CORPORATE STAFF RIDES

January 1, 1970

The Battle of Perryville

Confederate strategy during the fall of 1862 was dominated by attempts to invade the important Border States for military and political reasons. In the East, Robert E. Lee’s magnificent Army of Northern Virginia entered western Maryland in early September, culminating in the decisive battle at Antietam on September 17, 1862—the bloodiest day of the war. Lee withdrew after an all day slugfest that cost both sides more than 25,000 casualties, but while the Union forces held the field, Army of the Potomac commander George B. McClellan missed a crucial opportunity to cut off Lee and crush his army – and the rebellion.

In the West, separate columns under the overall command of Braxton Bragg started heading north into Kentucky in August. By mid-September, Confederate forces held Lexington and Frankfort, controlled a large part of the state and were close to a decisive victory in the west.

By early October, Don Carlos Buell’s Army of Ohio had blocked some of the Confederate thrusts and was moving to confront Bragg. Both armies, parched by heat during one of the worst draughts ever recorded and looking desperately for water, maneuvered around Perryville, Kentucky.

The Battle of Perryville Staff Ride
Dr. Robert S. Cameron
CSI, 2007

Contents

Figures...................................................................................................... iii
Maps......................................................................................................... iii
Stands....................................................................................................... iii
Foreword ................................................................................................... v
Preface..................................................................................................... vii
Acknowledgments.................................................................................... xi

Chapter 1. The Armies .............................................................................. 1
Organization ....................................................................................... 1
The US Army in 1861.................................................................. 1
Raising the Armies....................................................................... 2
Tactical Organizations.................................................................. 4
Leaders......................................................................................... 6
Civil War Staffs............................................................................ 6
The Army of the Ohio.................................................................. 8
The Army of the Mississippi...................................................... 15
Weapons ........................................................................................... 19
Infantry....................................................................................... 19
Cavalry....................................................................................... 23
Artillery...................................................................................... 25
Tactics .............................................................................................. 31
Logistics Support.............................................................................. 42
Army of the Ohio....................................................................... 45
Army of the Mississippi............................................................. 49
Engineer Support.............................................................................. 50
Engineers in the Kentucky Campaign ....................................... 52
Communications Support ................................................................. 54
The Signal Corps in the Kentucky Campaign ........................... 55
Medical Support ............................................................................... 57
Medical Support in the Kentucky Campaign............................. 59

Chapter 2. Campaign Overview.............................................................. 61
Introduction ...................................................................................... 61
The War in the West, 1861 ............................................................... 62
The Union Juggernaut of 1862 ......................................................... 63
Objective Chattanooga...................................................................... 68
The Confederate Dilemma................................................................ 72
The Department of Eastern Tennessee.............................................. 75
Planning the Invasion of Kentucky................................................... 76
Opening Moves................................................................................. 79
ii Page
Bragg Enters Kentucky .................................................................... 81
The Unfinished Business of the Cumberland Gap ........................... 87
Bardstown......................................................................................... 88
The Savior of Louisville................................................................... 91
The Road to Perryville ..................................................................... 94
Closing Maneuvers........................................................................... 99

Chapter 3. Suggested Route and Vignettes ........................................... 105
Introduction .................................................................................... 105
Battle Orientation (Army of the Ohio) ............................................111
Battle Orientation (Army of the Mississippi)................................. 116
Cheatham’s Attack.......................................................................... 122
Buckner and Anderson’s Attack ..................................................... 156
Aftermath........................................................................................ 188

Chapter 4. Administrative Support ....................................................... 193
Information and Assistance ............................................................ 193
Note on Using the Topographic Map ............................................. 193
Driving Instructions From Fort Knox ............................................ 194
Food and Lodging .......................................................................... 194

Appendixes
A. Army of the Ohio Order of Battle............................................ 197
B. Army of the Mississippi Order of Battle ................................. 203
C. Medal of Honor Recipients...................................................... 207
D. Meteorological Data ................................................................ 209
E. Cavalry Operations in the Kentucky Campaign ...................... 211
F. Combat Reconnaissance at Perryville...................................... 235
G. Passage of Lines at Perryville.................................................. 237
H. Formation and Drill ................................................................. 239
I. Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site.................................. 243
Bibliography ...........................................................................

http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/cameron.pdf