Confederate Heartland Campaign (1862)

The Confederate Heartland Campaign, also known as Bragg’s Invasion of Kentucky, was a Confederate invasion of the border state of Kentucky in 1862. Although Confederate forces were largely successful on the battlefield, General Braxton Bragg abandoned the campaign and retreated to Tennessee, leaving Kentucky under Union control.

Overview

The Confederate Heartland Campaign, also known as Bragg’s Invasion of Kentucky, was a Confederate offensive in Kentucky and Tennessee from August through October 1862. General Braxton Bragg hoped to find supplies, draw Union forces away from Mississippi and Georgia, recruit Kentuckians, and help Secessionists bring the state into the Confederacy. General Edmund Kirby Smith entered Kentucky first and defeated Union forces at the Battle of Richmond on August 29–30, 1862.

Bragg moved his army from Tupelo, Mississippi, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the largest Confederate troop movement by train during the Civil War. He then marched into Kentucky and defeated Union forces at Munfordville, capturing about 4,000 soldiers. Meanwhile, Union General Don Carlos Buell moved the Army of the Ohio to Louisville, where reinforcements increased his force to about 60,000 men.

Confederate forces gained a tactical victory at the Battle of Perryville in October, but Bragg withdrew because his army lacked supplies and ammunition. He also failed to recruit the large number of Kentuckians he expected. Bragg evacuated Kentucky despite objections from other Confederate Officers. The campaign ended with Kentucky under Union control, while thousands of Kentuckians joined the Union Army.

Essential Facts

Also Known As: Bragg’s Invasion of Kentucky, the Confederate Heartland Offensive and the Kentucky Campaign.
Date: August–October 1862.
Location: Kentucky and Tennessee.
Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
USA Commanders: Don Carlos Buell.
CSA Commanders: Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith.
Who Won: The United States won the Confederate Heartland Campaign.
Era: Civil War, July–December, 1862.

Statistics

United States of America

Casualties: Undetermined.
Forces Engaged: Army of the Ohio.
Troop Strength: Roughly 60,000 soldiers.

Confederate States of America

Casualties: Undetermined.
Forces Engaged: Army of the Mississippi and Army of Kentucky.
Troop Strength: Roughly 52,000 soldiers.

Key Moments

In the summer of 1862, Confederate General Braxton Bragg devised a plan to invade Middle Tennessee and Kentucky.
After Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith moved his army into Kentucky, Bragg followed in hopes of finding supplies for his army and drawing Union forces out of Mississippi and Georgia.
Bragg also hoped to help Secessionists seize control of Kentucky, so the state could join the Confederacy, which would allow him to enforce Confederate conscription laws and raise troops.
Bragg moved his army from Tupelo to Chattanooga via railroad. It was the largest Confederate troop movement conducted by train during the war.
General Don Carlos Buell led the Army of Ohio (USA) into Kentucky and marched to Louisville.
Confederates won the Battle of Richmond (August 29–30).
Cincinnati, Ohio, was threatened by Confederate forces led by General Henry Heth, but Heth did not attack.
Confederate forces won the Battle of Munfordville (September 14–17, 1862).
A Secessionist government was organized, but Kentucky remained part of the Union.
Confederate forces won the Battle of Perryville (October 7).
Bragg decided to retreat to Tennessee, in part because he failed to raise as many recruits as he hoped.

General Don Carlos Buell, USA, Civil War, LOC — General Don Carlos Buell (USA). Image Source: Library of Congress.

Significance

The Confederate Heartland Campaign is important to American History because it helped secure Kentucky for the Union. General Braxton Bragg hoped the invasion would encourage Kentucky to join the Confederacy, provide supplies, and produce thousands of new Confederate recruits. Although Confederate forces won at Richmond, Munfordville, and Perryville, Bragg failed to gain lasting control of the state. He withdrew because of supply problems and disappointing recruitment. More than 35,000 Kentuckians reportedly volunteered for the Union, compared with an estimated 2,500 to 5,000 Confederate recruits. Kentucky remained under Union control for the rest of the Civil War.

History

In the middle of 1862, Confederate forces were struggling in the Western Theater of the Civil War, and Union forces controlled western Tennessee, the upper Mississippi River, and New Orleans.

