Battle of Perryville The Battle of Perryville , also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills , was fought on October 8 , 1862 , in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville , Kentucky , as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive ( Kentucky Campaign ) during the American Civil War . Confederate Gen . Braxton Bragg ' s Army of Mississippi won a tactical victory against primarily a single corps of Maj . Gen . Don Carlos Buell ' s Union Army of the Ohio . The battle is considered a strategic Union victory , sometimes called the Battle for Kentucky , since Bragg withdrew to Tennessee soon thereafter . The Union retained control of the critical border state of Kentucky for the remainder of the war . On October 7 , Buell ' s army , in pursuit of Bragg , converged on the small crossroads town of Perryville in three columns . Union forces first skirmished with Confederate cavalry on the Springfield Pike before the fighting became more general , on Peters Hill , when the Confederate infantry arrived . Both sides were desperate to get access to fresh water . The next day , at dawn , fighting began again around Peters Hill as a Union division advanced up the pike , halting just before the Confederate line . After noon , a Confederate division struck the Union left flank — the I Corps of Maj . Gen . Alexander M . McCook — and forced it to fall back . When more Confederate divisions joined the fray , the Union line made a stubborn stand , counterattacked , but finally fell back with some units routed . Buell , several miles behind the action , was unaware that a major battle was taking place and did not send any reserves to the front until late in the afternoon . The Union troops on the left flank , reinforced by two brigades , stabilized their line , and the Confederate attack sputtered to a halt . Later , three Confederate regiments assaulted the Union division on the Springfield Pike but were repulsed and fell back into Perryville . Union troops pursued , and skirmishing occurred in the streets until dark . By that time , Union reinforcements were threatening the Confederate left flank . Bragg , short of men and supplies , withdrew during the night , and continued the Confederate retreat by way of Cumberland Gap into East Tennessee . Considering the casualties related to the engaged strengths of the armies , the Battle of Perryville was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War . It was the largest battle fought in the state of Kentucky . Kentucky Campaign of 1862 . Situated between the Southern states of Tennessee and Virginia and the Northern states of Illinois , Indiana , and Ohio , the border state of Kentucky was coveted by both sides of the conflict because of its central location and its control of key rivers , particularly the Ohio . In September 1861 , Kentucky - born President Abraham Lincoln wrote in a private letter , " I think to lose Kentucky is nearly to lose the whole game . " Opposing viewpoints within the state vied for control during the early part of the war , and the state legislature declared official neutrality between the combatants . This neutrality was first violated on September 3 , 1861 , when Confederate Maj . Gen . Leonidas Polk occupied Columbus , considered key to controlling the Lower Mississippi . Two days later Union Brig . Gen . Ulysses S . Grant seized Paducah . Henceforth , neither adversary respected the proclaimed neutrality of the state . While the state never seceded from the Union , Confederate sympathizers who were members of the legislature set up a temporary Confederate capital in Bowling Green in November 1861 . The Confederate States recognized Kentucky and added a star representing the state to the Confederate flag . The initiative to invade Kentucky came primarily from Confederate Maj . Gen . Edmund Kirby Smith , commander of the Department of East Tennessee . He believed the campaign would allow them to obtain supplies , enlist recruits , divert Union troops from Tennessee , and claim Kentucky for the Confederacy . In July 1862 Col . John Hunt Morgan carried out a successful cavalry raid in the state , venturing deeply into the rear areas of Buell ' s department . The raid caused considerable consternation in Buell ' s command and in Washington , D . C . During the raid , Morgan and his forces were cheered and supported by many residents . He added 300 Kentucky volunteers to his 900 - man force during the raid . He confidently promised Kirby Smith , " The whole country can be secured , and 25 , 000 or 30 , 000 men will join you at once . " Bragg considered various options , including an attempt to retake Corinth , Mississippi , or to advance against Buell ' s army through Middle Tennessee . He eventually heeded Kirby Smith ' s calls for reinforcement and decided to relocate his Army of Mississippi to join with him . He moved 30 , 000 infantrymen in a tortuous railroad journey from Tupelo , Mississippi , through Mobile and Montgomery to Chattanooga . Supply wagons , cavalry , and artillery moved overland under their own power through Rome , Georgia . Although Bragg was the senior general in the theater , Confederate President Jefferson Davis had established Kirby Smith ' s Department of East Tennessee as an independent command , reporting directly to Richmond . This decision caused Bragg difficulty during the campaign . Smith and Bragg met in Chattanooga on July 31 , 1862 , and devised a plan for the campaign : The newly created Army of Kentucky , including two of Bragg ' s brigade s and approximately 21 , 000 men , would march north under Kirby Smith ' s command into Kentucky to dispose of the Union defenders of Cumberland Gap . ( Bragg ' s army was too exhausted from its long journey to begin immediate offensive operations . ) Smith would return to join Bragg , and their combined forces would attempt to maneuver into Buell ' s rear and force a battle to protect his supply lines . Any attempt by Ulysses S . Grant to reinforce Buell from northern Mississippi would be handled by the two small armies of Maj . Gens . Sterling Price and Earl Van Dorn . Once the armies were combined , Bragg ' s seniority would apply and Smith would be under his direct command . Assuming that Buell ' s army could be destroyed , Bragg and Smith would march north into Kentucky , a movement they assumed would be welcomed by the local populace . Any remaining Federal force would be defeated in a grand battle in Kentucky , establishing the Confederate frontier at the Ohio River . The campaign plan was bold but risky , requiring perfect coordination between multiple armies that would initially have no unity of command . Bragg almost immediately began to have second thoughts , despite pressure from President Davis to take Kentucky . Smith quickly abandoned the agreement , foreseeing that a solo adventure in Kentucky would bring him personal glory . He deceived Bragg as to his intentions and requested two additional brigades , ostensibly for his expedition to Cumberland Gap . On August 9 , Smith informed Bragg that he was breaking the agreement and intended to bypass Cumberland Gap , leaving a small holding force to neutralize the Union garrison , and to move north . Unable to command Smith to honor their plan , Bragg focused on a movement to Lexington instead of Nashville . He cautioned Smith that Buell could pursue and defeat his smaller army before Bragg ' s army could join up with them . Smith marched north with 21 , 000 men from Knoxville on August 13 ; Bragg departed from Chattanooga on August 27 , just before Smith reached Lexington . The beginning of the campaign coincided with Gen . Robert E . Lee ' s offensive in the Northern Virginia Campaign ( Second Manassas Campaign ) and with Price ' s and Van Dorn ' s operations against Grant . Although not centrally directed , it was the largest simultaneous Confederate offensive of the war . Meanwhile , Buell was forced to abandon his slow advance toward Chattanooga . Receiving word of the Confederate movements , he decided to concentrate his army around Nashville . The news that Smith and Bragg were both in Kentucky convinced him of the need to place his army between the Confederates and the Union cities of Louisville and Cincinnati . On September 7 , Buell ' s Army of the Ohio left Nashville and began racing Bragg to Louisville . On the way , Bragg was distracted by the capture of a Union fort at Munfordville . He had to decide whether to continue toward a fight with Buell ( over Louisville ) or rejoin Smith , who had gained control of the center of the state by capturing Richmond and Lexington , and threatened to move on Cincinnati . Bragg chose to rejoin Smith . Buell reached Louisville , where he gathered , reorganized , and reinforced his army with thousands of new recruits . He dispatched 20 , 000 men under Brig . Gen . Joshua W . Sill toward Frankfort , hoping to distract Smith and prevent the two Confederate armies from joining against him . Meanwhile , Bragg left his army and met Smith in Frankfort , where they attended the inauguration of Confederate Governor Richard Hawes on October 4 . The inauguration ceremony was disrupted by the sound of cannon fire from Sill ' s approaching division , and organizers canceled the inaugural ball scheduled for that evening . Opposing forces . Union . On October 1 , Buell ' s Army of the Ohio left Louisville with Maj . Gen . George H . Thomas as his second in command . ( Two days earlier , Buell had received orders from Washington relieving him of command , to be replaced by Thomas . Thomas demurred , refusing to accept command while the campaign was underway , leaving Buell in place . ) The 55 , 000 troops — many of whom Thomas described as " as yet undisciplined , unprovided