Battle of Perryville Facts

October 8, 1862

Key facts about the Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills.

Portrait of Don Carlos Buell

Union commander Don Carlos Buell did not realize that his army was engaged in a major confrontation at the Battle of Perryville, because he was away from the action recuperating from an injury sustained falling from his horse the day before.  [Wikimedia Commons]

Also Known As

  • Battle of Chaplin Hills

Date and Location

  • October 8, 1862
  • Boyle County, Kentucky, west of Perryville

Campaign

Principal Union Commanders

Principal Confederate Commanders

Union Forces Engaged

  • Army of the Ohio

Confederate Forces Engaged

  • Army of Mississippi

Number of Union Soldiers Engaged

  • Roughly 55,000

Number of Confederate Soldiers Engaged

  • Roughly 22,000

Estimated Union Casualties

  • 4,211 (killed, wounded, and missing/captured)

Estimated Confederate Casualties

  • 3,196 casualties (killed, wounded, and missing/captured)

Result

  • Union victory

Significance

  • 894 Union soldiers were killed during the Battle of Perryville.
  • 532 Confederate soldiers were killed during the Battle of Perryville.
  • One of the driving forces in the Battle of Perryville was the quest for drinking water, because Kentucky was undergoing one of the worst droughts in memory at the time of the battle.
  • Union commander Don Carlos Buell did not realize that his army was engaged in a major confrontation at the Battle of Perryville, because he was away from the action recuperating from an injury sustained falling from his horse the day before.
  • Although the Union suffered more casualties and gave up ground, the Battle of Perryville was a strategic victory for the Federals because they drove the Confederates out of Kentucky.
  • The Battle of Perryville was the largest Civil War engagement fought in Kentucky.

Timeline of the Confederate Heartland Campaign

These are the main battles and events of the Confederate Heartland Campaign in order.