Union Forces in the Western Theater

General Henry W. Halleck was in overall command of Union forces at Corinth, Mississippi, which included three armies led by General Ulysses S. Grant, General John Pope, and General Don Carlos Buell. Significant Union forces in the region also included:

General George W. Morgan at the Cumberland Gap in Tennessee.
General Ormsby M. Mitchell in North Alabama.

Halleck sent Buell and the Army of the Ohio toward northern Alabama, in hopes he could invade Alabama or Georgia. It also put Buell within striking distance of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In early July, Halleck was recalled to Washington, D.C., where President Abraham Lincoln appointed him as General-in-Chief of all the armies of the United States. Meanwhile, Grant set his sights on capturing Vicksburg, a strategic Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River.

Henry Halleck, General, USA, Civil War, NA — General Henry Halleck (USA). Image Source: National Archives.

Bragg Replaces Beauregard

Disappointed with the performance of Confederate forces in the region, Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced General P.G.T. Beauregard, commander of the Army of the Mississippi, with General Braxton Bragg on June 27, 1862. At the time, the two main Confederate forces in the region were:

Bragg’s Army of the Mississippi with about 45,000 men at Tupelo, Mississippi.
General Edmund Kirby Smith’s 16,000 men in the Department of East Tennessee.

A third Confederate force, led by General Humphrey Marshall, entered Kentucky from southwestern Virginia. Meanwhile, Confederate raiders were harassing Union troops in Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky. General Nathan Bedford Forrest led the raiders in Tennessee while Colonel John Hunt Morgan led them in Kentucky. Morgan’s raids started in July.

First Battle of Murfreesboro — July 13, 1862

On July 13, Confederate cavalry, led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest, attacked the Union garrison at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a critical Union supply center on the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad. Forrest led his men to victory in the First Battle of Murfreesboro, and all Union forces surrendered to him.

Nathan Bedford Forrest, General, CSA, Civil War, LOC — General Nathan Bedford Forrest (CSA). Image Source: Library of Congress.

The Race to Chattanooga

Also on July 13, General Don Carlos Buell and the Army of the Ohio started marching toward Chattanooga.

General Braxton Bragg was determined to have his army in Chattanooga before Buell. From Tupelo, it was more than a 200-mile march, so he decided to transport his troops by train.

On July 19, Bragg initiated movements to distract Union forces. He sent Colonel Joseph Wheeler to West Tennessee and General Frank C. Armstrong to northern Alabama. With these two operating behind enemy lines, carrying out raids, Bragg started shipping his army to Chattanooga on July 23.

This was the largest Confederate troop movement by train in the Civil War, but it was also a journey of more than 770 miles. Despite this, the first Confederate troops started arriving in Chattanooga on July 29.

Bragg praised the work of the Confederate cavalry, saying, “Our cavalry is paving the way for me in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky.” Bragg left 32,000 men behind at Tupelo, led by General Sterling Price and General Earl Van Dorn, to defend Vicksburg against Grant.

Bragg and General Edmund Kirby Smith met in Chattanooga on July 31, where they agreed on the plan to invade Middle Tennessee. If all went well, they would join their armies in Kentucky. Then they would be joined by Van Dorn and Price, take control of Kentucky, and threaten Ohio.

Despite Bragg’s plan, Smith took action on his own, after John Hunt Morgan suggested an attack against Union forces occupying the Cumberland Gap. Morgan believed men were living in the area who were eager to volunteer to join the Confederate Army; Smith simply needed to push the Federals out. Morgan told Smith, “The whole country can be secured, and 25,000 or 30,000 men will join you at once.”

On August 5, Bragg sent Patrick R. Cleburne and Preston Smith and their divisions to join Smith at Knoxville.

Smith Enters Kentucky

General Edmund Kirby Smith left Knoxville on August 14, 1862, and marched 150 miles northward, from Knoxville, Tennessee to Richmond, Kentucky. General Patrick R. Cleburne and Colonel John S. Scott led the Confederate advance forces.

General Edmund Kirby Smith, CSA, Civil War, LOC — General Edmund Kirby Smith (CSA). Image Source: Library of Congress.

