Doris Settles

Doris Settles is interested in many things, but common threads through all her endeavors are communication, gardening, and history. Author of seven books, Settles values clarity and validity in writing. Her newest book, Kentucky in the War of 1812: The Governor, the Farmers and the Pig (History Press, 2023), documents the pivotal role Kentuckians had in that war from start to finish and how a Kentucky sow decided to join up when Governor Isaac Shelby led over 4,000 Kentuckians to Canada to fight—and win—the deciding battle of the war. Her children’s picture book, Leira Clara’s Flowers (Shadelandhouse Modern Press, 2022), tells the story of a young girl who learns gardening from her grandmother and shares her joy with her neighbors. Prohibition in Bardstown: Bourbon, Bootlegging & Saloons (History Press, 2017) comes from her childhood and a collaboration with former Bardstown mayor and friend, Dixie Hibbs. Settles spent countless hours inhaling sour mash on her grandmother’s front porch in downtown Bardstown. Settles lives in Lexington with her husband, where she can be found digging in her garden, reading from her every-growing stack of books, and, of course, writing.

Kentucky in the War of 1812: The Governor, the Farmers and the Pig

While not a single battle of the War of 1812 was fought on Kentucky soil, Kentuckians were involved to the very end. Henry Clay and his War Hawks convinced Congress and President Madison to declare war, and helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent that ended it. After two massacres of Kentucky militia on the Northwestern front, Governor Isaac Shelby, still the only sitting governor to lead troops into battle, more than 4,000 locals and a pig marched to Canada to defeat the British and kill Tecumseh at the Battle of the Thames. Author Doris Dearen Settles explains how Kentuckians won the war of 1812 and why it is far more significant than textbooks record.