Confederate Monument in Perryville
Encyclopedia
The Confederate Monument in Perryville is a historic monument located by the visitor center of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site
, in the vicinity of Perryville, Kentucky
, in Boyle County, Kentucky
, USA
. It was built in 1902, forty years after the Battle of Perryville
, the bloodiest battle in Kentucky history, on October 8, 1862. In total, 532 Confederates died at the battle, but it is unknown how many of this number are buried here. A small cemetery is by the monument; local farmers had to bury the Confederate dead as the Confederate Army, although victorious in the battle, had to leave Perryville quickly, and hog
s were beginning to feast on the soldiers remains.
The monument features a 6 feet (2 m) tall limestone
Confederate soldier atop a three-tier limestone pedestal base. It was constructed by the Peter-Burghard Statue Company of Louisville, Kentucky
. Names of fourteen Confederate dead are on the monument, as is a passage from the Bivouac of the Dead
. It also notes that 470 unknown dead Confederates are buried nearby. The total boundary area for the National Register entry concerning the Confederate Monument is a 12 feet (3.7 m) radius surrounding the monument.
The monument was built for the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Perryville by the government of Kentucky. When dedicated, a crowd of 5,000 to 10,000 attended the ceremony on October 8, 1902, according to the October 10, 1902, edition of the Danville News.
On July 17, 1997, the Confederate Monument in Perryville was one of sixty different monuments related to the Civil War in Kentucky placed on the National Register of Historic Places
, as part of the Civil War Monuments of Kentucky Multiple Property Submission. Three other monuments on this Multiple Property Submission are also in Boyle County. One of them, the Union Monument in Perryville
, is also by the visitor center of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, a few yards north of the Confederate Monument. The Unknown Confederate Dead Monument in Perryville
is a mile away on private land at the Goodknight Cemetery. Both of the preceding monuments were built much later, both in or around 1928; twenty-six years later. The other is in downtown Danville, Kentucky
: the Confederate Monument in Danville
.
Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site
Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site is a park near Perryville, Kentucky, in Boyle County, Kentucky. An interpretive museum is located near the site where many Confederate soldiers killed in the Battle of Perryville were buried. Additionally, monuments, interpretive signage, and cannons mark...
, in the vicinity of Perryville, Kentucky
Perryville, Kentucky
Perryville is a historical city in western Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 763 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, in Boyle County, Kentucky
Boyle County, Kentucky
Boyle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Danville. In 2000, its population was 28,432. It was formed in 1842 and named for John Boyle , a U.S...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was built in 1902, forty years after the Battle of Perryville
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
, the bloodiest battle in Kentucky history, on October 8, 1862. In total, 532 Confederates died at the battle, but it is unknown how many of this number are buried here. A small cemetery is by the monument; local farmers had to bury the Confederate dead as the Confederate Army, although victorious in the battle, had to leave Perryville quickly, and hog
Domestic pig
The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...
s were beginning to feast on the soldiers remains.
The monument features a 6 feet (2 m) tall limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
Confederate soldier atop a three-tier limestone pedestal base. It was constructed by the Peter-Burghard Statue Company of Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. Names of fourteen Confederate dead are on the monument, as is a passage from the Bivouac of the Dead
Bivouac of the Dead
The Bivouac of the Dead is a poem written by Theodore O'Hara to honor his fellow soldiers from Kentucky who died in the Mexican-American War...
. It also notes that 470 unknown dead Confederates are buried nearby. The total boundary area for the National Register entry concerning the Confederate Monument is a 12 feet (3.7 m) radius surrounding the monument.
The monument was built for the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Perryville by the government of Kentucky. When dedicated, a crowd of 5,000 to 10,000 attended the ceremony on October 8, 1902, according to the October 10, 1902, edition of the Danville News.
On July 17, 1997, the Confederate Monument in Perryville was one of sixty different monuments related to the Civil War in Kentucky placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, as part of the Civil War Monuments of Kentucky Multiple Property Submission. Three other monuments on this Multiple Property Submission are also in Boyle County. One of them, the Union Monument in Perryville
Union Monument in Perryville
The Union Monument in Perryville is an historic monument located by the visitor center of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, in the vicinity of Perryville, Kentucky, in Boyle County, Kentucky. It was built in 1928, sixty-six years after the Battle of Perryville, the bloodiest battle...
, is also by the visitor center of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, a few yards north of the Confederate Monument. The Unknown Confederate Dead Monument in Perryville
Unknown Confederate Dead Monument in Perryville
The Unknown Confederate Dead Monument in Perryville is located in the vicinity of Perryville, in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States, in the Goodknight Cemetery, a small family cemetery on private land...
is a mile away on private land at the Goodknight Cemetery. Both of the preceding monuments were built much later, both in or around 1928; twenty-six years later. The other is in downtown Danville, Kentucky
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
: the Confederate Monument in Danville
Confederate Monument in Danville
The Confederate Monument in Danville, located between Centre College and the First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Main and College Streets in Danville, Kentucky's McDowell Park, is a monument dedicated to the Confederate States of America that is on the National Register of Historic Places...
.