Instead of carrying out a direct assault on the Union garrison at the Cumberland Gap, Smith marched around it. However, he sent a contingent of troops, led by General Carter L. Stevenson, toward the Gap to threaten the Federals and engage them if they moved against him.

Smith intended to march to Lexington, about 30 miles northwest of Richmond. Based on information he received from John Hunt Morgan, he believed the area was “full of supplies so necessary to us, was represented to be occupied by a force which could make but feeble resistance.”

In Kentucky, Smith issued a proclamation, calling for Kentuckians to take up arms for the Confederate Army. He said: “We came to strike off the chains which are riveted upon you. We call upon you to unite your arms and join with us in hurling back from our fair and sunny plains the northern hordes who would deprive us of our liberty, that they may enjoy our substance.”

Buell Sends Nelson to Louisville

Upon hearing that General Edmund Kirby Smith was in Lexington, General Don Carlos Buell sent General William “Bull” Nelson to Louisville to help defend it against a Confederate attack.

William Bull Nelson, General, USA, Civil War, LOC — General William “Bull” Nelson (USA). Image Source: Library of Congress.

James F. Robinson Becomes Governor of Kentucky

Meanwhile, the struggle between Unionists and Secessionists for control of Kentucky continued. A Secessionist “bogus government” was organized at Russellville.

On August 16, Governor Beriah Magoffin resigned from the Unionist Government to join the Secessionists.

On August 18, James F. Robinson, the Speaker of the Kentucky Senate, ultimately succeeded Magoffin as the Unionist Governor.

Bragg Leaves Tennessee

When Kirby left Tennessee, Bragg was about 100 miles west of him and was unable to join him in time to make the march to Richmond. Instead, Bragg waited two weeks and then started marching northward on August 28 with approximately 30,000 troops.

Confederate Offensives

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Theater, General Robert E. Lee was preparing to start his Maryland Campaign. Confederate officials hoped the Confederate offensives in Virginia and the Heartland were going to strike decisive blows against Union forces.

The Battle of Richmond — August 29–30, 1862

On August 29, Confederate forces engaged Union troops outside of Richmond, Kentucky. The battle escalated in the afternoon when Union artillery and infantry forces entered the battle, forcing the Confederates to fall back. Union General Mahlon D. Manson ordered a portion of his command to pursue the Confederates.

The battle continued until nightfall. Overnight, Manson prepared to send more of his troops in pursuit of the Confederates.

Meanwhile, General Edmund Kirby Smith ordered General Patrick R. Cleburne to carry out a counterattack the next morning, August 30.

Patrick R. Cleburne, General, Civil War, CSA, LOC — General Patrick R. Cleburne (CSA). Image Source: Library of Congress.

The battle resumed with Cleburne driving through Union skirmishers toward the Union Line, which was under the command of General William “Bull” Nelson. As the battle progressed, both sides received reinforcements, but a Confederate assault on the right flank of the Union Line caused it to collapse, and the Federals retreated.

Although more reinforcements arrived, the Confederates overwhelmed the Federals and took a significant number of prisoners. Instead of marching to join with Bragg, Smith marched to Lexington. He renamed his command the Army of Kentucky and occupied Lexington and Frankfort.

Kentucky’s Unionist Government Flees to Louisville

On August 31, while Smith was marching toward Frankfort, Governor James Fisher Robinson and the rest of the Unionist government fled to Louisville. That same day, Robinson issued a proclamation that said:

“The State has been invaded by an insolent foe; her honor is sullied, her peace disturbed, and her integrity imperiled…He must be met and driven from our border, and it is in your power to do so.

I therefore, as Governor of the Commonwealth, deem it my duty to call upon every loyal citizen of Kentucky to rally to the defence of the State…I call upon the people then to rise up as a man and strike a blow for the defence of their native land, their property, and their homes.

To Arms! To Arms! and never lay them down till the Stars and Stripes float in triumph throughout Kentucky.”

Kentuckians responded, and 11 new regiments were organized for the Kentucky Militia as reportedly thousands of volunteers made their way to Louisville. Later, General Gordon Granger said there were at least 36,000 “raw recruits” at Louisville.

