who won the battle of perryville

Omissions? The Battle of Perryville was the largest contest that the state of Kentucky would see during the Confederate campaign in the state. In a strictly tactical sense, it would have to be called a stalemate. They were hoping to find water as they moved eastward. Introduction: The Battle of Perryville was fought during the Kentucky Campaign in late 1862. Many in the South now couldn’t look at Kentucky as a captive state anymore. Units that were really quite close to one another could hear almost nothing of what was going on, and officers of some units were entirely unaware that a battle was going on at all. The engagement climaxed a campaign begun when Confederate army forces entered Kentucky earlier that summer. The two pieces of these armies simply bumbled into one another there, and they fought for possession of the pools of water in that creek on October 7, the fighting continuing well past dark. After the Union won the Battle of Perryville in the Civil War on October 8, 1862, it appropriated many Danville buildings, including the courthouse, for use as hospitals. All rights reserved. In fact, this fight occurred just about three weeks after Antietam. They were also suffering from a lack of water. The battle started almost by chance and the Union forces ended with the upper hand, even though the Confederate forces under the command of Braxton Bragg held the advantage on the battlefield. This is typical of a pattern in Braxton Bragg’s generalship. Situated between the Southern states of Tennessee and Virginia and the Northern states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, the border state of Kentucky was coveted by both sides of the conflict because of its central location and its control of key rivers, particularly the Ohio. The Battle of Perryville took place early on Oct. 8, 1862, in and around the Chaplin Hills near the small town of Perryville, Kentucky. Corrections? We’ll see this happen again and again. Nightfall came without a really decisive result on the battlefield, but many of the Confederate soldiers who had finished the day with momentum on their side believed that not only had they had the better of the fighting on October 8, but they really believed that they would be launching further assaults on the ninth and that they would perhaps win a more decisive victory when the next day’s fighting began. They were spread out because it had been an extremely dry season in Kentucky that year and they were looking for water. Bragg’s forces held the field, though, and continued to control the area until forced to withdraw three months later following the Battle of Stones River. There were about 16,000 Confederates who would become engaged at Perryville; more than twice that many Federals would get into the battle. He didn’t know the general engagement was taking place until quite late in the afternoon. "Battle of Perryville… Learn more about the war in the west, winter 1862-63. Bragg decided that the day had not gone well for his soldiers and began to worry about his exposed position deep in Kentucky. Buell thought that he faced all of Bragg’s and Kirby Smith’s forces, while Bragg thought he was up against just a fragment of Buell’s army. The Confederates had won a tactical victory at Perryville, but the Rebel commanders realized that they were outnumbered. On October 8, 1862, the Battle of Perryville, the largest military engagement in Kentucky's history, took place. Among those who were unaware that a battle was going on was Don Carlos Buell. They’d had their chance. It was a strange fight. It was the largest contest that the state of Kentucky would see. It is mainly important because of its strategic impact on the war. A bloody but indecisive battle ensued at Perryville, near Danville, Kentucky. Private Peter Lightle Co. D, 33rd Ohio Infantry Killed in Action atbthe Battle of Perryville, Kentucky. Navigate parenthood with the help of the Raising Curious Learners podcast. The Union had a strategic victory, and the Confederacy had a tactical victory. This came as a surprise to many in the South. There were about 4,200 Union casualties and about 3,400 Confederate casualties. ANSWER The Federal Army, led by Gen. Don Carlos Buell won the Battle of Perryville. Van Horne ; illustrated with campaign and battle maps, compiled by Edward Ruger. Shortly thereafter, the Confederates withdrew from Kentucky. He’d actually had the better of the fighting on October 8, but he let whatever advantage he had won that day slip away from him. Illinois Regiments in the Battle of Perryville (Perryville, Kentucky) (October 8, 1862) ... Fighting over the water supply went back and forth with distinction being won by a new Union division commander Brig. First is the matter of the guns in the wagons. Neither army drove the other from the field. Watch it now, on The Great Courses Plus. It wasn’t orchestrated by Buell or by Bragg; it just happened. They didn’t reckon with Braxton Bragg’s attitude about what had gone on. Historical Map of the Battle of Perryville History of the Army of the Cumberland : its organization, campaigns, and battles, written at the request of Major-General George H. Thomas chiefly from his private military journal and official and other documents furnished by him / by Thomas B. Fighting at Perryville was intense but largely inconclusive. Pvt William H. Ballard, Jr, Company K, 38th Indiana Infantry, Killed at Perryville, October 8, 1862. It’s his first real field command, and he didn’t do that well. Moreover, to many Confederates, Bragg seemed to have relinquished the offensive too quickly after Perryville, and then abandoned the Bluegrass state too precipitately. Later, three Confederate regiments assaulted a Union division on the Springfield Pike but were repulsed and fell back into Perryville. He led the Union Army of Ohio. © The Teaching Company, LLC. Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell’s Union Army of the Ohio soon followed. Perryville — The Battle for Kentucky October 8, 1862 — When the Battle of Perryville ended, hundreds of dead soldiers were left on the battlefield. We’ll see it again in the Battle of Murfreesboro when he retreats from a battlefield that by any measure would have to be called a draw. Learn more about the Kentucky campaign of 1862. This was the largest battle fought in the state of Kentucky, and it actually helped change the course of the War, just as Antietam, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg did. Although he could claim to have won the battle, Perryville ended Bragg’s hopes of success in Kentucky. Bragg had not accomplished any of his long-range goals that he had set for himself in Kentucky. Commanding the Union forces was Major General Don Carlos Buell. The Kentuckians had not seemed willing to fight for themselves. Reinforcements were not on their way, while the Union armies opposing him were getting bigger all the time. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. His troops were also thirsty. Armies, animals, and men needed water. General Philip Sheridan. Battle of Perryville, (October 8, 1862), in the American Civil War, engagement of Union and Confederate troops as General Braxton Bragg was leading the Confederates in an advance on Louisville, Kentucky, from Chattanooga, Tennessee. This battle would determine whether the Commonwealth would stay in the Union or become part of the Confederacy, with its northern border on the Ohio River. He didn’t really know what was happening with his army. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... …Confederate general Braxton Bragg at Perryville on Oct. 8, 1862, the only military action in the state consisted of widespread guerrilla warfare.…. Well, he does make a decision here. The Battle of Perryville was a battle of the American Civil War. Battle of Perryville – the extreme left – Starkweather's brigade, October 8, 1862. Bragg, short of men and supplies, withdrew during the night. Bragg and Kirby Smith’s retreat from Kentucky ended the western dimension of this great Confederate counteroffensive in the late summer and fall of 1862. Answer to: Who won the Battle of Perryville? Neither side won the battle. Updates? The Confederate forces were commanded by Braxton Bragg, and the Union forces were commanded by Don Carlos Buell. Actually, more nearly the reverse was true. The Battle of Perryville, fought October 8, 1862, was the largest Civil War battle fought in the state of Kentucky The Battle of Perryville was fought October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills of Kentucky. Some of them were sort of feeling their way westward at the same time that Buell was coming toward them from Louisville. Confederate armies had been there, Confederates willing to fight for the Kentuckians. This page was last changed on 3 July 2019, at … The Battle of Perryville is not one of the better-known battles of the Civil War. General Bragg, fighting with a force of 16,000 men, lost 532 soldiers (3%) and had another 2,641 (16.5%). He was ruminating these things on the night of the eighth, and he decided to retreat from the battlefield, to withdraw and reunite with Kirby Smith, which he did. A strange feature of the topography at Perryville made it difficult to hear battle noises behind the lines. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). On October 7, part of Bragg’s divided force gathered on the ridge of Chaplin Hills east of Doctor’s Creek, near the small crossroads town of Perryville. FROM THE LECTURE SERIES: The American Civil War. The Confederate Heartland Offensive or Kentucky Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in East Tennessee and Kentucky in 1862 during the Civil War (1861-1865). This battle was a turning point for the Civil War, because as a result the Union had complete control of all of Kentucky. The largest battle to occur within our Commonwealth, Perryville was the decisive battle for Kentucky during the American Civil War. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Danville, Kentucky-Wikipedia. Confederate commander Braxton Bragg mistakenly believed that he faced one Union corps at Perryville, but there were actually 58,000 Federal troops in the area. The Battle of Perryville (also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills) was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive (Kentucky Campaign) during the American Civil War. The Battle of Perryville would take place the next day on October 8, 1862. Private Peter Lightle Co. D, 33rd Ohio Infantry Killed in Action atbthe Battle of Perryville, Kentucky. Bragg won the battle tactically for the Confederates, but he wisely decided to pull out of Perryville and link up with Gen. Kirby Smith. Neither Bragg nor Buell knew exactly what was going on. Federal losses were just as staggering. Although a tactical Confederate victory, Gen. Braxton Bragg abandoned the hard-won field overnight to his numerically stronger foe and commenced a retreat that eventually led back to Middle Tennessee’s Stones River at the end of the year. The population was 4,361 at the 2010 census. Perryville. Union troops, under General Don Carlos Buell, were marching from Louisville when they unexpectedly encountered the Confederate army. He also didn’t cause a reorientation of the strategic situation in Tennessee, really. Once Smith and Bragg joined forces, Bragg decided to leave Kentucky and head back to Tennessee, taking a defensive position at Murfreesboro. The soldiers fought under moonlight on the night of October 7 around those pools of water. (Here's another one for the History Lovers out there.) Along with them go those wagons still filled with the muskets that they had hoped to put in the hands of Kentuckians. On October 7, one of the columns—one of the Federal columns—found water and also found Confederates at a place called Doctor’s Creek, which was a tributary of the Salt River near Perryville. This is seriously one of the most important battles of the Civil War, that people seem to forget about it. It remained in Union hands, and more Federals troops would move back to Nashville very shortly. THE BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE In the summer of 1862, Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s Army of the Mississippi invaded Kentucky. He began to worry about how many Federals might be nearby, and he worried as well about his supply lines. Bragg could not afford such