Friends of Perryville Battlefield

10/17/2026

Reuben V. Bale was a farmer from Munfordville, Kentucky. He was 29 years old, 6 ft tall, blue eyes, and red hair. He was married to Lucy Harriet, of Hart County. On April 24, 1862, he had one child, Reuben V. Bale. On December 14, 1861, Bale enlisted in the 15th Kentucky Union Infantry, Company F, under Colonel Curran Pope at Camp Sherman. The 15th Kentucky was heavily engaged near the Henry P. Bottoms house during the Battle of Perryville. The regiment became known as the "Bloody Regiment" due to the 39% casualty rate. Out of 517 men, the regiment lost 203 men killed, wounded, or missing. During the battle, Rueben V. Bale was killed instantly by a gun shot wound. His burial location was presumed to be on the battlefield. Lucy Bale died on June 6, 1914, in Iola, Kansas. She had an estate of several thousand dollars. Her son Reuben V. Bale was entitled to the estate. While doing research on the cemeteries of Green County, Nick Milby came across the tombstone of Rueben V. Bale. Reuben V. Bale was actually buried in the Graham Cemetery in Green County, Kentucky. Thank you to historian Nick Milby for helping update our records. Another mystery solved.

10/16/2026

The free Symposium begins today, and you won't want to miss tonight's special tour! Starting at 5:30 p.m., acclaimed author and historian Stuart Sanders will lead an engaging tour exploring the aftermath of the Battle of Perryville and its profound impact on Danville.

Discover how the war reached local residents, not only through newspapers and word of mouth, but directly into their homes. In the days following the battle, scores of wounded soldiers streamed into Danville's streets in search of shelter and care, forever transforming the community's experience of the Civil War.

Registration is still open for this free event. Sign up today using the link below The Western Theater in the Civil War page!

https://www.westerntheatercivilwar.com/event-details/symposium-on-the-field-perryville-6

10/12/2026

Here is your chance to be an archeologists!

10/08/2026

164 years ago today, on October 8, 1862, thousands of men helped decide Kentucky’s fate in what would become known as the Battle of Perryville. Throughout that day, countless acts of heroism, cowardice, sacrifice, and mercy unfolded across the fields, hills, and homes of a once quiet community in Boyle County.

In the battle’s aftermath, much was left behind. For locals, the war was no longer a distant struggle read about in letters or newspapers. It had arrived at their very doorsteps and entered their homes. The experience was no less profound for the soldiers and generals who fought here. For some, Perryville culminated a grueling march that ended in an intense skirmish along the Lebanon Pike. For others, it was a desperate fight, endured under a relentless thirst for deplorable water over Peter’s Hill and in the town itself. For many more, it was a bloodletting that revealed the depths of human destruction for a hill, fence row, or road.

As we pause today to reflect upon this significant anniversary, let us remember that the fields we walk across are living memorials to those who fought, died, or survived the brutal contest. In closing, it is fitting to recall the words of Colonel Albert S. Hall of the 105th Ohio Infantry in his after-action report:… the men of my regiment gave their lives to the cause of constitutional liberty, each a precious offering upon freedom’s altar.” Special thank you to the American Battlefield Trust, which has helped in preserving the battlefield for future generations and produced this video which you can watch today over the Battle of Perryville.

The largest and last major battle in the Kentucky Campaign, the Bat...

10/07/2026

In late 1863, after the Battle of Chattanooga, General Ulysses S. Grant received an unusual gift. A d*ing man in St. Louis offered him a magnificent horse, asking only that the animal be treated kindly. Grant gave his word and named the horse Cincinnati.

Cincinnati was the son of Lexington, the fastest four mile Thoroughbred in America. He soon became Grant's favorite, carrying him through the brutal Overland Campaign of 1864. Soldiers marveled at how calm he stayed amid the roar of battle.

Grant guarded him closely and almost never let anyone else ride him. One exception was President Abraham Lincoln, who rode Cincinnati every day while visiting Grant at City Point in 1865.

That April Cincinnati carried Grant to Appomattox, where Lee surrendered.

After the war, Grant turned down $10,000 for him. Cincinnati followed Grant to the White House, then spent his final years on a Maryland farm owned by Grant's boyhood friend. He d*ed there in 1878.

Rest easy, Cincinnati. You served well.

10/06/2026

On Saturday, the Western Federal Blues presented their School of the Soldier program and served as the honor guard for the wreath laying ceremony. The presentations were at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and the wreath ceremony was at Noon.
The feedback from families and scouts that took part have been excellent!
Since 2009, the WFB have played huge roles in the living history presentations and reenactments at the park, as well as, being supportive and volunteering with the Friends of Perryville Battlefield.
What you may not know is that without Perryville, there would be no Western Federal Blues. This is where they formed. They call it home.
Made up of like-minded individuals from Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia, whose main objective is to represent the common western federal soldier in the Civil War. They are serious about their impression and adhere to the standards they've set forth.
We appreciate park mananger Bryan Bush for asking the WFB to help take part in the weekend program and providing a quality presentation for the public!!!

09/23/2026

During the Battle of Perryville, Colonel Leonard A. Harris and his Federal Brigade were assigned to hold what would later become known as Loomis's Heights. For what must have felt like an eternity, Harris' men held their ground against the onslaught of numerous Confederate attacks, but what ultimately pushed Harris off his position? Was it the lack of am******on, the withdrawal of artillery support, outmaneuvering by the Confederates, or a combination of all these variables? To help us understand this brigade and their iron defense on Loomis' Heights, author and tour guide Darryl Smith will lead this year's tour on Harris' Brigade. Sign up for this free tour via the link below at The Western Theater in the Civil War page!
https://www.westerntheatercivilwar.com/event-details/symposium-on-the-field-perryville-6
Art: Keith Rocco, Through the Cornfield, 1987.

09/17/2026

Years after the conclusion of the Civil War, Sam Watkins of Co. H, 1st Tennessee Infantry, wrote arguably one of the most well-known memoirs of the Confederate experience in the western theater. How well do his memories hold up today with the advent of new information and preservation of the very grounds he and his comrades fought on? To help understand and explore this topic, author, national park ranger, and one of this year's tour guides for the free symposium, Lee White, will discuss Sam Watkins at Perryville! Sign up today via the link below or visit the The Western Theater in the Civil War page! https://www.westerntheatercivilwar.com/event-details/symposium-on-the-field-perryville-6

05/03/2026

The game ended today in a pretty interesting way. While the physical features of the battle remained the same, the drama played out very differently. Unlike the real battle, the Federal forces actually managed to hold off the Confederate attacks. Instead of losing the Bottoms House, the Federals successfully defended it against repeated assaults. The same happened at Loomis’ Heights, where the Federals even captured Jones’ Ridge.

Interestingly, much like the actual battle, the game still saw heavy casualties for both the 42nd Indiana and Jones’ Mississippi Brigade!