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Opposing political elements within the state vied for control during the early part of the war, and the state legislature declared official neutrality to keep out both the Union and the Confederate armies. This neutrality was first violated on September 3, 1861, when Confederate [[Maj. Gen. (CSA)|Maj. Gen.]] [[Leonidas Polk]] occupied [[Columbus, Kentucky|Columbus]], considered key to controlling the [[Mississippi river|Lower Mississippi]]. Two days later Union [[Brigadier General#United States|Brig. Gen.]] [[Ulysses S. Grant]] seized [[Paducah, Kentucky|Paducah]]. Henceforth, the proclaimed neutrality was a dead letter.<ref>McPherson, pp. 296–97.</ref> While the state never [[Secession|seceded]] from the Union, Confederate sympathizers who were members of the legislature set up a temporary Confederate capital in [[Bowling Green, Kentucky|Bowling Green]] in November 1861. It never wielded significant power inside the state. The Confederate States recognized Kentucky and added a star representing the state to the [[Flags of the Confederate States of America|Confederate flag]].<ref>Noe, pp. 9–10.</ref>
After the [[Battle of Shiloh]] on April 6-7, the beaten Confederate army under Maj. Gen [[Pierre G.T. Beauregard]] retreated down into Corinth, very slowly pursued by the combined Union forces under Maj. Gen [[Henry Halleck]]--the armies of Grant, Buell, and John Pope. Although Halleck had 100,000 men under his command and Beauregard half or less of that number, it took him 51 days to march the 20 miles from Pittsburg Landing to Corinth, which was abandoned by the Confederates on May 29. Confederate president [[Jefferson Davis]], unhappy with Beauregard's retreat, removed him from command and gave Braxton Bragg the army, which he renamed the Army of Tennessee. Bragg spent most of June drilling and reorganizing the army in camp at [[Tupelo, Mississippi]]. The Union armies ignored him and the war in Tennessee virtually ground to a halt during the summer months. Grant's Army of the Tennessee was scattered about western Tennessee and northern Mississippi, while Buell's Army of Ohio was moving towards [[Chattanooga]] at an incredibly slow pace, spending much of that time rebuilding railroad lines. While Halleck had had overall command of the Union war effort in the West since spring, he was summoned to Washington DC in July to become general-in-chief of the armies, leaving Grant and Buell to their separate independent commands--Pope was also called east to take command of the Union war effort in Virginia and his former army added to Grant's and put under the command of William Rosecrans.
The initiative to invade Kentucky came primarily from Confederate Maj. Gen. [[Edmund Kirby Smith]], commander of the Department of East Tennessee. He believed the campaign would allow them to obtain supplies, enlist recruits, divert Union troops from Tennessee, and claim Kentucky for the Confederacy. In July 1862 [[Colonel (United States)|Col.]] [[John Hunt Morgan]] carried out a successful cavalry raid in the state, venturing deeply into the rear areas of Buell's department. The raid caused considerable consternation in Buell's command and in [[Washington, D.C.]] During the raid, Morgan and his forces were cheered and supported by many residents. He added 300 Kentucky volunteers to his 900-man force during the raid. He confidently promised Kirby Smith, "The whole country can be secured, and 25,000 or 30,000 men will join you at once."<ref>Woodworth, p. 135; Noe, pp. 29–31.</ref>
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Smith and Bragg met in Chattanooga on July 31, and devised a plan for the campaign: The newly created Army of Kentucky, including two of Bragg's [[brigade]]s and approximately 21,000 men, would march north under Kirby Smith's command into Kentucky to dispose of the Union defenders of Cumberland Gap. (Bragg's army was too exhausted from its long journey to begin immediate offensive operations.) Smith would return to join Bragg, and their combined forces would attempt to maneuver into Buell's rear and force a battle to protect his supply lines. Any attempt by Ulysses S. Grant to reinforce Buell from northern Mississippi would be handled by the two small armies of Maj. Gens. [[Sterling Price]] and [[Earl Van Dorn]].
The first indication that something was happening came in late June when Col. [[Phil Sheridan]], commanding a cavalry demi-brigade (two regiments) in the Army of the Tennessee, went on a reconnaissance mission to discover that the Confederates had abandoned their camp at Tupelo and began moving towards Chattanooga, while another Confederate army under [[Sterling Price]] was gathering in Mississippi. Several captured letters from Confederate soldiers boasted that the Yankees would be given the slip (Maj. Gen [[William Rosecrans]] was impressed with Sheridan's foray and recommended him for promotion to brigadier general).<ref>http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc21/booneville1.htm</ref>
Once the armies were combined, Bragg's seniority would apply and Smith would be under his direct command. Assuming that Buell's army could be destroyed, Bragg and Smith would march north into Kentucky, a movement they assumed would be welcomed by the local populace. Any remaining Federal force would be defeated in a grand battle in Kentucky, establishing the Confederate frontier at the Ohio River.<ref>Noe, pp. 31–32; Woodworth, pp. 136–37.</ref>
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[[File:Perryville 1400.png|thumb|Positions of the armies at 2 p.m., October 8<ref>Unit actions from Noe, p. 194.</ref>]]
Hardee had selected Perryville for a few reasons. The village of approximately 300 residents had an excellent road network with connections to nearby towns in six directions, allowing for strategic flexibility. It was located to prevent the Federals from reaching the Confederate supply depot in [[Bryantsville, Kentucky|Bryantsville]]. Finally, it was a potential source of water.
==== Disposition of armies ====
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===Subsequent events===
Following the Battle of Perryville, the Union maintained control of Kentucky for the rest of the war. Historian [[James M. McPherson]] considers Perryville to be part of a great [[Turning point of the American Civil War|turning point]] of the war, "when battles at [[Battle of Antietam|Antietam]] and Perryville threw back Confederate invasions, forestalled European mediation and recognition of the Confederacy, perhaps prevented a Democratic victory in the northern elections of 1862 that might have inhibited the government's ability to carry on the war, and set the stage for the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] which enlarged the scope and purpose of the conflict."<ref>McPherson, p. 858.</ref>
{{clear}} Only two days after the battle, the drought suddenly ended as a cold front pushed through the region and brought rain and cool temperatures across Kentucky.<ref>http://kyclimate.org/News/thbattleperryville.html</ref>
== Battlefield preservation ==
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