Perryville Battlefield

Today I drove SE to a little known civil war  battlefield Of Perryville.  I was shocked to learn that the battle here was from 3 sides, up long hills, through fields of hay, corn tobacco and some woods.  The state of Kentucky did not join the Confederacy.   The South knew that if they took Kentucky state it would have huge new tactical advantage and strength.   The North knew that it was a weakness.  Kentucky  population was divided, half for the south and half for the North.   The southern sympathizers  were a new fresh, supply of troops that the South desperately needed.  
     The battle took place on October 8.   The Confererates fought up the hills, on 3 sides and drove the Union back over several fields.  Due to a sound phenomena in the hills, the Confederate troops held in reserve, didn't hear the cannon or musket fire.  The sound was picked up and blown away due to air sweep up the hills, while the troops were in the valleys.
       That night the Confederates saw their losses, thinking they were greater than they actually were.   All of the troops left during the night, leaving all their wounded and dead, laying on the battlefield.
      The Union found all the Confederates gone in the morning.   The state of Kentucky was safely  held for the Union.    Todays Blip is the monument recently erected by the group of Historic Battlefields, Historic sites.   On the ground is headstone placed to memorialize the over 4000 Confederate bodies placed there in a mass grave.
         There is more to the history......   far to much for this forum.   Once again, I drove away, deeply moved by the history of our country, the commitment of it's citizens, and the sacrifices of thousands and thousands  of men and women.
extra 1   These split wood fences all over the battlefield, are the original fences, on the original lines at the time of the battle.   They have all been carbon dated, verified, and left in the location they were originally placed, over 200 or more years ago.
Extra 2:  Extra 2 is a corner of one of the split rail fences.  You can see where they have been wired in the original positions.  If that fix wouldn't maintain the  spot, you can see 2 screws, drilled through the end of the split rail to hold it.
Extra 3:    An old tree, original to the farm.  You can see where wire was attached to the tree to maintain fields.  Over the many years, the wire cut the bark, and eventually grew over or around the wire and kept on living.
Extra 4;    At the time of dedication  of the battlefield,  this stone was  placed in honor of the site.