Civil War

PERRYVILLE - The Battle of Perryville is not only significant because it was Kentucky's largest Civil   War battle, but also because it marked an important turning point in the conflict. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg and his 17,000 men invaded Perryville on Oct. 8, 1862, and hoped to get enough support from Kentuckians to invade Ohio. Bragg's men were significantly outnumbered by Union Gen. Don Carlos Buell and his 56,000 soldiers, but the Confederates still won the Battle of Perryville.

Kurt Holman has been hearing Civil War history from his grandmother since he was a child.  “My grandmother's grandfather fought in the Civil War, and they were very close,” Holman said.  His great-great-grandfather passed down stories from the war on to Holman's grandmother, who passed them on to him. It only makes sense that this early influence would instill a deep interest of Civil War history in Holman.  In 1981, he moved...

Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg and Union Gen. Don Carlos Buell were the key leaders for their troops during the Civil War Battle of Perryville. Though both men represented very different interests during the Battle of Perryville, they shared some similarities. Bragg and Buell both served in the Mexican-American War, a conflict over the fate of Texas during 1846 to 1848. They were both educated at the prestigious United States Military Academy at West Point; Bragg graduated in 1837 while Buell finished his studies in 1841.

The Civil War Trust, a national battlefield preservation organization based in Washington, D.C., and Hagerstown, Md., is working with local partners to preserve more of the Perryville battlefield. According to Kurt Holman, manager of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, the CWT recently has protected more than 200 acres of battlefield land located along Hays Mayes Road.  First, the trust secured 141 acres surrounding the historic Henry P. Bottom House. During the battle, this was the right flank of the Union 1st Corps.

LEXINGTON - It has been more than 150 years since the first battle of the Civil War, but it is estimated that thousands of individuals spend billions of dollars each year to participate in or attend Civil War re-enactments. Kim Miller-Spillman, an associate professor in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, has spent her career researching historical re-enactors to learn the importance of period clothing in recreating historical events and in their lives. “I've always had a fascination with how we can become somebody else by changing what we wear,” she said.

PERRYVILLE - As of Tuesday, more than 1,800 Civil War re-enactors from across the globe have registered to take part in the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Perryville. The re-enactment, which will include multiple kinds of festivities from Oct. 5-7, is expected to draw about 2,000 participants from all over the United States and Canada as well as a few from Europe, said Chad Greene, a resident of Perryville who has been an active re-enactor for nearly 30 years.  But those re-enactors who have not yet registered can only do so until Saturday and must use the Internet in order to register.

Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park will host its annual Civil War Days Sept. 22-23. Experience military and civilian life during the Civil War and a skirmish reenactment on one of the best-preserved Union Army supply depots and recruitment sites in the nation. Living historians tell the stirring story of Camp Nelson and its impact on not only the Civil War but on African-American history. For more information, call 859-881-5716. For a complete schedule of events, visit campnelson.org.

The Bluegrass Heritage Museum is seeking the public's help in updating and reissuing a 50-year-old history of the Civil War. “Civil War Days in Clark County,” a compilation of old newspaper articles, private journal entries, lists of soldiers, etc., was collected and originally published by the late Kathryn Owen, a noted local historian, to commemorate the war's centennial. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the war, the museum plans to reissue Owen's work, along with additional material, including maps, photos, articles and other material that was not available for the original publication, according to museum director Sandy Stults.

100 years ago - 1912   The anniversary of the final battle of Malvern Hill was held in Harrodsburg under the auspices of the local United Daughters of the Confederacy. The dedicatory services were in connection with the marking of the graves of 32 Confederate soldiers who fell at the battle of Perryville and died in the Union hospital in Harrodsburg. The Rev. J.G. Hunter, of the First Presbyterian church, and a member of Morgan's Cavalry during the Civil War, said a prayer, and several of the most popular Southern songs were rendered by a male quartet.

Travelers have the opportunity to further enhance their knowledge of the Civil War, travel Kentucky's byways and have fun by participating in the Kentucky Civil War Sites Association Passport Program. The 16 participating sites all tell a special story of their and the communities' involvement in the Civil War. Some are battlefields; others are museums, historic homes and a supply depot/enlistment center. The sites include: Battle of Richmond, Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park, Civil War fort at Boonesboro, Leslie Morris Park at Fort Hill, Lexington Historic Homes, Mill Springs Battlefield, Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, Munfordville Battlefields, Tebbs Bend Battlefield, Battle of Lebanon, James H. Ramage Civil War Museum, Fort Duffield Park and Historic Site, Hardin County History Museum, Battle of Barbourville, Bluegrass Heritage Museum and West Point, Ky., History Museum.