ARMY OPERATIONS. 



149 



the conscription act was enforced, and men 

 were forced into the ranks of the Confederate 

 army by the point of the bayonet. The stores 

 of the towns were ordered to be opened, and 

 the goods taken and paid for in Confederate 

 scrip. 



On the 1st of October Gen. Baell, who had 

 been previously removed from command and 

 reinstated again, moved from Louisville, where 

 he had lost thousands by desertion, to meet 

 the Confederate force, and on the 4th his army 

 arrived at Bardstown. On the previous day 

 a force of Gen. Bragg had evacuated that 

 place. This force consisted of about sixty-five 

 regiments, averaging about three hundred men 

 each, and amounting in total to twenty thou- 

 sand. It moved from Bardstown in the direc- 

 tion of Springfield. The force of Gen. Buell 

 was stated by the general-in-chief to number 

 about one hundred thousand men. From the 

 first approach of the Confederate forces, every 

 effort had been made to collect new troops at 

 Cincinnati and Louisville, and to fortify these 

 places against a coup de main. To give confi- 

 dence to the new levies, a portion of Gen. 

 Grant's army was withdrawn from Mississippi 

 and sent to Kentucky and Cincinnati. 



The army of the Ohio, as Gen. Buell's force 

 was designated, was now divided into three 

 corps, commanded by Gens. Gilbert, Crittenden, 

 and McCook. The new regiments sent to Louis- 

 ville were placed in brigades with the old ones, 

 which had seen nearly a year's service. On the 

 march from Louisville the corps of Gen. Mc- 

 Cook, forming the left wing, took the road to 

 Taylorsville, Gen. Gilbert the road to Shepherds- 

 ville, and Gen. Crittenden, forming the right 

 wing, the road to Bardstown. With the latter 

 corps Gen. Buell moved. 



On the 4th, Richard Hawes was inaugurated 

 at Frankfort as Confederate Provisional Gover- 

 nor, and on the same day the city was evacuated, 

 and he retired with the troops. 



On the 6th the army of Gen. Buell arrived 

 at Springfield, sixty-two miles from Louisville. 

 Its slow progress had been owing to its num- 

 bers, the difficulty of the route and the conflicts 

 with the Confederate rear guard. The main 

 body of the Confederate army was twenty-four 

 hours in advance when Gen. Buell left Louis- 

 ville, and thus far had been constantly gaining. 

 The order of Gen. Bragg to his rear guard was 

 to prevent the arrival of Gen. Buell at Bards- 

 town before the 4th, if possible, in order to give 

 time to the Confederate wagon train to gain an 

 advance of some twenty miles. Gen. Critten- 

 den's corps only entered the place, and those 

 of Gens. McCook and Gilbert kept on toward 

 Springfield, retaining their position on the left 

 and centre. Gen. Crittenden followed on the 

 5th. On the 7th it was reported to Gen. Buell 

 that a considerable Confederate force was at 

 Perryville, forty-two miles south of Frankfort. 

 The three army corps were then marching on 

 that place by different roads. Gen. Buell de- 

 termined to surround the enemy, if possible, 



and ordered all the divisions to march with- 

 out delay, leaving behind their transportation. 

 Gens. McCook and Gilbert continued their 

 march, but Gen. Crittenden lost half a day on 

 a circuitous route to obtain water. Gen. Bragg, 

 learning of the united approach of the Union 

 forces, immediately began to retreat. It was 

 the design of Gen. Buell that the three corps 

 should participate in the battle, but Gen. Bragg 

 hearing of the delay of Gen. Crittenden, imme- 

 diately determined to fight the corps of Gens. 

 McCook and Gilbert, and defeat them if possible, 

 and then to fall upon Gen. Crittenden or to re- 

 treat before his arrival. The Confederate general 

 Hardee's corps, which had retreated six miles, 

 was accordingly ordered back in haste to Per- 

 ryville. Suddenly, on the 8th, Gen. McCook 

 found himself in front of the Confederate line 

 of battle, with his men marching in columns, 

 and without skirmishers in advance, nothing 

 in front but a small advance guard which at- 

 tempted to attack the enemy's outpost. The 

 Confederate infantry rushed forward and a divi- 

 sion of raw troops had to be formed in line of 

 battle under a heavy fire. The raw troops fled in 

 confusion, but the old troops stood their ground. 

 Gen. McCook had approached Perryville by the 

 Knoxville road. Gen. Gilbert had marched di- 

 rect from Springfield, and had arrived with- 

 in two miles of Perryville on the preceding 

 evening, the 7th. To Gen. McCook's request 

 for reinforcements, they were ordered from 

 Gen. Gilbert's corps. At the same tune Gen. 

 Crittenden was ordered to push forward on the 

 Lebanon road to attack the Confederate left. 

 The advance of Gen. Gilbert's reinforcements 

 arrived at half-past three o'clock in the after- 

 noon to support Gen. McCook on the left. His 

 forces were found badly cut up and hotly pressed 

 by the Confederate force, having retreated 

 nearly a mile. The contest continued violent 

 until dark, the Federal force retiring from the 

 field. During the evening Gen. Crittenden's 

 corps came up, but no movement was made till 

 noon of the next day, when it was ascertained 

 that the Confederate force had retired. The 

 Federal loss was about four hundred and sixty- 

 six killed, among whom were Brig.-Gens. Jack- 

 son and Tyrrell, fourteen hundred and sixty- 

 three wounded, and one hundred and sixty 

 missing. The Confederate loss was nearly the 

 same. The forces of Gen. Bragg, which he had 

 been able to draw from all quarters, were now 

 about sixty thousand. The arrival of Gen. 

 Crittenden's corps undoubtedly induced Gen. 

 Bragg to continue his retreat. On that evening 

 the Federal troops returned to Perryville. 



It was now expected that Gen. Bragg would 

 make a stand at Camp Dick Robinson. The 

 position of this place is such that it can easily 

 be defended against an approach in front by a 

 few batteries on the cliffs which line Dick river. 

 It, however, can be easily flanked. It was the 

 plan of Gen. Buell, therefore, to make a feint 

 in front and a strong attack on the flank of the 

 Confederate position. Accordingly, Gen. Crit- 



