Munfordville Battlefield aka Battle of Green River

In central Kentucky, about seventy miles south of Louisville, is the important Civil War Munfordville Battlefield. General Bragg was the officer for the Confederacy and Colonel Wilder for the Union forces and General Buell pursuing Bragg’s troops. The battle was part of the Confederacy’s Heartland Offensive. It was a very important location and battle because the supply lines could be greatly impacted by the outcome. Kentucky had declared neutrality. If the Confederacy was able to get a strong hold in Kentucky, then that would mean they would have had easier access to the Ohio River and that would potentially have a great impact on strategies on both sides. Kentucky was perhaps the most crucial of the border states. The bridge was instrumental in the movement of both men and supplies. Confederate Brig. General James Chalmers tried to get Col. Wilder to surrender on September 14, 1862. Bragg was on his way with around thirty thousand troops. Wilder refused which led to Chalmers’ troops attacking. The Confederates were repelled but then stayed in position to essentially go into siege mode. This took place on September 15th and 16th and on the 16th the Confederates again tried to get the Union forces to surrender. This time the Union forces did surrender. As a border state, the battles fought in Kentucky were especially important, as changing the control of the state could cause drastic changes not only in that state but also those nearby. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. .

“Battle For The Bridge Historic Preserve,” Kentucky Tourism, ( accessed July 18, 2016) , http://www.kentuckytourism.com/kentucky_civil_war/heritage-sites/details.aspx?id=2140 Darlene Francisco, “Munfordville, Kentucky’s Civil War Heritage- Nov. ’96 America’s Civil War Feature,” HistoryNet, September 23, 1996, ( accessed July 18, 2016) , http://www.historynet.com/munfordville-kentuckys-civil-war-heritage-nov-96-americas-civil-war-feature.htm “Individual Battlefield Profiles, Munfordville,” U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service, October 2008, ( accessed July 17, 2016) , https://www.nps.gov/abpp/CWSII/CWSACReportKentuckyUpdate.pdf