On October 8, 1862, the Widow Gibson Farm at Perryville was the site of a massive Confederate assault that hurled the Federal line back one mile. After a day of intense fighting and more than 7,000 casualties, the Confederates withdrew from the state and abandoned their effort to take over Kentucky and the state remained in the Union. This victory was key: President Abraham Lincoln noted the strategic importance of Kentucky—without it, the United States could not hold Missouri and Maryland.

A partnership with the state of Kentucky, the Perryville Battlefield Commission, the Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association and the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels made possible the protection of 150 acres at this key battlefield. The Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association bought the 150-acre farm with funding from federal ISTEA funds, the Fund and our partners. The land was donated to Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site.

Perryville Battlefield was preserved as part of the Fund’s Civil War Battlefield Campaign, which worked with partners to protect our nation’s hallowed ground; to provide comprehensive information on the 384 principal Civil War battlefields designated by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission and to honor those that fought and died in the war. The campaign has, with its partners, protected historic sites in 73 projects in 13 states, protecting more than 8,100 acres.

Time Magazine’s “Living The Civil War”

This video from Time and photographer Gregg Segal shows how development has affected Civil War battlefields today. View the video on Time's website.

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Perryville Battlefield
Places We Save: Historic Lands
Our Civil War Battlefield Conservation Efforts