Trina’s Travels
Perryville….Kentucky’s bloodiest battle
Dear Friends,
Perhaps it’s the cool, crisp weather that makes you shiver and pull out an extra sweater, or maybe the huge harvest moons of October, or it could be the darkness that replaces daylight as the days get shorter, oh yes, then there’s the Halloween season…..there’s something about fall that makes visiting a place that’s already full of history and mystery even more alluring.
One such place comes to mind, and is an excellent adventure, not too far away. It is the scene of the bloodiest battle in Kentucky’s history. Perryville Battlefield in Boyle County, KY, is the site where approximately 2,500 Confederate and Union soldiers died in just about a four hour time period on Oct. 8, 1862, during the biggest Civil War conflict in KY.
I’m a Civil War buff, and have stood on the mother of all battlefields–Gettysburg, which I wrote an article about a few years ago. Gettysburg is truly spellbinding, a must see for sure, but let me tell you, Perryville is captivating in its own right.
In the summer of 1862, Confederate General, Braxton Bragg, led an invasion into KY as a diversion, hoping to direct the Union’s attention away from Chattanooga, TN and Vicksburg, MS, and to recruit Kentuckians into the Confederate Army.
As summer turned into fall, Union General, Don Buell, descended upon the town of Perryville while pursuing General Bragg and the Rebels. After a few skirmishes, the fighting escalated, and on Oct. 7th, a Confederate division struck the Union’s left flank, forcing it to fall back. More Confederates joined in; the Union counterattacked, but fell back again. For this reason, the Battle of Perryville is considered a tactical victory for the Confederate Army, but late afternoon on Oct. 8, General Buell sent reserves to the front when he learned a major battle was taking place. These reinforcements strengthened the Union line and the Confederate attack began to weaken. More attempts were made by the 
Confederates, but were rejected, and they fell back into town where skirmishing continued in the streets until dark. With his left flank threatened, and short of men and supplies, Gen. Bragg retreated in the night through the Cumberland Gap into East Tennessee.
After the smoke cleared, Union troops gathered their dead comrades for a proper burial, but the Confederate bodies were buried in a mass grave or in unmarked graves throughout the battlefield.
Built in 1902, forty years after the Perryville battle, a proud Confederate monument stands guard over the mass grave of unknown Rebel 
soldiers, looking out over the land they fought so hard to protect. This was very impressive and is my favorite picture of my visit to the battlefield.
Many mysterious and unexplained incidents have occurred at the Perryville site. There have been several reports of people hearing phantom horses, canons, and soldier’s voices. Others have witnessed flickering lanterns and ghostly apparitions. Many occurrences happen on the battlefield, but paranormal investigators say there’s a lot of activity in the Dye House (no joke, it’s named after a family that lived there), which is situated adjacent to the battlefield. The house served as Confederate headquarters 
and a hospital. Surgeries were performed upstairs and bloodstains are still visible today. It was closed and not available for tours when I was there, but the house has had so much activity, it was featured on Ghost Adventures.
Most anytime of year is a good to time to visit the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, but to get the full effect, you should really go in October, around the anniversary of the Perryville battle. That is when one of the largest re-enactments in the country is held, and an authentic sutler’s camp is set up. The park is open limited hours from November through March, with the museum and gift shop open by appointment only. This is a good time 
to visit too, as there are less crowds, and who knows, maybe you will catch a glimpse of something from the past, or hear something you can’t explain.
For more information on the Perryville Battlefield Park, Dye House, or paranormal tours, call 859-332-8631 or visit their website.
I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather! I just got back from visiting the beautiful Whitehall State Historic Site in Richmond, KY, where I got a chance to step back into the past with some story sharing spirits! More about that later.
Rambling Fever Travel…upcoming tour;
I also want to let you know we still have seats available on Rambling Fever Travel’s tour to the Christkindlmarket in Ferdinand, IN on Nov. 19. Get in the Christmas spirit as we visit this Old World German Christmas festival. Cost is $115 per person. See details on the Rambling Fever Travel Facebook page. To reserve, call 606-624-5569 or 606-673-4993. This will be our last trip of the year, but more adventures are lined up for 2017. Last month we ventured to the Bob Evans Farm Festival where we had a blast! Hope to see you soon. Until next time remember…