with suitable artillery , and in every way unfit for active operations against a disciplined foe " — advanced toward Bragg ' s veteran army in Bardstown on three separate roads . The I Corps , commanded by Maj . Gen . Alexander M . McCook , marched on the left , along the Mackville Road . His 13 , 000 men consisted of the 3rd Division , under Brig . Gen . Lovell H . Rousseau , and the 10th Division , under Brig . Gen . James S . Jackson . The II Corps , commanded by Maj . Gen . Thomas L . Crittenden , marched on the right , along the Lebanon Road . His 20 , 000 men were in three divisions : the 4th , commanded by Brig . Gen . William Sooy Smith ; the 5th , Brig . Gen . Horatio P . Van Cleve ; and the 6th , Brig . Gen . Thomas J . Wood . The III Corps , commanded by Maj . Gen . Charles Champion Gilbert , took the center , along the Springfield Pike . Just a few weeks earlier , Gilbert had been a captain , but was elevated to acting major general and corps command following the death by murder of the previous commander , Maj . Gen . William " Bull " Nelson . Gilbert ' s 22 , 000 men were also in three divisions : the 1st , under Brig . Gen . Albin F . Schoepf ; 9th , Brig . Gen . Robert B . Mitchell ; and the 11th , Brig . Gen . Philip H . Sheridan . Confederate . Bragg ' s Army of Mississippi consisted of about 16 , 800 men in two wings . The Right Wing , commanded by Maj . Gen . Leonidas Polk , consisted of a single division under Maj . Gen . Benjamin F . Cheatham . The Left Wing , commanded by Maj . Gen . William J . Hardee , consisted of the divisions of Brig . Gen . J . Patton Anderson and Maj . Gen . Simon B . Buckner . Prelude to battle . When he departed for Frankfort on September 28 , Bragg left his army under Polk ' s command . On October 3 , the approach of the large Union force caused the Confederates to withdraw eastward and Bardstown was occupied on October 4 . Hardee ' s wing stopped at Perryville and requested reinforcements from Bragg . Although Bragg wished to concentrate his army at Versailles , the quickly approaching Federal III Corps forced the concentration at Perryville and Harrodsburg . Hardee had selected Perryville for a few reasons . The village of approximately 300 residents had an excellent road network with connections to nearby towns in six directions , allowing for strategic flexibility . It was located to prevent the Federals from reaching the Confederate supply depot in Bryantsville . Finally , it was a potential source of water . The area had been afflicted by a drought for months . The heat was oppressive for both men and horses , and the few sources of drinking water provided by the rivers and creeks west of town — most reduced to isolated stagnant puddles — were desperately sought after . On October 7 , Buell reached the Perryville area as Union cavalry clashed with Wheeler ' s rearguard throughout the day . Accompanying III Corps , Buell learned that the Confederates had halted at Perryville and were deploying their infantry . He therefore planned an attack . The enemy force was his principal objective , but the availability of water also made control of the town and surrounding area desirable . Buell issued orders for all corps to move at 3 a . m . the next day and attack at 10 a . m . However , movements of the I and II Corps were delayed , having deviated several miles from their line of march in search of water . Buell decided to delay his attack until October 9 to complete his army ' s deployment and ordered each corps commander to avoid a general engagement on October 8 . Buell was unable to oversee the deployment of his arriving corps . Thrown from his horse , he suffered injuries that prevented him from riding . He established his headquarters at the Dorsey house , about due west of town . Hardee established a line of defense across the three roads leading into Perryville from the north and west . Until reinforcements could arrive , he was limited to three of the four brigades of Buckner ' s division . Brig . Gen . Sterling A . M . Wood was placed at the north of town . Brig . Gen . Bushrod Johnson was to Wood ' s right , east of the Chaplin River near the Harrodsburg Pike . Brig . Gen . St . John R . Liddell ' s Arkansas Brigade formed on the crest of Bottom Hill , just east of Bull Run Creek , a tributary of Doctor ' s Creek , with one regiment , the 7th Arkansas , sent forward to Peters Hill on the other side of the creek . On the evening of October 7 the final Confederate forces began to arrive . The first of Patton Anderson ' s four brigades reached the area around 3 p . m . Brig . Gen . Patrick Cleburne ' s brigade , the remainder of Buckner ' s division , followed . Around midnight , three brigades of Frank Cheatham ' s division arrived , moving quickly and enthusiastically , having left their baggage train behind ; his fourth brigade , under Brig . Gen . Preston