Why did the Confederate forces retreat from Kentucky after essentially winning a tactical victory at Perryville?
NOE: Only after dark did Bragg realize that he had taken on Buell’s entire army at Perryville. Notably, Joe Wheeler tardily reported that an entire Federal corps lay southwest of town, poised to strike. Bloodied and outnumbered, facing thousands of fresh Federal troops, he first fell back during the night to his supply depot at Camp Dick Robinson, only to discover that there was little food or forage collected there. Moreover, Bragg was now furious that Kentuckians had not come forward to fight for the Confederacy, as so many including Kirby Smith had promised him. That combination of factors convinced Bragg to fall back to Tennessee, where he could rebuild and resupply his army. CWPT: The Battle of Perryville, both in terms of absolute numbers and as a percentage of combatants, was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. What made this battle so lethal to its participants? NOE: Perryville was in many ways a classic soldier’s battle. As I’ve suggested, both commanding officers m