The Defense of Cincinnati — September 1–13, 1862

The presence of Confederate forces in Kentucky was a threat to Cincinnati, Ohio. The mayor, George Hatch, closed all businesses, and Union General Lew Wallace declared martial law while he prepared defensive works at Cincinnati, on the north side of the Ohio River. More works were built on the south side of the river at Covington and Newport.

The Federals were joined by roughly 15,000 men known as “Squirrel Hunters.” They were untrained volunteers from all over Ohio who came to help protect against the possible Confederate invasion.

General Edmund Kirby Smith took advantage of the panic, sending General Henry Heth and an army north from Lexington to scout the Union defenses. Heth was under orders not to attack the city, but to do enough to make the Federals think that was his intention.

Heth marched out of Lexington on September 1 and arrived south of Covington on September 6. While he was in the area, small skirmishes took place, including one at Fort Mitchell (September 10–11). On September 12, Heth started his march back to Lexington.

Lew Wallace, General, Civil War, USA, LOC — General Lew Wallace (USA). Image Source: Library of Congress.

Buell Marches Toward Louisville

When General Don Carlos Buell learned of the Confederate victory at the Battle of Richmond, he was near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He immediately marched to Nashville and arrived there on September 7. He left several divisions to defend the city and then marched for Louisville.

Buell reached Bowling Green on September 14 with his cavalry and two divisions of infantry. He then marched northeast toward Munfordville.

Battle of Munfordville — September 14–17, 1862

General Braxton Bragg and his army reached Glasgow, Kentucky on September 14. He decided to destroy a railroad bridge that crossed over the Green River and attack the Union garrison. After three days of fighting, the Confederates won the Battle of Munfordville and captured 4,000 Union troops.

Bragg’s Search for Supplies

Following the Battle of Munfordville, Bragg was unable to move toward Buell and engage him. Bragg’s army was running short on supplies and food in a “hostile country,” so he was “compelled to give up the object [Buell] and seek for subsistence.”

Because of this, Bragg decided to march to Lexington, hoping to supply his men and join forces with Smith. He continued his march through the center of Kentucky, moving from Munfordville to Bardstown, about 80 miles northeast.

At Bardstown, Bragg left his army and rode to Lexington to meet with Smith. He left Leonidas Polk in command. Upon his arrival in Lexington, Bragg met with Smith and ordered him to go to Frankfort so he could attend the inauguration of the Secessionist Governor, Richard Hawes.

Union Troops Abandon the Cumberland Gap — September 16

With Confederate forces moving into Kentucky and also toward him at the Cumberland Gap, General George W. Morgan retreated on September 16. He marched nearly 300 miles northward through Eastern Kentucky to the Ohio River.

Along the way, the Federals were harassed by John Hunt Morgan and his Confederate raiders. General George Morgan said, “Frequent skirmishes took place, and it several times happened that while one Morgan was clearing out obstructions at the entrance of a defile the other Morgan was blockading the exit.”

The Cumberland Gap remained under Confederate control until September 1863 when Kentucky forces, led by General James M. Shackelford, recaptured it. This was part of General Ambrose Burnside’s East Tennessee Campaign.

Buell Arrives in Louisville

On September 22, General Don Carlos Buell and his army were still marching to Louisville. Confederate cavalry led by Colonel Joseph Wheeler harassed Buell but did very little damage.

Joseph Wheeler, General, Civil War, CSA, LOC — Joseph Wheeler (CSA). Image Source: Library of Congress.

As he moved toward Louisville, General Ulysses S. Grant sent him reinforcements, who joined him during the march.

The forward elements of Buell’s army started arriving in Louisville on September 25, and all his men were there by September 27.

Soon after, Buell was joined by another 30,000 reinforcements from Indiana, who crossed the Ohio River. By early October, Buell had around 60,000 men under his command.

Battle of Augusta — September 27, 1862

When General Henry Heth marched on Cincinnati, he was accompanied by a detachment from John Hunt Morgan’s cavalry, led by Colonel Basil W. Duke.

After a small skirmish at Snow’s Pond on September 25, Duke learned Union forces were gathering in Augusta, Kentucky, between Maysville and Cincinnati. Duke moved to engage them and was also looking for an opportunity to cross the Ohio River and carry out raids in Ohio.

