Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, 40-50 miles southwest of Lexington, Kentucky, is the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The South's campaign to 'free' Kentucky began in 1862, under General Bragg. General Smith had fought northward with 12,000 soldiers and by the end of August controlled the central part of Kentucky. Bragg moved his troops to link up with Smith’s, so they could gain control of the entire state. Union forces in Kentucky under General Buell, successfully raced toward Louisville to save the major Union supply base there. As Bragg and the Confederates moved into Central Kentucky to join Smith, Buell was close behind with his Union forces. The opposing armies met in battle on October 8. Almost 40,000 men were directly involved in the fighting, casualties exceeded 7,500. The Confederates did well, but Bragg, knowing that not all of the Union Army had been engaged, retreated to Harrodsburg. Here he joined with Smith, but ignored his officers advice to re-engage the now outnumbered Union troops. Meanwhile, the Union's Buell permitted the Confederates to withdraw unmolested; his action resulted in his being replaced as Union Commander. The Battle of Perryville was the most important Civil War engagement in Kentucky. It finalized Confederate General Bragg's "Kentucky Invasion" with a tactical victory for the Confederacy, but an eventual retreat that set the stage for a battle at Stones River outside Murfreesboro, Tennessee, southeast of Nashville.
The Park has a museum, monuments, and gift shop. Re-enactments are conducted every year.
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