September 17, 2007

Purdue Army ROTC cadets to examine Civil War battlefield

The group from a military science course will visit the battlefield to learn from past battles, said Lt. Col. Dan Carpenter, head of the Army ROTC department and professor of military science and leadership.

"Students will determine what lessons can be applied to current times by participating in this staff ride of the Perryville battlefield, which is located in central Kentucky," Carpenter said. "Students will move to specific sites on the battlefield and examine events while viewing the actual terrain, which will put them in the shoes of past military leaders."

The Battle of Perryville was fought on Oct. 8, 1862, between the Union Army of the Ohio under Maj. Gen Don Carlos Buell and the Confederate Army of the Mississippi under Maj. Gen. Braxton Bragg. The battle started in the middle of the night with a skirmish over a source of drinking water and ended with the onset of darkness with more than 7,500 Union and Confederate troops killed or wounded. The Confederates won the battle but retreated when Union reinforcements arrived. The retreat marked the end of the Confederate offensive in the west, and their retreat left Kentucky under the control of the Union Army for the rest of the Civil War. The Battle of Perryville was the largest Civil War battle fought in the state of Kentucky.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Dan Carpenter, (765) 494-2099, dwcarpen@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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