Smith , received orders to return to Harrodsburg . Battle . Morning actions . The first shots of the battle were fired early on the morning of October 8 . Finding that there were algae - covered pools of water in the otherwise dry bed of Doctor ' s Creek , troops from the 10th Indiana advanced to take advantage of them . They encountered the forward men of the 7th Arkansas and some shots were exchanged . At 2 a . m . , Buell and Gilbert , the III Corps commander , ordered newly promoted Brig . Gen . Phil Sheridan to seize Peters Hill ; Sheridan started off with the brigade of Col . Daniel McCook ( the younger brother of the I Corps commander ) . Sheridan seized the hill , driving the Arkansans back to the main line of their brigade , but continued to push across the creek . Liddell ' s brigade could not check the momentum of Sheridan ' s thirsty soldiers and Buckner , Lidell ' s division commander , was ordered by Polk not to reinforce him , but to pull his brigade back . Polk was concerned about starting a general engagement to the west of the Chaplin River , fearing he was outnumbered . Meanwhile , on the Union side , a nervous Gilbert ordered Sheridan to return to Peters Hill . For the preceding few days , Braxton Bragg had been deceived by the diversion launched by Sills against Frankfort , assuming that it was the major thrust of Buell ' s army . He wanted Polk to attack and defeat what he considered to be a minor force at Perryville and then immediately return so that the entire army could be joined with Kirby Smith ' s . Polk sent a dispatch to Bragg early that morning that he intended to attack vigorously , but he quickly changed his mind and settled on a defensive posture . Bragg , angered that he was not hearing the sounds of battle , rode from Harrodsburg to Perryville to take charge , arriving about 10 a . m . and establishing his headquarters at the Crawford house on the Harrodsburg Pike . Bragg was appalled at the condition of Polk ' s battle line , which contained gaps and was not properly anchored on the flanks . As he rode in , he observed some of McCook ' s I Corps troops north of town , but he assumed that the primary threat continued to be on the Springfield Pike , where the action against the III Corps had taken place early that morning . ( He had no knowledge of Crittenden ' s II Corps approaching on the Lebanon Pike . ) He gave orders to realign his army into a north - south line and prepare to attack " en echelon " . Cheatham ' s division marched north from town and prepared to open the attack on the Union left — which Bragg assumed to be on the Mackville Road — beginning a large " left wheel " movement . Two brigades from Patton Anderson ' s division would then strike the Union center and Buckner ' s division would follow up on the left . Another of Anderson ' s brigades , commanded by Col . Samuel Powel , would attack farther to the south along the Springfield Pike . The large clouds of dust raised by Cheatham ' s division marching at the double quick north prompted some of McCook ' s men to believe the Confederates were starting to retreat , which increased the surprise of the Rebel attack later in the day . By the afternoon of October 8 , most of Buell ' s army had arrived . They were positioned with McCook ' s I Corps on the left from the Benton Road to the Mackville Road ; Gilbert ' s III Corps in the center , on the Springfield Pike ; Crittenden ' s II Corps on the right , along the Lebanon Pike . The vast majority of action during the battle would be against McCook ' s corps . Because of an unusual acoustic shadow , few sounds from the battle reached Buell ' s headquarters only away ; he did not exert effective control over the battle and committed no reserves until late in the day . Attack from the Confederate right . Cheatham ' s artillery bombardment began at 12 : 30 p . m . , but he did not immediately order his infantry forward . Union troops continued to file into line , extending their flank to the north , beyond the intended avenue of attack . Bragg moved Cheatham ' s division into Walker ' s Bend , assuming the redirected attack would now strike the Union ' s open flank . Unfortunately for the Confederates , their cavalry reconnaissance withdrew before McCook placed an artillery battery under Lt . Charles Parsons and the brigade of Brig . Gen . William R . Terrill onto the Open Knob , a prominent hill on the northern end of the battlefield . The brigade of Brig . Gen . Daniel S . Donelson was the first to cross the Chaplin River , climb the bluffs on the west bank , and began its attack around 2 p . m . Two of the brigade ' s regiments had been detached , leaving only three for the attack . Cheatham shouted , " Give ' em hell , boys ! " One of the enduring legends of the Civil War is that Gen . Polk , who was also an Episcopal bishop , was nearby and seconded the cheer : " Give it