"We Commenced Replying to a Battery of the Enemy": Locating Turner’s (C.S.A.) Artillery at the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky, 8 October 1862

Summary

The October 1862 Battle of Perryville was the largest engagement fought in the state of Kentucky during the American Civil War. Although inconclusive, the battle was largely considered to be both a tactical victory for the Confederacy and a strategic victory for the Union. Smith’s Mississippi Battery (C.S.A.), under the command of Lieut. William B. Turner, would play a crucial role in the Confederate advance. Historical documents indicate that Smith’s (Turner’s) battery engaged Union forces from a hill to the extreme Confederate right. Today, approximately 745 acres of the battlefield are preserved within the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site. Recent archaeological investigations on private property just outside the park’s boundaries have identified the location of Lieut. Turner’s artillery, and provides new insight into Confederate troop movements. Additionally, the distribution of exploded shells and case-shot at this position sheds light on the types and caliber of arms used by Union artillery. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2017   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 159