Battle of Perryville - October 1862

        

            The Battle of Perryville, fought October 8th, 1862, solidified Confederate General B. Bragg's invasion of Kentucky and was an important tactical victory for the Confederacy, while it was an important strategic victory for the Union. Kentucky, as a slave state that had declared neutrality, like Missouri, finally declared allegiance to the Union after stating that the first side (Union or Confederacy) to violate Kentucky's neutrality would consequently see the state pledge support, officially, to the opposing side.

            The Battle of Perryville is often left out when people think about important battles of the War. Some of the battles that come to mind are Gettysburg, Bull Run, Shiloh, and Antietam. Perryville was not a huge battle in terms of engagement, but had significant meaning for both sides. The ranking US Generals included Gilbert, McCook, Grittenden, Jackson, Terrill, and the Commanding General, Don Carlos Buell. In a letter to Major General Hallack, General-in-Chief, General Buell advises Maj. Gen. Hallack of his troop’s movement upon approaching the Confederate Forces at Perryville. General Buell advises Maj. Gen. Hallack that the centre corp under command by Gen. Gilbert found the enemy in force upon arrival. He also advises that left column of troops, under command of Gen. McCook, arrived in early afternoon and prepared for attack. Buell also notes that Gen. Grittenden was to advance on the enemy’s left side, but Grittenden was unable to do so, and therefore no attack was made by his troops on the enemy. Buell reports to Hallack “I have no accurate report of our loss yet. It is probably pretty heavy, including valuable officers. Gens. Jackson and Terrill, I regret to say, are among the killed.”

            The Union troops had more to fight for at Perryville than just their lives. The first two years of the war did not go so well for the Union and they suffered many setbacks and various losses at battles around the country. The Union forces, at this point, were fighting to gain a stronghold from which they could regroup and launch an offensive against the Confederacy that would turn the tide of the war in favor of the US. After General Bragg of the CSA launched his invasion of Kentucky, the Union forces and President Lincoln truly realized the utter importance of Kentucky in the war, geographically, militarily, and politically. Fighting at Perryville meant suppression of the enemy, lengthening the distance between them and Washington, and gaining time in order to come up with a strategic plan to push the Confederate troops further south and out of Union territory. The Union suffered great losses at Perryville. Lives precious to have beheld. The lost included many commanding generals – not only hurting the physical strength of the number of men, but also crippling the morale of the subordinate soldiers. The battle only lasted one day (October 8^th) and the Confederate troops began their withdrawal of the area around 8:00am the next morning. 

            In a later letter (dated October 12^th) to Maj. Gen. Hallack, Gen. Buell advises that the Union strength was 16,000 and the rebel force was “sixty-two”, with the Union suffering approximately 2,900 dead or wounded, contrary to the 1,300 lost by the rebels – hence a harsh loss (life wise) for the Union. Commanded to follow Rebel Forces as far as London, Buell’s men would not be commanded by him much longer. He was notified on October 29^th of a change in command structure as President Lincoln removed Buell from command. The Union desperately needed an all-around victory to raise morale. They marched on with strong hopes for the coming years.


Buell, D.C. Letter to Major General Hallack. 10 Oct. 1862. The New York Times, New York, New York.

Weise, Robert. "This Terrible War." History 424. Eastern Kentucky University. Richmond, 12 Feb. 2013.