. This fellow may be your best choice. Pension indexes on Ancestry.com indicate that this man applied for and received a pension in 1880, so he may not be your guy.

A John C. Hudson was a corporal in Co. L, of the 8th Kentucky Cav. However, this fellow joined and mustered out in the western part of the state (Henderson and Russellville, respectively). This man may have survived to 1918, according to pension records.

A John M. Hudson joined Co. E, of the 11th Kentucky Infantry. This fellow was also a westerner who mustered in at Calhoun.

A John W. Hudson is listed as a private in Co. A, 26th Ky. Inf., mustering in at Camp Nelson and mustering out at Salisbury, N.C. This fellow may have come from too far west to be the man you are looking for. Many of the other recruits were mustered in at Bowling Green. See next entry.

A John W. Hudson joined Co. A, 26th Ky. Inf., in Oct., 1861, mustering in at Nashville on Mar. 5, 1862. The entry states that he re-enlisted in the 26th Ky. Vet. Inf. He is found in Co. A of the latter regiment, mustering in at Camp Nelson on Feb. 24, 1864.

The only other John Hudson listed in this source served with the U. S. Colored Troops. This man was a private and thus a Black man with Co. H, 116th U. S. Colored Infantry. He mustered in on July 12th, 1864, at Camp Nelson (as so many of these men often did - meaning he could have come from anywhere in Kentucky or the adjacent Southern states). This source indicates that he died during his service, but it does not state when or where.

Ancestry.com's listings show a John A. Hudson as a member of Co. H, 17th Kentucky Infantry, but this source indicates that he may have been alive as late as 1882.

Unfortunately, it appears that the man you are seeking may not have served officially. If he served in an independent Home Guard organization, there may be no detailed records available for his service. The only thing I can think of that may assist you is to check the State Archives to see if there are any circuit court records which may have been filed against your ancestor or his associates. Sometimes those records can be revealing, but it is rarely the case. As well, suits filed against Confederate guerrillas usually outnumber those filed against Unionists by a large margin.

Robert