Kentucky

Immerse yourself in Kentucky's largest battle, Perryville, with author Christopher Kolakowski. A must-read for Civil War and Kentucky History enthusiasts.

Desperate to seize control of Union-held Kentucky, a border state, the Confederate army launched an invasion into the commonwealth in the fall of 1862. The incursion viciously culminated at an otherwise quiet Bluegrass crossroads and forever altered the landscape of the war.

The Battle of Perryville lasted just one day yet produced nearly eight thousand combined casualties and losses, and some say nary a victor. The Rebel army was forced to retreat, and the United States kept its imperative grasp on Kentucky throughout the war. Famous Confederate diarist Sam Watkins, whose Company Aytch journals were featured as a major narrative thread in Ken Burns' award-winning Civil War documentary series, declared Perryville the hardest fighting that he experienced. Indeed, history would record that Perryville the second bloodiest battle of the Western Theater after Shiloh.

Few know this hallowed ground like Christopher L. Kolakowski, former director of the Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association, who draws on letters, reports, memoirs and other primary sources to offer the most accessible and engaging account of the Kentucky Campaign yet, featuring over sixty historic images and maps.

Go inside the story of the battles for Midle Tennessee in late 1862-63 through letters, reports and memoirs.

After the Battle of Perryville in October 1862, the focus of the Civil War in the West shifted back to Tennessee. The Union Army of the Cumberland regrouped in Nashville, while the Confederate Army of Tennessee camped 30 miles away in Murfreesboro. On December 26 the Federals marched southward and fought a three-day brawl at Stones River with their Confederate counterparts. The Confederates withdrew, and both armies spent the winter and spring harassing each other and regrouping for the next round. In the Confederate camp, dissention corroded the army's high command. The critical engagement at Stones River (by percentage of loss the Civil War's bloodiest battle) and the masterful Tullahoma operation will receive detailed attention in this journey through the historic moment in time.

Located in north-central Kentucky, Fort Knox is one of the army's major installations and is home to several commands, including the United States Army School and Center and the United States Army Recruiting Command. The fort's history dates to 1903, when a series of military maneuvers was held by the United States Army in West Point, Kentucky. When World War I required the establishment of additional military training facilities, Camp Knox was created. The post closed as a permanent installation in 1922, but it remained an active training center for army programs and, briefly, a national forest. On January 1, 1932, Camp Knox was made a permanent installation again and has since been known as Fort Knox. In 1940, the Armored Force was established, paving the way for the continuing evolution of armed warfare. The United States Bullion Depository chose its location because of its proximity to this post.

Kentucky's motto may be ""united we stand, divided we fall,"" but during the civil war, brother fought brother to the bitter end.

The Civil War sharply split the Bluegrass State. Kentuckians fought Kentuckians in some of the bloodiest battles of America's bloodiest war. The names and faces of the winning and losing generals of those battles are in most history books. But this book is not like most history books; it is about hidden history. Most of the stories are not found in other books. Some are proof that the Civil War was truly ""a brother's war"" in the home state of Lincoln and Davis. From the Graves County gun grab to pirates in Paducah to dueling gunboats on the Mississippi, this one-of-a-kind collection of little-known tales by Kentucky historian Berry Craig will captivate Civil War enthusiasts and casual readers alike.

The Battle of Perryville, fought on October 8, 1862, was the largest and most significant Civil War battle fought in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The Battle of Perryvillelaid waste to more than just soldiers and their supplies. The commonwealth's largest combat engagement also took an immense toll on the community of Perryville, and citizens in surrounding towns.

After Confederates achieved a tactical victory, they were nonetheless forced to leave the area. With more than 7,500 casualties, the remaining Union soldiers were unprepared for the enormous tasks of burying the dead, caring for the wounded, and rebuilding infrastructure. Instead, this arduous duty fell to the brave and battered locals.

Former executive director of the Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association, author Stuart Sanders presents the first in depth look into how the resilient residents dealt with the chaos of this bloody battle and how they rebuilt their town from the rubble leftover.

For Kentuckians, the Civil War was truly a conflict of brother against brother. As a slave state bordering the United States and the Confederate States, Kentucky had ties to both the North and South. Although its state government remained in the Union, the people of Kentucky were divided in sentiment, prompting some 40,000 Kentuckians to leave their homes to fight for Southern independence. When Confederate soldiers eventually returned from the country's bloodiest war, they were held in high regard by their fellow Kentuckians. To be counted among the state's Confederate veterans was an honor, and when the number of living Confederate veterans began to dwindle, groups across Kentucky raised monuments to their memory. Remembering Kentucky's Confederates presents an overview of the state's Confederate soldiers and units who fought bravely in the War Between the States.