to ' em boys ; give ' em what General Cheatham says ! " The brigade found that instead of striking the open flank it had expected , it was performing a frontal assault on the center of the Union position . The 16th Tennessee Infantry , under Col . John H . Savage , raced ahead of the other two regiments , attempting to reach the artillery battery of Capt . Samuel J . Harris . ( Savage held Donelson in disdain , considering him a drunkard with limited military ability , and often paid little attention to orders from his commander . He considered Donelson ' s order to attack Harris ' s battery to be a death sentence against him . ) As it moved west into a depression , it came under crossfire from the 33rd Ohio Infantry and the eight guns of Parsons ' artillery on Open Knob , to the north . Cheatham ordered the brigade of Brig . Gen . George E . Maney forward to deal with Parsons on the Open Knob , but Donelson ' s brigade could not withstand the fire and withdrew to its starting point at 2 : 30 p . m . with about 20 % casualties ; Savage ' s regiment lost 219 of its 370 men . Parsons ' eight guns on the Open Knob were manned by inexperienced soldiers , some of whom were infantry recruits from the 105th Ohio Infantry . Terrill ' s 33rd Brigade was posted to defend the guns . Maney ' s brigade was able to approach the Knob undetected through the woods , as the Union troops ' attention was focused on Donelson ' s attack . Eventually they redirected their guns and a fierce firefight ensued . Brig . Gen . Jackson , the 10th Division commander , was killed in the action , and command fell to Terrill , who immediately made a poor command decision . Obsessed with the safety of his artillery , he ordered the 123rd Illinois to mount a bayonet charge down the hill . The 770 raw Union troops suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the 1 , 800 veteran Confederates . As reinforcements arrived from the 80th Illinois and a detachment of infantry commanded by Col . Theophilus T . Garrard , the two sides were briefly stalemated . Maney ' s artillery , commanded by Lt . William Turner , pounded the inexperienced defenders , and Maney ordered a charge up the steep slope , which swept the Union men from the hill and captured most of Parsons ' guns ; the tenacious Parsons had to be dragged away from the scene by his retreating soldiers . Maney ' s attack continued to the west , down the reverse slope of the Open Knob , through a cornfield , and across the Benton Road , after which was another steep ridge , occupied by the 2 , 200 men in the Union 28th Brigade of Col . John C . Starkweather ( Rousseau ' s division ) , and twelve guns . Those guns made the Open Knob an untenable position . Starkweather had placed his 21st Wisconsin in the cornfield about the time that Maney was attacking Parsons ' position . The inexperienced men of the 21st — some of whom had never fired their weapons before , the regiment having been formed less than a month earlier — could see little through the 10 - to high cornstalks of the cornfield . They were surprised as the remnants of Terrill ' s brigade retreated through their position . As Terrill himself retreated , he shouted , " The Rebels are advancing in terrible force ! " Terrill convinced the regimental adjutant to order yet another bayonet charge ; 200 men advanced and were quickly smashed by the oncoming Confederates . While the Union men had to hold their fire to keep from shooting their retreating comrades , artillery fire from Starkweather ' s batteries caused numerous friendly fire casualties . The 21st managed to fire a volley into the Confederate ranks , but it was answered by a 1 , 400 - musket volley that decimated the Union regiment , and the survivors fled toward the Benton Road . To fill a gap in the Confederate line where Donelson ' s brigade had fought , Cheatham deployed the Tennessee brigade of Brig . Gen . Alexander P . Stewart and they joined Maney ' s brigade in the advance against Starkweather . The 1st Tennessee attacked the northern end of the hill while the remainder of Maney ' s brigade assaulted directly up the slope . Starkweather ' s position was a strong one , however , and the Confederates were initially repulsed by strong infantry and artillery fire . A second charge and vicious hand - to - hand fighting brought the Confederates to the crest , among the batteries . Meanwhile , Brig . Gen . Terrill returned to the fight , leading his troops up the reverse slope of the hill . He was mortally wounded by an artillery shell exploding overhead and died at 2 a . m . the following day . Starkweather meanwhile was able to salvage six of his twelve guns and move them west to the next ridge . Col . Albert S . Hall began the day as regimental commander of the 105th Ohio , and with the deaths of Jackson , Terrill , and Col . George Webster , advanced all the way to command of the 