Major General Edmund Kirby Smith led the first army known as the Army of Kentucky. He departed Knoxville on August 13 to initiate this offensive operation into Kentucky.
The main engagement took place on the 29th of August 1862. Confederate cavalry moved north from Big Hill and encountered Union forces before noon that day.
Total casualties reached 5,353 for the Union side including 206 killed, 844 wounded, and 4,303 captured or missing. Only 451 casualties occurred for the Confederates consisting of 78 killed and 372 wounded plus one missing.
The American Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved 365 acres of the Richmond Battlefield as of mid-2023. The Mt. Zion Christian Church served as a hospital during the battle and remains embedded with cannonballs.