Bragg and Smith Meet

Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith

On this date, Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg travels to Lexington with his staff for a few days to confer with Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, and then on to install a Confederate government in the capital at Frankfort. Gen. Leonidas Polk was left in charge of the army at Bardstown.

Later, Confederate Cavalry Gen. Wheeler will write about that period: “So worn and wearied was the condition of our army that [Bragg, Polk, and Hardee] did not feel justified in attempting an aggressive movement [against Buell].” Soon, Polk will feel compelled to withdraw. His decision will move the army toward a climatic battle at Perryville in a few days.

Bragg and Smith could agree about taking Louisville. Instead, a clever ruse by Union Gen. Buell will compel them to move their forces out of the region toward Harrodsburg.

Sources: Battles and Leaders, Vol. III; The Third Battalion Mississippi Infantry and the 45th Mississippi Regiment: A Civil War History, David Williamson