Battle of Richmond
Battle of Richmond | |||||||
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Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States (Union) | Confederate States | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
William "Bull" Nelson (WIA) | Edmund Kirby Smith | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Army of Kentucky (Union) | Army of Kentucky (Confederate) | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
6,850[1] | 6,500[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
5,353 total (206 killed 844 wounded 4,303 captured/missing)[2] |
451 total (78 killed 372 wounded 1 missing)[2] |
The Battle of Richmond,
Background
In the summer of 1862, two Confederate armies moved on separate paths into Kentucky, hoping to put the shadow
Opposing forces
Union
Confederate
Battle
At that time, Brigadier General
Smith ordered Cleburne to attack in the morning and promised to hurry reinforcements (Brigadier General Thomas J. Churchill's division). Cleburne started early, marching north, passed through Kingston, dispersed Union skirmishers, and approached Manson's battle line near Zion Church. As the day progressed, additional troops joined both sides. Following an artillery duel, the battle began, and Mason reinforced the Union left flank which he thought was weakening. But Churchill's troops used a hidden ravine to come up on his right, and after a concerted Confederate attack on the Union right, the Union troops gave way. Retreating into Rogersville, they made another futile stand at their old bivouac.[6]
By now, Smith and Nelson had arrived and taken command of their respective armies. Nelson rallied some troops in the cemetery outside Richmond, but they were routed.[6]
Aftermath
Nelson and some of his men escaped, but the Confederates captured over 4,300 Union troops. Total casualties were 5,353 (206 killed, 844 wounded, and 4,303 captured or missing) on the Union side, and 451 (78 killed, 372 wounded, and one missing) for the Confederates.[2] The way north towards Lexington and Frankfort was open.[6]
Civil War historian Shelby Foote remarked that Smith "accomplished in Kentucky the nearest thing to a Cannae ever scored by any general, North or South, in the course of the whole war."[8]
Battlefield preservation
Battle of Richmond Historic Areas | |
Nearest city | Richmond, Kentucky |
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Area | 214 acres (87 ha) |
NRHP reference No. | 94000844[9] |
Added to NRHP | August 22, 1996 |
The American Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved 365 acres of the Richmond Battlefield as of mid-2023.[10]
The Mt. Zion Christian Church, which served as a hospital during the battle and has cannonballs embedded in its brick walls, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11]
Two discontinuous areas totalling 214 acres (87 ha) were listed on the
See also
Notes
- ^ a b Values of Union strength given by various sources are: 6,500 engaged by Livermore (1900) (p. 89), 16,000 by Bodart (1908) (p. 526); for Confederate strength: 6,850 engaged by Livermore (1900) (p. 89), and 8,000 by Bodart (1908) (p. 526).
- ^ a b c Eicher, p. 316.
- ^ "Battle of Richmond, 1862, Civil War, Summary, Importance".
- ^ "Richmond".
- ^ "Battle of Richmond, 1862, Civil War, Summary, Importance".
- ^ a b c d e NPS Archived February 17, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Battle of Richmond".
- ^ Foote, p. 650.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Richmond Battlefield". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ S. Willis; H. Powell (1986). "Kentucky Historic Resources Inventory: Mt. Zion Christian Church". National Park Service. Retrieved January 9, 2018. With six photos from 1986.
- ^ Helen C. Powell (March 30, 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Battle of Richmond Historic Areas / Ma-90, Ma-91, Ma-92, Ma-93". National Park Service. Retrieved February 10, 2018. With four photos.
References
- National Park Service battle description
- CWSAC Report update – Kentucky
- Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches kreigs-lexikon, (1618–1905). Stern.
- ISBN 0-684-84944-5.
- ISBN 0-394-49517-9.
- Livermore, Thomas Leonard (1900). Numbers and Losses in the Civil War in America, 1861–1865. Houghton, Mifflin and company.
Further reading
- Castel, Albert (1993) [1st pub. 1968]. General Sterling Price and the Civil War in the West (Louisiana pbk. ed.). Baton Rouge; London: LCCN 68-21804.