Around noon on September 27, Duke and his men occupied the heights over Augusta. Union gunboats fired on them. After the Confederate artillery returned fire, Duke sent some of his men to a position where they could fire on the boats, which were forced to sail upriver to safety.

With the gunboats gone, the Confederates moved into Augusta, where they engaged a Union Home Guard, led by Dr. Joshua T. Bradford. A fierce battle took place in the town, which came to an end when the Confederates started setting fire to buildings.

Duke decided to withdraw and was engaged the next day again by Union forces in a small skirmish. Afterward, he retreated to Falmouth, Kentucky.

Buell Marches Toward Bardstown

On October 1, General Don Carlos Buell started his march from Louisville to Bardstown, intending to engage General Braxton Bragg. By this time, his second-in-command was General George Thomas. Buell organized his army into three corps, each consisting of three divisions.

The First Corps on the left, under General Alexander M. McCook, marched through Taylorsville.
The Second Corps, under General George B. Crittenden, marched through Mount Washington.
The Third Corps, under General Charles C. Gilbert, took the route by way of Shepherdsville.

A portion of McCook’s command, led by General Joshua Woodrow Sill, marched directly toward Frankfort to threaten the Confederate forces occupying the town.

Kentucky’s Confederate Government

Bragg was at Lexington on October 4, where he participated in the inauguration of Richard Hawes as the Governor of the Provisional Confederate Government. Hawes declared “…the State would be held by the Confederate army…” no matter the cost.

At Lexington, Bragg learned very little progress was being made in gathering supplies at Lexington, and that Buell was marching out of Louisville, moving east toward Lexington. Bragg said, “…this required abandonment of the capital and partial uncovering and ultimate loss of our stores at Lexington.”

Afterward, Bragg ordered Polk to leave Bardstown and march 110 miles westward to Perryville. Bragg rode there, rejoined his army, and resumed command.

Bragg’s Proclamation

Despite the installation of the Confederate Government, Kentucky was still officially part of the Union, and not the Confederacy, so he could not enforce conscription laws. While he was still at Bardstown, Bragg issued a proclamation, calling for Kentuckians to turn out and join the Confederate Army.

Bragg admitted to this but also assumed Kentucky would secede. In the proclamation, he said, “This is the last opportunity Kentuckians will enjoy for volunteering. The conscript act will be enforced as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made.”

Battle of Perryville — October 7

As General Joshua Woodrow Sill led Union troops to Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky, and General Edmund Kirby Smith prepared to engage him. However, Bragg received information that led him to believe the Union threat against Frankfort was more significant than the threat against Bardstown.

Battle of Perryville, Kentucky, 1862, HMDB — Battle of Perryville Historical Marker. Image Source: Historical Marker Database.

Bragg responded by leading half his army toward Frankfort, leaving Leonidas Polk in command at Bardstown. Polk was overwhelmed and forced to withdraw to Perryville, Kentucky. On October 7, Polk took up defensive positions on the west side of the Chaplin River.

Meanwhile, Union forces moved toward Perryville. General Alexander M. McCook arrived early in the evening of October 7 and launched an attack. The Confederates were able to hold out, and the battle paused overnight.

By this time, Bragg realized Buell’s move toward Frankfort was a trick and quickly rushed back to Perryville.

Early the next morning, Union forces attacked again. This time, Philip Sheridan led the attack. Around 10:00 a.m., Bragg arrived and resumed command of Confederate forces.

The battle started well for the Confederates. Although they faced tough resistance, they slowly pushed the Union forces back. However, as the day went on, more of Buell’s army arrived.

The Confederates started running low on supplies and ammunition. Knowing he would face most of Buell’s army the next day, Bragg decided to withdraw during that night. Despite having fewer casualties and gaining a tactical victory, the Confederates abandoned Perryville.

Bragg’s Retreat from Kentucky

Following the Battle of Perryville, General Braxton Bragg retreated to Harrodsburg, Kentucky, 120 miles northwest of Perryville. At Harrodsburg, he finally joined forces with General Edmund Kirby Smith and waited for Union forces to attack. However, no attack came.