losses. Parts of the armies had thus made contact. In September 1861, Kentucky-born President Abraham Lincolnwrote in a private letter, "I think to lose Kentucky is nearly to lose the whole game." Nearly 40,000 other Federal troops were relatively unengaged during the fighting. Opposing viewpoints within the state vied for control during the early part of the war, and the sta… This is a transcript from the video series The American Civil War. October 8, 1862 - The largest battle of the war in Kentucky ended in stalemate despite Major General Don Carlos Buell’s Federals vastly outnumbering General Braxton Bragg’s Confederates. This is clear from testimony on both sides. By signing up, you'll get thousands of step-by-step solutions to your homework questions. So Tennessee had not been liberated either. Perryville is a preview of what would happen with Braxton Bragg later. He’s a general who can show an aggressive spirit, who will try to take the battle to his opponent, and who, in some cases, even wins quite striking tactical success, but then he never seems to know quite what to do with it. The battle started almost by chance and the Union forces ended with the upper hand, even though the Confederate forces under the command of Braxton Bragg held the advantage on the battlefield. He didn’t think that they were safe. On October 7, the Federal army of Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell, numbering nearly 55,000, converged on the small crossroads town of Perryville, Kentucky, in three columns. Bragg’s army did not fare much better losing 894 (5%) and having another 2,911 wounded (16%). Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Neither commander really knew what was going on at Perryville. The Battle of Perryville was the largest contest that the state of Kentucky would see during the Confederate campaign in the state. [1] Due to the terrain of undulating hills, soldiers were fighting in close proximity and the results were brutal. We’ll see it again at Chickamauga when his troops win a striking tactical success during the fighting at that battle and then Bragg seems to be frozen in indecision following the battle. Initially, the state had determined to remain neutral as was permitted via our sovereignty; however the 1862 invasion of Kentucky via General Braxton Bragg prompted the legislature to invite Federal armies into the state to fend off any Confederate forces herein. It was the final battle in Braxton Bragg ’s Heartland Campaign. Overall, the operation did absolutely nothing to enhance Braxton Bragg’s reputation. The fight seesawed back and forth. In a strictly tactical sense, the Battle of Perryville would have to be called a stalemate. They pretty much fought each other to a standstill on October 8, but because Bragg abandoned the field and began his retreat first to rejoin Kirby Smith and then from Kentucky, I think that it has to be reckoned a Union victory. The Confederates, who attacked the Union battle lines, lost 532 killed, 2,652 wounded, and 236 missing (3,420 total). Bragg also was not able to remain north long enough to influence the Northern elections as he had hoped to do. Keep this in mind if you plan on taking the long trail system. They needed water. Even though the Union won the Battle of Perryville, both sides still benefitted from the battle. Perryville is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. A school video designed to explain a bunch of crazy shooty events that took place in the border state of Kentucky during the Civil War. Perryville, Battle of (1862).The largest Civil War battle fought in Kentucky occurred near Perryville on 8 October 1862. It wasn’t deliberate. He retreated into Tennessee. Union forces first skirmished with Rebel cavalry on the Springfield Pike before the fighting became more … After a week or so of careful manoeuvring, Bragg decided to withdraw back into East Tennessee. Bragg hoped to enlist recruits, pull Union troops out of Tennessee, and hold Kentucky for the Confederacy. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Perryville, Military History Encyclopedia on the Web - Battle of Perryville, Okhlahoma Historical Society - Battle of Perryville. Don Carlos Buell’s troops marched in four columns as they went eastward. The Battle of Perryville was the largest battle fought in the Kentucky campaign, which was the primary Confederate counteroffensive in the Western Theater. The Battle of Perryville (also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills) was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive (Kentucky Campaign) during the American Civil War. He’d operated into about the middle part of October, but he was in retreat long before voters would go to the polls in the North in the November elections. He didn’t retreat all the way back down into Mississippi, but he hadn’t seen the recapture of Nashville by the Confederates. Neither the Union army nor the Confederate army drove the other from the field. It was fought on October 8, 1862. A series of disjointed Federal attacks failed early on, and then a general Confederate attack that was launched about mid-afternoon began to gain ground, driving the Union slowly backward. His decision is to leave Kentucky, and so the Confederates withdraw. The battle was a Confederate tactical victory, but Bragg’s retreat effectively ended the campaign. The Kentuckians had not flocked to the Confederate’s colors. The town is located near an access for Interstate 95, on the north side of the outlet of the Susquehanna River History. They pretty much fought each other to a standstill on October 8, but because Braxton Bragg abandoned the field and began his retreat first to rejoin Kirby Smith and then from Kentucky, it has to be reckoned a Union victory. Tactically, the Confederates won, but strategically it was a Union victory because Bragg withdrew from Kentucky leaving it in Union control. Confederate forces were commanded by Braxton Bragg, The Great Tours: England, Scotland, and Wales, American Civil War: The Battle of First Manassas or Bull Run, American Civil War: Commanders of the First Manassas, The Anaconda Plan of the American Civil War. 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