The 1862 Kentucky Campaign and Perryville

Richmond

Richmond Visitor Center
345 Lancaster Ave, Richmond KY 40475-1307
800-866-3705
 Road map 

Battle of Richmond
Driving Tour
www.battleofrichmond.org
   An eight-stop self-guided driving tour takes visitors through this Aug 29-30, 1862, battlefield, part of the 1862 Kentucky Campaign. Confederates under Gen. Kirby Smith, marching from the Cumberland Gap, overpowered and routed a smaller Union force here. Tour stops include the opening phases of the Confederate attack and several sites where Union soldiers tried unsuccessfully to rally. Battlefield tour brochure and inexpensive tape available at the Richmond visitor center or see the website for a virtual tour.

White Hall State Historic Site
500 White Hall Shrine Road, Richmond KY 40475
859-623-9178
 Road map 
    This 44-room mansion built in 1789 was the home of fiery abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay. Tours daily April-October. See website for other times. Fee charged.

Munfordville

Battle for the Bridge Historic Preserve
Entrance off US 31-W, 1 mile south of Munfordville
   Miles of interpreted trails cover this Sept. 14-17, 1862, battlefield, a prelude to the Battle of Perryville. On Sept. 13, some of Gen. Kirby Smith’s cavalry approached Munfordville hoping to capture the 1,800-foot Louisville and Nashville Railroad bridge over the Green River. But a small Union garrison held them off in bloody fighting. The Confederate Army of the Mississippi under Gen. Braxton Bragg arrived on the scene the next day and surrounded the vastly outnumbered Federal troops under Col. John Wilder. The Union commander at first refused to surrender but finally did so after Wilder was given a guided tour of the Confederate lines.
    The Battle for the Bridge Historic Preserve protects 219 acres of the Munfordville battlefield. The interpretive trail features vistas of the Green River railroad bridge and Fort Craig. See the Hart County Historical Museum for tour information. Open daily during daylight hours.

Hart County Historical Museum
109 Main St, Munfordville KY 42765
270-524-0101
 Road map 
   The history of the area is covered here with permanent and rotating Civil War exhibits. This is the starting point for local walking tours and a good contact point for the Battle for the Bridge Historic Preserve.
    Open 10 am–4 pm Monday–Friday, 10 am–2 pm Saturday.

Perryville

Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site
1825 Battlefield Road, Boyle County KY
859-332-8631
 Road map 
   This is one of the most unspoiled and beautiful battlefield sites in the country. Seven miles of trails take visitors through scenes of vicious fighting Oct. 8, 1862, as the 1862 Kentucky Campaign came to its decisive moment.
    Marching through the desperately dry countryside, Union forces under Union commander Gen. Don Carlos Buell and Confederates under Gen. Braxton Bragg collided just outside Perryville. The collision resulted in more than 7,000 casualties in what became the largest battle fought in Kentucky. At the end of five hours of heavy fighting, the Confederate army was forced to withdraw from the field. Bragg abandoned his Kentucky campaign later that month. The Confederates never again seriously threatened the state.
    Park trails open daylight hours. Museum open 9 am–5 pm daily during the summer months. $2/adults.

Town of Perryville
 Road map 
    Some nicely preserved buildings along the town’s main street, Buell Avenue, date from the 1840s. Interpretive signs describe some of the skirmishes in town associated with the nearby battle and the town’s role as hospital following the fighting. Worth a stop for the shopping and the history along the Chaplin River.

Website links to Kentucky places: Kentucky Links