Understanding the Battle of Perryville: The Discovery of the Hafley Cabins and its Impact on Historiography of the Battlefield

This is not a history of the Battle of Perryville, but a detailed look at historiography of the battle. This eye-opening study reveals major historical inaccuracies in the interpretation of that fight. The discovery of a long over-looked homesite and inclusion of newly found source materials dramatically alter the written histories of actions on the bloody field at Perryville. New groundbreaking evidence, including previously unknown accounts, maps and reports, reveal a very different story from the one historians have told. The inclusion of reports and accounts by major characters are given in their entirety providing a very different take on the battle. Current historical interpretations are put to the test and the result is a dramatic revision of the obstinate fight at Perryville.With the discovery of the Joseph C. Hafley cabins on the eastern slope of Open Knob, the sources reveal that it was Donelson's Confederate brigade that began the assault on the Federal left flank. For thirty minutes, the Sixteenth Tennessee Infantry regiment took the brunt of canister fire from Parsons' eight gun battery at less than fifty yards while the right of the regiment was pinned down around the Hafley cabins. At a critical moment, Maney's brigade came to their assistance. Together, they stormed the guns atop Open Knob beginning the rout of the Federal left flank.Using well-known sources and many newly discovered materials, Gillum has undertaken to correct long held notions of the evolution of the battle at Perryville. This new information displaces some units as far as half of a mile from currently accepted unit locations—literally altering nearly half of the battlefield.More than thirty color maps and images contribute to Understanding the Battle of Perryville. This publication is for the student of the Battle of Perryville. It does contain minutia that the average reader would find tedious, but a wealth of knowledge for those in search of truth. Readers of this work will walk away with a very different view of this short, bloody battle that has been long over-looked on the most pristine battlefield in our nation. Read more