Battle of Perryville: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Perryville - The retreat

Battle of Perryville - The retreat

The Confederate forces held their ground until Bragg, finally realizing that the main body of the Union army was in the area, gave the order around midnight to retreat. Buell did not know his opponent had abandoned the field until Crittendon's 2nd Corps moved into Perryville at 10:30 the next morning. He did not begin to follow after them until the following day, October 10. Bragg united his forces with Smith's at Harrodsburg, and the Union and Confederate armies, now of comparable size, shadow boxed with one another over the next week or so but neither attacked.

Bragg soon realized that the sources of help he had hoped for (Robert E. Lee from Virginia, Earl Van Dorn and Sterling Price from Mississippi, and new recruits from Kentucky) would not materialize, and he made his way Southeast to Knoxville, Tennessee. He was quickly called to the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia, to explain to Jefferson Davis the charges brought by his officers about how he had conducted his campaign.

Buell called off his "pursuit" of Bragg and returned to Nashville. On October 24, a change of command structure in the Union army relieved him of his duties and more or less ended his career. (Thomas L. Breiner, The Retreat After The Battle of Perryville, The Battle of Perryville, Kentucky ^[4])

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The retreat", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki