“The Battle of Perryville has never been understood by the general public. Fourteen hours of fire and smoke, with lead and iron hail, deserves more than a contemptuous notice.”—Marshall Thatcher, 2nd Mich. cavalry

You’re right, Marshall.

It deserves a THREAD

#ToKentuckyWeGo

Yes, #OnThisDay in 1862, in a sweltering heat, one of the Civil War’s most savage and important battles took place in the crossroads village of Perryville, KY. “I think to lose Kentucky is to nearly lose the whole game,” Lincoln said, in Football Head Coach press conference mode.

Why doesn’t the battle get more attention? In his excellent book, Kenneth Noe partly blames the “Lee tradition” -- the tendency, especially for Southerners, to see events in the East as all-important. Even when scholars looked West in the '60s, Perryville was largely ignored.

Also, Perryville wasn’t exactly “Napoleon vs Wellington." It was, um, “Bragg vs Buell.” AKA … The World’s Worst Drinking Game.

(SERIOUSLY: DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME.)

Battles like Antietam, which happened around the same time, have narratives and big moments; Perryville has chaos.

The most famous aspect of the battle, in fact, ain’t very heroic. Because of a topographical quirk of the hills called an acoustic shadow,* Buell couldn’t hear the battle from his HQ only 2 miles away. So he read a book and ate dinner.

*Acoustic Shadow is also my Goth-folk band

To be sure, Perryville was a Soldier’s Battle, directed by the rank-and-file. “Two regiments of sharpshooters confronting each other was no boys’ play,” as Thatcher wrote. “A hand, a hat, or the smallest part of the body exposed, on either side, were sure to receive a bullet.”

Indiana soldiers cut off in a creek bed joked about Rebel cavalry appearing, “not dreaming that our conjectures were soon to be realized. The truth is our Generals never dreamed any thing of the kind either, or we should have never been put down into such a slaughter trap ...”

Civilians played a big role, cuz water and directions were lacking. One farmer who lives Forever In My Heart told a Union officer: “I reckon you uns is spilling for a tussel with that thar Bragg … if you uns get a mite chance make it blazing hot for ‘em, hotter’n Hell.” #WillDo

The simplest strategic goal (getting water from a creek) led to fierce hand-to-hand combat. Dust clouds hid movements; officers on both sides often weren’t sure whether the enemy was retreating or approaching; there was night fighting, and tragic friendly fire incidents ensued.

A moment of dark Civil War Humor sums up Perryville. Rebel Gen. Leonidas Polk rode forward to some troops and yelled: “You are firing upon friends; for God’s sake, stop!”
The response came: “I am damned certain they are the enemy.”
“Enemy! Why I have only just left them myself…”

Another officer rode up, saying he was from the 22nd Indiana, and the truth of the situation dawned on Polk. He told them to cease firing, and galloped back to the Rebel lines. “Every mother’s son of them are Yankees!” he yelled. “Yankees?” his men cried.
“Yankees!”
#Perryville