The increase of guerrilla operations in Kentucky about the 1st of September, with the manifestations of the existence of a Confederate force, indicated some hostile movements. It was soon known that the Confederate General E. Kirby Smith was approaching from Knoxville in Tennessee. On the 22d of August he left Jacksborough with a train of one hundred and fifty wagons, and passed through Big Creek Gap. So difficult were some parts of the route in Tennessee that for two or three days the rear of the trains was only able to reach at night the point from which the advance started in the morning. Rations failed, and the men were obliged for several days to subsist on green corn. Hungry, thirsty, footsore, and choking with dust, his men marched steadily on to a land of plenty. The ordnance stores were brought safely through without the loss of a wagon.
There was now no obstacle in the way of the rebel advance. On the 2nd of September, General Kirby Smith led his victorious followers into Lexington, and on the 6th he took possession of Frankfort. His successes, of course, occasioned great consternation, but they did not paralyze the preparations of the Unionists, to resist his advance and drive him back. General Nelson had withdrawn to Louisville. General Wallace was once more called into active service and put in command at Cincinnati. Both these points were liable to attack, and both accordingly were as strongly fortified as time and circumstances would permit. The prompt and effective action of General Wallace, at this time, was mainly instrumental in stemming the tide of invasion. Troops flocked to his standard, from all directions. Confidence was restored. The rebels under Kirby Smith reconnoitred Cincinnati, but found it too strong for attack, and after a brief time, slowly and sullenly withdrew.
BRAGG’S INVASION—BATTLE OF MUNFORDSVILLE, KY.
September 14–16, 1862.
The advance of the rebels under General Bragg, into the State of Kentucky, commenced shortly after that of Kirby Smith. General Bragg had been opposed by General Buell, in Tennessee. But, slipping away from the Union commander—never a very active officer—General Bragg had, on the 23rd of July, surprised and captured Murfreesboro, and had then passed around Nashville, and pushed on into Kentucky, intending to cooperate with Kirby Smith. How the latter fared we have seen. Our attention is now due the operations of the former. That he was immediately followed by General Buell, may be premised.
On the 13th of September the rebel advance reached Munfordsville, where it was met by Colonel J. T. Wilder. Again the Sabbath sun looked down on one of the fearful contests of this dreadful war; and it may here be mentioned, how frequent during the war for the Union, battles of great moment to the country were fought upon the Sabbath day. With the first light of Sunday morning, the advance of Bragg’s army, under General Chalmers, made a fierce attack on Munfordsville. The rebels had conceived an idea that the Federals had fled, and came rushing on to what they anticipated as certain victory, when the patriots, making no sign till the enemy was close upon them, opened a sudden and furious fire from their well-aimed guns. Utterly confounded, the rebels reeled back before the unlooked-for shower of death, and fled to the woods in great confusion. A similarly fierce attack had been made on the right, while the above was made on the left; and under the dreadful fire of the rebels, the Union flag was pierced with one hundred and forty bullets. The enemy was completely repulsed, and, at a little before ten, they ceased firing. No more fighting ensued during that day. In the mean time, a reinforcement of six companies had been sent to Colonel Wilder; and dispatches for more had been sent to Louisville and Bowling Green. But Louisville was in great trouble, and could spare no troops; and for reasons utterly inexplicable, General Buell did not send any assistance, though his entire army was stationed at Bowling Green. On Monday the battle was renewed fiercely, and kept up during the day. Evening came, and with it General Bragg and the bulk of his army.
On Wednesday morning, the place was surrendered by Colonel C. L. Dunham, who had arrived with his regiment, and then had command. The troops surrendered consisted of the Seventeenth, Sixtieth, Sixty-seventh, Sixty-eighth, Sixty-ninth Indiana, a company of Louisville cavalry, a part of the Fourth Ohio, and a section of the Thirteenth Indiana battery; amounting in all to about four thousand five hundred men, and ten guns. Both officers and men were at once paroled. General Bragg, unmolested by General Buell, continued his march northward, and before reaching Louisville, turned his troops toward the centre of Kentucky. General Buell marched straight to Louisville, where, having encamped, he left Bragg in the heart of the State, to despoil it, and pick up everything in the way of supplies that could in the future be of value to him.
BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE, KY.
October 8, 1862.
After a long period of extraordinary inaction, and after General Bragg had commenced his retreat from Kentucky, General Buell suddenly roused to the necessity of doing something, and moved from Louisville. His army was divided into three corps: the first, under command of Major-General A. McDowell McCook; the second under Major-General Crittenden; the third under Major-General Gilbert. Major-General Thomas being second in command, moved with the second corps; and General Buell himself with the third.
The army advanced in pursuit of the enemy, and it was thought that the rebels would concentrate at Danville—but instead of doing so, finding themselves hard pressed, they made a stand at Perryville; where on the evening of the 7th they stubbornly resisted General Buell’s advance. This point became the field of a bloody battle, which took its name from the spot on which it was fought. General McCook did not receive orders to march to Perryville, till three hours after midnight; and though his troops began to advance before dawn they did not reach the battle-field till ten o’clock on the 8th. General McCook formed a junction with General Gilbert’s corps; and in person reported to General Buell for orders. General Buell, appearing to anticipate no serious fighting, gave no orders for immediate attack; and the rebels, taking instant advantage of his indisposition for opening the engagement, resolved to take the initiative before the remaining corps under General Crittenden could arrive. General Bragg drew together his entire force and impetuously hurled them on General McCook’s corps, who met the unexpected assault with the greatest bravery, and stood like adamant before the furious enemy. From two o’clock till nightfall the battle continued to rage with unexampled violence; and both generals—Union and rebel—have recorded it as one of the bloodiest of the war. At General Buell’s headquarters the cannonading was distinctly heard; and he proved himself a most inefficient officer, in not sending the other two divisions to the immediate assistance of General McCook; whose solitary corps of fifteen thousand men was withstanding a force of at least three times their own number. There can be no doubt that the cooperation of the three corps would have insured certain victory; instead of which the brave division, fearfully cut up, after a superhuman contest of many hours was compelled to retire before the superior numbers of the enemy. Having completely overcome the troops under General McCook the rebels followed up their advantage by falling with all their strength on the corps of General Gilbert, which was still waiting orders from the commander-in-chief to hasten to the assistance of General McCook. The battle was instantly renewed with trebly increased fury; the large numbers of the enemy, like a great ocean sweeping on to what they considered an easy victory. But the flood was met and momentarily checked by a brigade under Colonel Gooding; and the Union forces rallying, the rebels retreated across the valley, never pausing till they had reached the protection of their batteries. Then began the carnage to the patriot band, who charged bravely upon the rebel batteries: but being unsupported, and flanked on either side, they were obliged to fall back and take up a position near the town—when night ended the conflict. On both sides the loss of officers was heavy; the loss of men on the Union side far outnumbered that of the rebels.
In the morning it was found that the rebel force, with their leader, fearing a renewal of the battle, had taken flight during the night; and pursuit was ordered; but was abandoned after a chase of about ten miles. And thus the invasion of Kentucky by General Bragg was ended, with results by no means wholly satisfactory to the rebels.