Also Known As
- Battle of Green River
- Battle of the Green River Bridge
Date and Location
- September 14 – 17, 1862
- Hart County, Kentucky
Campaign
Principal Union Commanders
- Colonel John T. Wilder
- Colonel Cyrus L. Dunham
Principal Confederate Commanders
- General Braxton Bragg
- Major General William J. Hardee
- Major General Leonidas Polk
- Major General Simon B. Buckner
- Brigadier General James R. Chalmers
- Colonel John Scott
Union Forces Engaged
- Garrison defending the railroad bridge spanning the Green River, plus reinforcements
Confederate Forces Engaged
- Army of Mississippi
Number of Union Soldiers Engaged
- Roughly 4,000
Number of Confederate Soldiers Engaged
- Roughly 34,000
Estimated Union Casualties
- 15 killed and 57 wounded, and 4,133 soldiers captured
Estimated Confederate Casualties
- 35 killed and 253 wounded
Result
- Confederate victory
Significance
- The only major fighting that took place during the Battle of Munfordville occurred on September 14, 1862, when Brigadier General James R. Chalmers launched an unsuccessful assault against the Union garrison protecting the south side of the Green River railroad bridge.
- All Union soldiers captured at the Battle of Munfordville were paroled and allowed to march south toward Bowling Green and Major General Don Carlos Buell’s Army of the Ohio.
- After the Battle of Munfordville Confederate General Braxton Bragg boasted that his army subdued the Munfordville garrison and captured the bridge spanning the Green River “without our firing a gun.”
- Confederate General Braxton Bragg occupied Union fortifications near the Green River for only three days following the Battle of Munfordville.
- On September 20, 1862, Confederate General Braxton Bragg abandoned Munfordville and moved his army northeast, toward Bardstown, to carry through his planned rendezvous with General Kirby Smith.
- Munfordville, Kentucky is the hometown of Confederate General Simon Bolivar Buckner and Union General Thomas John Wood.
Timeline of the Confederate Heartland Campaign
These are the main battles and events of the Confederate Heartland Campaign in order.
- August 29–30, 1862 — Battle of Richmond
- September 14–17, 1862 — Battle of Munfordville
- October 8, 1862 — Battle of Perryville