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Stats and Facts about the Battle of Perryville
When was the battle fought?
October 8, 1862.
Why was the battle fought at Perryville?
The Confederates stopped here to stay between the Union army and a supply depot they had established at Bryantsville (30 miles east of Perryville). Also, despite a severe drought, small pools of water were available in Perryville's creeks and rivers, which the soldiers badly needed. The hilly terrain around Perryville also gave the armies good defensive positions.
How many soldiers were present at the battle?
There were 72,196 men in the area. (55,396 Union; 16,800 Confederate)
How many men actually fought in the battle?
Since a majority of the Union troops were not engaged in the fighting, the battle raged between 20,000 Union troops and 16,000 Confederates.
How were the armies organized?
For the troops who fought at Perryville, 20-100 men made up a company. Ten companies made up a regiment (or battalion), and three to five regiments and an artillery battery made up a brigade. Three to four brigades made up a division, and two to three divisions made up a "corps" or "wing". Two or more corps made up an army.
Who led the armies?
Major General Don Carlos Buell (from Ohio) led the Union army. General Braxton Bragg (born in North Carolina) led the Confederate army.
How was the artillery organized?
A detachment of artillery included one cannon, two limbers, one caisson, 12 horses, and 15 artillerymen. Two detachments made up a section, and two or more sections made up a battery. The average Union battery included six guns, while the average Confederate battery had four guns.
How far could the guns shoot?
The maximum range of a Civil War cannon was about 5,000 yards, but the normal effective range was about 1,500 yards. The maximum range of a Civil War rifle was about 500 yards, but they were more accurate from about 100 - 200 yards.
How many cannons were at the Battle of Perryville?
There were 203 cannons here, but only 90 participated in the fighting.
What states fought in the Battle?
There were at least 21 states represented in the Battle of Perryville. The soldiers who fought here came from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
What was the average age of the soldiers who fought at Perryville?
Twenty-five years old. However, some of the troops were very young (15 years old) and others were older (70 years old). William H. Surles of the 2nd Ohio Infantry was only 16 years old when he won the Medal of Honor at Perryville.
Who were some famous soldiers who fought here?
General Philip Sheridan, who fought at Perryville, became a very famous general later in the war. It is also interesting that General Douglas MacArthur's father, Lieutenant Arthur MacArthur, served in the 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Perryville.
Who won the battle?
The Confederates won a tactical victory, but they were outnumbered and left Perryville that night. Eventually, the Confederates returned to Tennessee, so they failed to hold Kentucky for the Confederacy. Because of this, the Union army won a strategic victory.
What's the significance of the Battle of Perryville?
The largest battle in Kentucky, Perryville was the "high water mark" for the Confederates in the Western Theater (the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River). Never again were the Western Confederates closer to winning the war. The battle kept Kentucky in Union hands for the remainder of the war, which helped contribute to the Northern victory.
Which regiments suffered the heaviest casualties?
The 22nd Indiana Infantry lost 195 of 300 engaged. They lost 65.3% of their force.
The 16th Tennessee Infantry lost 219 of 370 engaged. They lost 59.2% of their regiment.
The 27th Tennessee Infantry lost 108 of 210 engaged, for a loss of 51.4%
The 34th Mississippi Infantry lost 150 of 300 engaged, and suffered 50% casualties.
The 4th Tennessee Infantry lost 85 of 170 engaged, or 50% of their force.
The 9th Tennessee Infantry lost 189 of 378 engaged, for a total of 50% casualties.
How many people were killed and wounded at the Battle of Perryville?
1,422 soldiers were killed (890 Union; 532 Confederate), 5,534 were wounded (2,893 Union; 2,641 Confederate), and 665 were missing or captured (437 Union; 228 Confederate). These figures represent 7,621 total casualties (4,220 Union; 3,401 Confederate). When the number of troops who died from their wounds after the battle is added to the list of men killed, 2,377 men lost their lives as a result of the battle.
What happened to the wounded soldiers?
Nearly all of the homes, businesses, stables, and churches within a 10-mile radius of the battlefield were used as field hospitals after the battle. A few weeks later, 11 official, numbered hospitals were established in Perryville, and all of the remaining patients were moved to these hospitals. The last of the Perryville hospitals closed in March 1863, more than five months after the battle.
Where were the dead soldiers buried?
Most of the Confederates were buried where they fell. However, the Confederates who died on Henry P. Bottom's farm (which encompassed most of the battlefield) were buried in two mass graves on his property. This mass grave is now the Confederate Cemetery at the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site. Some Confederates who died of wounds or disease are buried in Harrodsburg and Danville. The Union dead were first buried in regimental plots, but these troops were moved to the short-lived Perryville National Cemetery. Finally, these soldiers were interred in Camp Nelson National Cemetery, in Jessamine County, Kentucky. Of the more than 1,000 Union soldiers initially buried at Perryville, only 300 of them had their identification intact by the time they got to Camp Nelson. By World War I, the U.S. Army adopted what we now call "dog tags" to help identify dead soldiers. Since these were not used in the Civil War, many of the troops killed at Perryville are unknown soldiers.
How were Civil War battles named?
The Union army normally named them after geographic features, such as rivers and mountains, while the Confederates named them after nearby towns. The Union army called this "The Battle of Chaplin Hills," naming it after the hills that rise over the Chaplin River, while the Confederates called it "The Battle of Perryville." Over time, the Battle of Perryville has become the more common name.
What is special about the battlefield today?
In addition to the historic significance of the Battle of Perryville, the pristine nature of today's battlefield is very important. With the exception of a few power lines, some modern homes and barns, the battlefield, for the most part, still looks as it did in 1862.