Paper Wars Magazine Issue #96 Rally 'Round the Flag

Rally 'Round the Flag: Perryville and Stones River 1862-1863 by Sean Chick

In September, Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi out-maneuvered Don Carlos Buell's Army of the Ohio and invaded Kentucky. Outside Perryville, the two armies blundered into each other. A short but brutal battle followed that left neither side satisfied. The Union failed to utilize their numerical advantage, while Bragg withdrew from Kentucky. At Stones River near Murfreesboro, the armies fought a three day battle.

The Confederates nearly won but were forced back. The defeat led to a series of recriminations in the Confederate high command that poisoned the army. The Union received a desperately needed morale boost. Although forgotten today, Abraham Lincoln considered Stones River one of the Union most crucial victories.