10th Division by the end of the day . Once again the Federals had a strong defensive position , with good artillery support and a stone wall at the top of a steep slope . Maney ' s and Stewart ' s men attempted three assaults , all unsuccessful , and withdrew to the vicinity of the Open Knob at around 5 : 30 p . m . The assault by Maney ' s brigade over three hours was the bloodiest of the battle , and arguably its most crucial action . Historian Kenneth W . Noe describes Maney ' s final repulse as the " high - water mark of the Confederacy in the western theater , no less important than the Angle at Gettysburg . " Attack from the Confederate center . The " en echelon " attack continued with Anderson ' s division in the center . At about 2 : 45 p . m . , the same time that Maney ' s first attack was being repulsed on the Open Knob , the brigade of Col . Thomas M . Jones began its attack across a valley commanded by a large sinkhole . Jones had no orders to attack from Anderson or Hardee , but moved forward on his own initiative when he heard the sound of firing to his right . As they entered the valley , his men were cut down by musketry and fire from twelve artillery pieces on the next ridge , where the Union 9th Brigade ( Rousseau ' s division ) under Col . Leonard A . Harris was posted . Confederate artillery attached to Jones ' s brigade , Capt . Charles Lumsden ' s Alabama Light Artillery , returned fire , but due to an optical illusion that made two successive ridges look the same , were unable to fix on the appropriate range and their fire had no effect on the Federal line . At 3 : 30 p . m . , the Confederate brigade of Brig . Gen . John C . Brown moved up to take the place of Jones ' s retreating men . By this time , most of the Union artillery had had to withdraw to replenish their ammunition , so Brown ' s men did not suffer the same fate as Jones ' s . Nevertheless , they made no headway against the infantry units in place until successes on the Confederate left put pressure on the Union position . Attack from the Confederate left . Almost all of McCook ' s I Corps units were posted at the beginning of the battle on land owned by " Squire " Henry P . Bottom . The corps ' right flank , Col . William H . Lytle ' s 17th Brigade , was posted on a ridge on which Squire Bottom ' s house and barn were situated , overlooking a bend in the Chaplin River and a hill and farm owned by R . F . Chatham on the other side . At about 2 : 30 p . m . Major John E . Austin ' s 14th Battalion of Louisiana Sharpshooters , screening Brig . Gen . Daniel W . Adams ' s Confederate brigade , engaged the 42nd Indiana as it was collecting water in the ravine of Doctor ' s Creek . This began a Confederate attack against this area with Brig . Gen . Bushrod R . Johnson ' s brigade descending from Chatham House Hill at about 2 : 45 p . m . , crossing the almost - dry riverbed and attacking the 3rd Ohio Infantry , commanded by Col . John Beatty . The attack was disorganized ; last - minute changes of orders from Buckner were not distributed to all of the participating units and friendly fire from Confederate artillery broke their lines while still on Chatham House Hill . When the infantry attack eventually moved up the hill , fighting from stone wall to stone wall , Confederate artillery bombarded the 3rd Ohio and set afire Squire Bottom ' s log barn . Some of the Union wounded soldiers had sought refuge in the barn and many were burned to death . The Ohioans withdrew and were replaced in their position by the 15th Kentucky . As Johnson ' s men ran low on ammunition , Brig . Gen . Patrick R . Cleburne ' s brigade entered the battle at about 3 : 40 p . m . Cleburne ' s horse , Dixie , was killed by an artillery shell , which also wounded Cleburne in the ankle , but he kept his troops moving forward . As they advanced up the slope , they were subjected to Confederate artillery fire ; Cleburne later surmised that the friendly fire was caused by his men wearing blue uniform trousers , which had been captured from Union soldiers at Richmond . On Cleburne ' s left , Brig . Gen . Daniel W . Adams ' s brigade joined the attack against the 15th Kentucky , which had been reinforced by three companies of the 3rd Ohio . The Union troops retreated to the west toward the Russell House , McCook ' s headquarters . Lytle was wounded in the head as he attempted to rally his men . He was left on the field for dead , and was captured . While Lytle ' s brigade was being beaten back , the left flank of Phil Sheridan ' s division was only a few hundred yards to the south on Peters Hill . One of the lingering controversies of the battle has been why he did not choose to join the fight . Earlier in the day he had been ordered by Gilbert not to bring on a general engagement . At around 2 p . m . , the sound of artillery fire reached army headquarters where Buell was