Battle Of Richmond Essay

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The Battle of Richmond began on August 29 and ended on August 30 in 1862. The battle was fought on the grounds of the Blue Grass Army Depot, right outside of Richmond, Kentucky. It was an extravagant Confederate victory by Major General Edmund Kirby Smith against Union Major General William Nelson. Others may describe this as the most complete Confederate victory of the war. This battle was the first major battle fought in the Kentucky Campaign and the second largest battle in Kentucky. The weather during this battle was hot. The temperature was about 96-100 degrees in the streams and shade. Before this battle, both sides had no idea who would come out with the victory because both sides were evenly matched. Who were the commanders in the battle you might ask? First for the Confederate side, Edmund Kirby Smith. Smith was a Army officer and an educator. His parents were both natives from Connecticut and after the battle; he worked both for the telegraphs and railroad. The next general for the Confederates is Patrick Cleburne was an Irish soldier and finally made it to be a rank of a Major General. His nickname came to be “The Stonewall of the West.” The Union force commanders were William Nelson and Mahlon Manson. Nelson was only 15 when he started to practice for the…show more content…
Nelson and only a few of his men escaped, but the Confederate captured over 4,300 Union troops. The Union’s total casualties were 5,353. There were 206 killed, 844 captured/ missing, and 844 wounded. On the other hand, the Confederate aftermath was not as bad. The Confederates only lost 451 men in all. There were 78 killed, 372 wounded, and only 1 missing. This battle opened the way north towards Lexington and Frankfort. Civil War historian said that Smith “accomplished in Kentucky the nearest thing to a Cannae ever scored by any general, North or South, in the course of the war.” This battle was very interesting because Richmond was
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