The occupation of Bardstown and Nelson County, Kentucky, by Union troops began in September of 1861 and ended in September of 1865--a turbulent time in the "neutral" county, and a piece of history rarely explored by Kentuckians. In this unprecedented visual
journey, discover the unique role that Nelson County and Kentucky played in the Civil War as a military crossroads and the site of many Union training camps.
More than 80 different Union units were involved in skirmishes and set up camps in Nelson County during the war. The county's turnpikes and railroads dictated the movement of many troops and supplies through the area--both Union and Confederate. Included
in these pages are historical images, maps, documents, and vivid accounts passed down from generation to generation that bring the war to life. From the Confederate invasion of 1862 and the Guerrilla activities of 1864-1865 to the last surrender at Samuel's Depot on July 26 and the aftermath of the war, A Portrait of the Civil War in
Nelson County offers a unique perspective of the war's effects on one county and its people.

Despite Kentucky's aim to keep a neutral position in the Civil War and Paducah's Confederate tendencies, the Union captured the town soon after Confederate troops occupied Columbus. As a result, the Tennessee River and the Cumberland River became permeable entry points for infiltrating farther south and maintaining supply lines deep into Confederate states. That strategic advantage was halted when Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest invaded the town during the Battle of Paducah. Ultimately, a combination of guerrilla warfare tactics and General Eleazer Paine's Reign of Terror contributed to the Union's final victory over Paducah. Historian John Cashon recounts the tumultuous struggle for Paducah during the War Between the States.

With the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Louisville mobilized to fight Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Citizens of all races and economic classes united in the effort, both abroad and at home. Louisville's many industries banded together as well: the Mengel Company made wood products used in the war, and its staff burned a Nazi flag in an employee-held rally; Reynolds Aluminum Company manufactured arms and other war materials; Liberty National Bank sold war bonds at special windows; and the Louisville Ford Motor Company made at least 93,389 military jeeps out of the roughly 500,000 employed in the war. Perhaps Louisville's most significant war contribution, though, was the use of Bowman Field as a United States Army Air Corps Detachment Squadron. The pilots trained there were vital to the war effort.

The mission at Fort Campbell has changed over the past seventy-five years, and the city has grown and adapted to meet new challenges. It was conceived before Pearl Harbor as the Tennessee-Kentucky Armor Camp and has progressed in recent years to meet changing national security needs and the transformation of the U.S. Army. The fort is home to the army's most elite air assault and airborne units. It is also the largest employer in Tennessee and Kentucky and puts $2.6 billion into the local economy each year. Author and post historian John O'Brien details the historic ride that took Fort Campbell from a Giant Bachelor City" to a "World-Class Army Home."

Since its establishment in 1941, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has grown to approximately 30,000 soldiers on over 100,000 acres. With its Southern culture, the base has a rich and interesting history. German prisoners of war were held here during World War II, and Campbell Army Air Field has always been a favorite stopover of NASA shuttle crews. Fort Campbell units have inspired numerous movies and books, such as Black Hawk Down, Band of Brothers, and Shadow

Warriors. Through over 200 vintage postcards and photographs, this pictorial history tells the unique story of an army base and its brave soldiers who have fought to defend our country.

Learn how a thriving antebellum city became a crucial outpost for the Union army while its citizens were besieged with constant fear of guerilla warfare and swift Rebel vengeance. Trace the steps of soldiers, commanders and civic leaders on the enclosed map, which includes over thirty Union forts that once peppered Louisville's landscape, as well as long-forgotten hideaways and hotbeds of insurgence. Explore Union casinos and brothels along Jefferson and Fourth Street; the infamous Louisville Military Prison; Jefferson General Hospital, the third largest during the war; and the original Galt House, site of Union General Bull Nelson's assassination. Join renowned Civil War expert and Louisville native Bryan S. Bush as he traverses Louisville, a city bristling with Civil War history.

Images of America: Garrard County in World War II depicts the citizens of a small, rural central Kentucky county who served their nation in war-torn areas worldwide and on the home front. Images courtesy of veterans and their families show the sacrifices made and honor those who served. With photographs of all branches of the armed services, the county's war story is told in representative vignettes at numerous fronts. Through interviews, news accounts, and letters, many veterans' stories of courage, humor, and despair come to life. Here at home, patriotic efforts began in 1940 when school children made "bundles for Britain" and continued throughout the war years with residents sacrificing at home to spend every available dime on war bonds. In fact, in 1943, Garrard Countians bought more bonds per capita than citizens in any other Kentucky county. To reward their patriotism and sacrifice, in March 1945, the government commissioned the USS Garrard, an attack transport ship. A member of the crew donated to the county's historical society photos of the ship and his diary. Survivors of the USS Garrard held a reunion here in 2002.