having dinner with Gilbert ; the two generals assumed that it was Union artillery practicing and sent word to Sheridan not to waste gunpowder . Sheridan did project some artillery fire into the Confederate assault , but when Gilbert finally arrived from the rear , he feared that Sheridan would be attacked and ordered him back to his entrenchments . Sheridan ' s division did participate toward the end of the battle . The Confederate brigade of Col . Samuel Powel ( Anderson ' s division ) was ordered to advance in conjunction with Adams ' s brigade , on Cleburne ' s left . The two brigades were widely separated , however , with Powel ' s on Edwards House Hill , immediately west of Perryville . At about 4 p . m . , Powel received orders from Bragg to advance west on the Springfield Pike to silence the battery of Capt . Henry Hescock , which was firing into the left flank of Bragg ' s assault . Bragg assumed this was an isolated battery , not the entire III Corps . Three regiments of Powel ' s brigade encountered Sheridan ' s division , and although Sheridan was initially concerned by the Confederates ' aggressive attack and sent for reinforcements , the three regiments were quickly repulsed . Sheridan , who would be characterized in later battles as very aggressive , hesitated to pursue the smaller force , and also refused a request by Daniel McCook to move north in support of his brother ' s corps . However , his earlier request for reinforcements bore fruit and the 31st Brigade of Col . William P . Carlin ( Mitchell ' s division ) moved up on Sheridan ' s right . Carlin ' s men moved aggressively in pursuit of Powel , chasing them as fast as they could run toward Perryville . As they reached the cemetery on the western outskirts of town , fierce artillery dueling commenced . Carlin pressed forward and was joined by the 21st Brigade of Col . George D . Wagner ( Wood ' s division , II Corps ) . They were poised to capture the town and the critical crossroads that dominated Braxton Bragg ' s avenue of withdrawal , but an order from Gilbert to Mitchell curtailed the advance , despite Mitchell ' s furious protestations . Dixville Crossroads . Bragg ' s attack had been a large pincer movement , forcing both flanks of McCook ' s corps back into a concentrated mass . This mass occurred at the Dixville Crossroads , where the Benton Road crossed the Mackville Road . If this intersection could be seized , the Confederates could conceivably get around the right wing of McCook ' s corps , effectively cutting them off from the rest of the army . The southern jaw of the pincer began to slow at the temporary line established at the Russell House . Harris ' s and Lytle ' s brigades defended until Cleburne ' s and Adams ' s attack ground to a halt . The northern jaw had been stopped by Starkweather ' s defense . The remaining attacks came from north of the Mackville Road , by two fresh brigades from Buckner ' s division : Brig . Gen . St . John R . Liddell ' s and Brig . Gen . Sterling A . M . Wood ' s . The initial target of the assault was Col . George Webster ' s 34th Brigade of Jackson ' s division . Webster was mortally wounded during the fighting . His death marked the final senior loss for the 10th Division — the division commander , Jackson , and the other brigade commander , Terrill , had also been mortally wounded . ( The previous evening , Jackson , Terrill , and Webster had been idly discussing the possibility of all of them being killed in battle and they dismissed the thought as being mathematically negligible . ) Webster ' s infantry and Capt . Harris ' s artillery battery posted on a hill near the Benton Road shot Wood ' s attackers to pieces and they were forced to fall back . They regrouped at the base of the hill and renewed their assault . Harris ' s battery ran low on ammunition and had to withdraw , and the Confederate attack pushed Webster ' s men back toward the crossroads . Col . Michael Gooding ' s 13th Brigade ( Mitchell ' s division ) arrived on the field from Gilbert ' s corps and took up the fight . Wood ' s men withdrew and were replaced by Liddell ' s . The arrival of reinforcements was a result of McCook ' s belated attempts to secure aid for his beleaguered corps . At 2 : 30 p . m . he sent an aide to Sheridan on Peters Hill , requesting that he secure I Corps ' right flank . McCook dispatched a second staff officer at 3 p . m . to obtain assistance from the nearest III Corps unit . The officer encountered Brig . Gen . Albin F . Schoepf , commanding the 1st Division , the III Corps ' reserve . Unwilling to act on his own authority , Schoepf referred the staff officer to Gilbert , who in turn referred him to Buell ' s headquarters more than away . The arrival of McCook ' s staff officer at about 4 p . m . surprised the army commander , who had heard little battle noise and found it difficult to believe that