The combined Confederate Army was now about the same size as the Union Army led by General Don Carlos Buell. Despite this, Bragg lost his enthusiasm for the campaign for two main reasons:

The Kentucky recruits he hoped for did not appear.
He also believed his supply lines were too weak to remain in Kentucky.

Despite objections from Smith, Polk, and other officers, Bragg ended the campaign and evacuated Kentucky. He marched out through the mountains on the Wilderness Road, through the Cumberland Gap. Confederate forces returned to Knoxville and Chattanooga.

Davis Questions Bragg

President Jefferson Davis called General Braxton Bragg to Richmond, Virginia, to address complaints from his officers about how poorly he handled the Invasion of Kentucky. Davis was satisfied with Bragg’s explanation and allowed him to remain in command. However, Bragg’s relationships with his subordinate officers were strained when he returned to his army.

The Downfall of Don Carlos Buell

Union officials were unhappy with Buell’s weak pursuit of Bragg as the Confederates left Kentucky.

On October 24, Army officials created a new Department of the Cumberland in the Western Theater and placed General William S. Rosecrans in command. They assigned Buell’s Army of the Ohio to this new department and renamed it the 16th Corps.

Union leaders ordered Buell to appear before a commission to investigate his leadership during the campaign. The commission met from November 24, 1862, to May 10, 1863, but failed to issue a final report.

From May 10, 1863, to June 1, 1864, Buell’s official status was “awaiting orders,” but his military reputation was severely damaged. On May 23, 1864, Buell mustered out of volunteer service and resigned from the military on June 1.

Bragg’s View — a Confederate Success

Although Bragg’s evacuation left Kentucky under Union control for the rest of the war, he was able to inflict casualties on Union forces and seize supplies. In his report, he said he inflicted 25,000 casualties on the Federals, along with capturing:

“…over thirty pieces of artillery, 17,000 small arms, some 2,000,000 cartridges for same, destroyed some hundreds of wagons, and brought off several hundred more with their teams and harness complete; replaced our jaded horses by a fine remount, lived two months upon supplies wrested from the enemy’s possession, secured material to clothe the army, and finally secured subsistence from the redeemed country to support not only the army, but also a large force of the Confederacy to the present time.”

Newspapers reported that Bragg filled 4,000 wagons with supplies and the wagon train itself was 40 miles long.

Criticism of Bragg — a Confederate Failure

Bragg received strong criticism from Kentucky Confederates, General Edmund Kirby Smith, and the Southern press.

General George Baird Hodge, a member of Kentucky’s Confederate Congress, said Bragg “lost his head” by dividing his army to engage Union forces at Perryville. He said Bragg “…retreated out of the State with more rapidity than he had entered it.”

Smith criticized Bragg’s decision to withdraw at Perryville. He wrote:

“…the two armies, now in full strength, confronted each other, 45,000 Confederates, 54,000 Federals. Their lines were but three miles apart, and it was the general belief that Bragg should and would deliver battle to his enemy, now on terms as nearly equal as is usual in the great contests of war…The expectation of a great battle on that day was disappointed. Bragg ordered his command to fall back upon his base at Bryantsville, and gathering up all supplies collected he continued his march of retreat to Lancaster, where the army was divided, Smith going out by Richmond and Cumberland Gap, and Bragg by Crab Orchard and Tennessee.”

A newspaper in Richmond, Virginia said Bragg’s Invasion of Kentucky was a “…brilliant blunder, a magnificent failure, profoundly disappointing, and mortifying Southern people and dashing their fond hopes of liberating Kentucky and Tennessee from the Federal hold.”

Outside of the decision to leave Kentucky, Bragg also failed to raise the number of troops he anticipated. Estimates range between 2,500 and 5,000. This pales in comparison to the more than 35,000 who volunteered to fight for the Union. It can be argued that Bragg’s invasion failed on the grounds that it solidified Union control of Kentucky, which is one reason some historians consider him to be the worst Confederate General of the Civil War.

