Battle of Perryville 150th Anniversary

October 8 marks the 150th anniversary of the largest and most significant battle fought during the Civil War in Kentucky.  This past weekend Dudeboy and I once again fell in with the 9th Kentucky for the reenactment of the Battle of Perryville, or Battle of Chaplin Hills.  A big thanks to Uncle John for documenting our experience with these photos.  Above . . . the 9th Ky. leaving camp to join the fray.

Marching to meet the enemy.  This part of the battle represented the "Fight for Webster's Hill."  This is the first time that a reenactment has taken place on this part of the actual battlefield.

 Know thy enemy . . .

While the actual 9th Ky was at Perryville, they did not see action as they were held in reserve.

In all there were three battle reenactment scenarios.  All of the photos are from "Fight for Webster's Hill."  On the 9th Ky. website, there is a neat photo showing Dudeboy and me in "The Fight for the Cornfield," which we portrayed on Sunday.  The actual battle only took place on October 8, 1862.

As the Civil War Trust website states:

The Battle of Perryville produced 7,621 total casualties (4,220 Union and 3,401 Confederate).  Of this number, 1,422 soldiers were killed in the battle and 5,534 were wounded.  When you add in the soldiers who died later of wounds suffered at Perryville, the number of men who lost their lives as a result of fighting at Perryville comes to 2,377.  This high casualty figure made Perryville the second bloodiest battle of the Western Theater (after Shiloh) in the Fall of 1862.

Many consider Perryville to be the high water mark of the Confederacy in the western theater.

In retreat . . .  

Back in camp . . .