a major Confederate attack had been under way for some time . Nevertheless , Buell ordered two brigades from Schoepf ' s division to support I Corps . This relatively minor commitment indicated Buell ' s unwillingness to accept the reported dire situation at face value . Liddell ' s men fired at an unknown unit less than east of the crossroads . Calls were heard , " You are firing upon friends ; for God ' s sake stop ! " Leonidas Polk , the wing commander , decided to ride forward to see who had been the victims of the supposedly friendly fire . Polk found that he had ridden by mistake into the lines of the 22nd Indiana and was forced to bluff his way out by riding down the Union line , pretending to be a Union officer , and shouting at the Federal troops to cease fire . When he had escaped , he shouted to Liddell , and the Confederates fired , hundreds of muskets in a single volley , which killed Col . Squire Keith and caused casualties of 65 % in the 22nd Indiana , the highest percentage of any regiment engaged at Perryville . Although Liddell wanted to pursue the assault , Polk had been unnerved by his personal contact with the enemy and halted the attack , blaming the falling darkness . The Union units moved their supplies and equipment through the endangered intersection and consolidated their lines on a chain of hills northwest . McCook ' s corps had been badly damaged during the day , but was not destroyed . Aftermath . Union casualties totaled 4 , 276 ( 894 killed , 2 , 911 wounded , 471 captured or missing ) . Confederate casualties were 3 , 401 ( 532 killed , 2 , 641 wounded , 228 captured or missing ) . In all , casualties totaled one - fifth of those involved . Braxton Bragg had arguably won a tactical victory , having fought aggressively and pushed his opponent back for over a mile . But his precarious strategic situation became clear to him as he found out about the III Corps advance on the Springfield Pike , and when he learned late in the day of the II Corps ' presence on the Lebanon Pike . At 9 p . m . he met with his subordinates at the Crawford House and gave orders to begin a withdrawal after midnight , leaving a picket line in place while his army joined up with Kirby Smith ' s . As the army marched toward Harrodsburg , they were forced to leave 900 wounded men behind . Bragg united his forces with Smith ' s at Harrodsburg , and the Union and Confederate armies , now of comparable size , skirmished with one another over the next week or so , but neither attacked . Bragg soon realized that the new infantry recruits he had sought from Kentucky would not be forthcoming , though many were willing to join the cavalry , and that he lacked the logistical support he needed to remain in the state . He made his way southeast to Knoxville , Tennessee , through the Cumberland Gap . Bragg was quickly called to the Confederate capital , Richmond , Virginia , to explain to Jefferson Davis the charges brought by his officers about how he had conducted his campaign , who were demanding that he be replaced as head of the army . Although Davis decided to leave the general in command , Bragg ' s relationship with his subordinates would be severely damaged . Upon rejoining the army , he ordered a movement to Murfreesboro , Tennessee . Buell conducted a half - hearted pursuit of Bragg and returned to Nashville , rather than pushing on to East Tennessee as the Lincoln administration had wished . Pent - up dissatisfaction with Buell ' s performance resulted in a reorganization of the Western departments . On October 24 , a new Department of the Cumberland was formed under Maj . Gen . William S . Rosecrans , and Buell ' s Army of the Ohio was assigned to it , redesignated the XIV Corps . ( After the Battle of Stones River at Murfreesboro in late December , another strategic defeat for Braxton Bragg , it would receive its more familiar name , the Army of the Cumberland . ) Buell was ordered to appear before a commission investigating his conduct during the campaign . He remained in military limbo for a year and a half , his career essentially ruined . He resigned from the service in May 1864 . Following the Battle of Perryville , the Union maintained control of Kentucky for the rest of the war . Historian James M . McPherson considers Perryville to be part of a great turning point of the war , " when battles at Antietam and Perryville threw back Confederate invasions , forestalled European mediation and recognition of the Confederacy , perhaps prevented a Democratic victory in the northern elections of 1862 that might have inhibited the government ' s ability to carry on the war , and set the stage for the Emancipation Proclamation which enlarged the scope and purpose of the conflict . " Portions of the battlefield of Perryville are preserved by the state of Kentucky as Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site .