The Bossier banner., 1912-10-10
PERRYVILLE.

No conflict of the war of the early sixties
was more hotly contested than that fought
near Perryville, Boyle County, Kentucky,
sixty-fve miles southeast of Louisville on
Wednesday, October 8, 1862-ffty years
ago. About 81 900 men we're engaged on
the two sides and over 1000 men went
down, while but 1853 prisoners were taken
by both armies, of which the Confederates
capture SOP, and the Federals 251. There
were killed outright, 1,426 men.
The force under Gen. Braxton Bragg
numbered about 10000, consisting of the
corps of Lieutenant Generals Leonidas
Polk and William J. Hardee. The Federal
commander, Don Carlos Buell., had about
$4,000 men, divided into three corps, under
the command of Alexander Med. Cook,
Thomas L. Crittenden and Charles G.. Gill
bert, respectively. Powell's Brigade Of
Tennessee troops, with Daniel w. Adams
splendid brigade of Louisianians, formed
the extreme Confederate left of the line of
attacking force.
The battle lasted five hours and ceased
after dark, except artillery firing at long
range for couple of hours more. Both
armies faced each other at the close of the
battle, the same as they had at the begin
ming, in the open field without rifle pits,
breastWorks or other Notifications than
such as the broken condition of the country
afforded. The brunt of the battle fell on
McCook' s Federal corps. The Confeder-
ates we're the aggressors, driving the ene-
my from the several lines they formed, and
from behind the line of stone fences with
fearful loss.
And yet the Federals sustained the
greater loss, not much it is true, but still
the greater. Gen. Rousseau, who com
manded one of the Federal divisions which
bore the brunt of the battle, said "Bragg
had the best army for its numbers he ever
saw, the superior in discipline to any in
the field.' Usually an attacking force
suffers the most, but it was different in this
battle. The total Federal loss was 4,38s
men, of which 916 were killed outright
1910 wounded and 5O2 prisoners. The
Federal slain included Generals Jackson
Terrill and Webster. The Confederate:
lost 1926 men, $40 being killed, 2,65.
wounded and 251 prisoners. Among thu
wounded was the gallant Gen. Patrick H
Cleburne. The Louisiana regiments foun(
enough abandoned blankets right along
their front to keep them warm all the win
ter, and also rearmed themselves will
MIME and Enfield rifles.
The Battle Of Perryville, while decided
Confederate victory, ended Bragg's oc
cupation of Kentucky. He had lost hi
opportunity in not crushing Buell. on hi
retreat from Nashville to Louisville, wher
Buell. was heavily reinforced, and then be
came the aggressor. The Confederate
occupied the battlefield upon which. the.
had fought, and many spoils lay upon it
much OF it being left to the enemy. At
o'clock in the morning of the 9th, with tn
full moon shining brightly from a clea
sky" Bragg's splendid army, still full o
fight-athough their commander was not
moved from the Federal front towards Har
rodsburg, entering East Tennessee b.
Cumberland Gap, "and on the oath Of Oc
tober, half barefooted they encamped in
snow storm at Knoxville"
All of the cannon and equipments scat
tered on the battlefield were left by tn
victorious Confederates where they la
when the defeated Federals had abandone