Timeline

1862, June 27 — Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced P.G.T. Beauregard with Braxton Bragg as Commander of the Army of the Mississippi.
1862, July — John Hunt Morgan started conducting Confederate raids in Kentucky.
1862, July 13 — Nathan Bedford Forrest defeated the Union garrison in the First Battle of Murfreesboro.
1862, July 13 — Don Carlos Buell and the Army of the Ohio started marching toward Chattanooga.
1862, July 19 — Braxton Bragg sent Confederate forces to conduct diversionary raids in western Tennessee and northern Alabama.
1862, July 23 — Bragg started transporting his army from Tupelo to Chattanooga by railroad.
1862, July 29 — The first Confederate troops arrived in Chattanooga.
1862, July 31 — Edmund Kirby Smith traveled to Chattanooga and met with Bragg to plan a two-part invasion of Kentucky.
1862, August 5 — Bragg sent divisions under Patrick R. Cleburne and Preston Smith to reinforce Smith at Knoxville.
1862, August 14 — Kirby Smith left Knoxville and marched north into Kentucky.
1862, August 14 — Smith marched north from Knoxville with about 15,000 soldiers.
1862, August 16
- Smith passed through the Cumberland Gap into southern Kentucky.
- Governor Beriah Magoffin resigned from Kentucky’s Unionist Government.
1862, August 18
- Smith entered Barbourville and discovered that local residents offered little support or supplies.
- James F. Robinson became Kentucky’s Unionist Governor.
1862, August 20 — Smith informed Bragg that he had decided to advance toward Lexington for supplies.
1862, August 28 — Bragg marched north with about 30,000 troops.
1862, August 29–30 — Smith led Confederate forces to victory in the Battle of Richmond.
1862, August 31
- Kentucky’s Unionist Government fled from Frankfort to Louisville.
- Governor James F. Robinson called on loyal Kentuckians to defend the state.
1862, September 1 — Henry Heth marched north from Lexington to threaten Cincinnati.
1862, September 6 — Heth arrived south of Covington, Kentucky.
1862, September 7 — Don Carlos Buell arrived in Nashville before marching toward Louisville.
1862, September 10–11 — Union and Confederate forces fought a small engagement at Fort Mitchell.
1862, September 12 — Heth started marching back to Lexington.
1862, September 14 — Buell reached Bowling Green with cavalry and two infantry divisions.
1862, September 14 — Bragg reached Glasgow, Kentucky, and moved against Munfordville.
1862, September 14-17 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Munfordville.
1862, September 16 — George W. Morgan evacuated the Cumberland Gap.
1862, September 22 — Confederate cavalry under Joseph Wheeler harassed Buell’s march toward Louisville.
1862, September 25
- The first parts of Buell’s army arrived in Louisville.
- Confederate and Union forces fought a small engagement at Snow’s Pond.
1862, September 27
- All of Buell’s army had arrived in Louisville.
- Confederate forces under Basil W. Duke fought Union defenders at Augusta, Kentucky.
1862, October 1 — Buell marched from Louisville toward Bardstown with three corps.
1862, October 4 — Bragg attended Richard Hawes’ inauguration as the provisional Confederate Governor of Kentucky.
1862, October 7
- Leonidas Polk established defensive positions near Perryville.
- General Alexander M. McCook attacked Confederate forces at Perryville.
1862, October 8
- Union and Confederate forces continued fighting at Perryville.
- Bragg ordered his army to withdraw from Perryville during the night.
1862, October 24 — Union officials created the Department of the Cumberland and placed William S. Rosecrans in command.
1862, November 24 — A Union commission started investigating Don Carlos Buell’s leadership.
1863, May 10 — The commission ended its investigation without issuing a final report.
1863, September — Kentucky forces under James M. Shackelford recaptured the Cumberland Gap.
1864, May 23 — Buell left volunteer military service.
1864, June 1 — Buell resigned from the military.

AP US History

Definition

Confederate Heartland Campaign (1862) — The Confederate Heartland Campaign was an invasion of Kentucky led by General Braxton Bragg and General Edmund Kirby Smith from August through October 1862. Confederate forces won the Battle of Richmond and captured about 4,000 Union soldiers at Munfordville. After Bragg was outnumbered at Perryville, he withdrew to Tennessee, leaving Kentucky under Union control.