Kentucky Declaration of Neutrality was a resolution passed by the Kentucky Legislature declaring the Commonwealth of Kentucky officially neutral in the American Civil War. It was enacted on May 16, 1861, following Governor Beriah Magoffin's refusal of troops to aid the Union in invading the South the previous month. Magoffin had flatly refused President Abraham Lincoln's call for troops to fight seceded Southern states. The Legislature passed the resolution in an effort to prevent Kentucky from seceding and also to prevent Kentucky from becoming a battleground. Kentucky remained neutral until September 4, 1861, when Confederate Major General Leonidas Polk ordered Brigadier General Gideon Johnson Pillow to occupy Columbus.