Perryville

On October 7, 1862, Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell's Army of the Ohio, in pursuit of Gen Braxton Bragg’s Army of Mississippi, approached the crossroads town of Perryville, Kentucky. Union forces skirmished with Confederates on the Springfield Pike before heavy fighting began on Peters Hill. The next day, fighting continued as a Union division advanced up the pike. After noon, a Confederate division struck the Union left flank and forced it to fall back. When more Confederates joined the fray, the Union line made a stubborn stand, counterattacked, but finally retreated. Reinforced on their left, Union troops stabilized their line and the Confederate attack sputtered to a halt. Later, three Confederate regiments assaulted a Union division on the Springfield Pike but were repulsed and fell back into Perryville. Bragg, short of men and supplies, withdrew during the night. The battle was a Confederate tactical victory, but Bragg’s retreat effectively ended the campaign.