Questions about Confederate Heartland Offensive
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What was the Confederate Heartland Offensive?
The Confederate Heartland Offensive was an American Civil War campaign fought from the 14th of August to the 10th of October, 1862, in which Confederate Generals Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith invaded Kentucky to try to draw the border state into the Confederacy and divert Union forces from Vicksburg and Chattanooga. Though Bragg won a tactical victory at Perryville on the 8th of October, he retreated through the Cumberland Gap, leaving Kentucky primarily under Union control for the rest of the war.
Why did General Bragg retreat from Kentucky in 1862?
Bragg retreated after learning that Confederate forces had also failed at Corinth, Mississippi, and that Robert E. Lee's Maryland Campaign had faltered. He wrote to his wife that keeping his army in Kentucky without tents or shoes, forced to forage daily, would have been an unpardonable mistake. He also saw that Kentucky civilians had not rallied to the Confederate cause: in seven weeks, his army recruited only about 2,000 men despite carrying 20,000 extra rifles.
What happened at the Battle of Perryville during the Confederate Heartland Offensive?
On the 8th of October, 1862, the wing of Bragg's army under Major General Leonidas Polk met Buell's Union force at Perryville and won a tactical victory. Kirby Smith urged Bragg to follow up the win and engage Buell's full army, but Bragg instead ordered a retreat through the Cumberland Gap to Knoxville.
How many Kentuckians fought for the Union versus the Confederacy?
An estimated 125,000 Kentuckians served in the Union armies, compared to about 35,000 who served as Confederate soldiers. Nearly sixty infantry regiments fought for the Union versus just nine for the Confederacy, though a sizeable number of cavalry outfits joined the Confederate side.
What happened to General Buell after the Confederate Heartland Offensive?
President Lincoln removed Buell from command of the Army of the Ohio for being too cautious in pursuing Bragg's retreating army. He was replaced by Major General William Rosecrans and investigated by a military commission. Though he was acquitted of misconduct, he did not receive another command and mustered out of service in May 1864.
What supplies did the Confederates capture during the Kentucky Campaign?
According to Confederate General Joseph Wheeler, the campaign netted 35 cannons, 16,000 stand of arms, millions of rounds of ammunition, 1,700 mules, 300 loaded wagons, and 2,000 horses. Confederate war clerk J.B. Jones recorded additional hauls of 8,000 beef cattle, 50,000 barrels of pork, and a million yards of Kentucky cloth.