Confederates at Bardstown
Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Confederates Here. On CSA invasion, Bragg's army of 28,000 camped here, September 20 to October 3, 1862. Moved to Harrodsburg, then met Buell's Union army in Battle of Perryville, Oct. 8. CSA Gen. John H. Morgan, on raid, camped here, Dec. 29, 1862. On a later raid, July 6, 1863, Morgan delayed here by night-long skirmish with 25 Union cavalrymen. See map on other side. Erected June 29, 1964.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
In the autumn of 1862, the Confederate invasion of Kentucky swept through Bardstown, where General Braxton Bragg's army of some 28,000 men camped for nearly two weeks before marching toward the pivotal Battle of Perryville. The town saw the Confederacy again that winter and the next summer, as cavalry raider John Hunt Morgan camped and skirmished nearby. A night-long stand by a handful of Union cavalrymen in July 1863 briefly delayed one of his raids.
Why it matters
Bardstown sat squarely on the path of the 1862 Confederate bid to claim Kentucky for the South, a campaign whose failure at Perryville helped keep the crucial border state in the Union.
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Related people
- · Braxton Bragg
- · John Hunt Morgan
- · Don Carlos Buell
Related events
- · Battle of Perryville
Themes & tags
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