Kentucky and the Western War

Kentucky and the Western War. Western Theater, 1861-1862. , Other than by navigating the Mississippi River, the only way for armies west of the Appalachians to move from north to south was through Kentucky. Kentucky's rivers and railroads tempted commanders from both sides in spite of the state's declared neutrality. Only months after the attack on Fort Sumter, Kentucky was claimed by both sides, and each established a capitol - Union at Frankfort, and Confederate at Bowling Green., But the rebel defense of Kentucky was overextended, and by the beginning of 1862 the Union had penetrated into Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi., To turn the tide, Confederate Generals Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith launched a two-pronged invasion of Kentucky intended to push the Confederate border to the Ohio River. Smith would enter via Cumberland Gap, and Bragg would invade the heartland at Glasgow. Early victories at Richmond and Munfordville were offset by lack of supply and confused leadership, and after the unintended battle at Perryville, the rebels withdrew., Other simultaneous border campaigns in Maryland and in the Transmississippi likewise failed. The tide of opportunity for the South had crested, broken, and receded., "I would like to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." , U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, (caption) In the Civil War, Kentucky was one of the "border states," allowing slavery but not seceding. Kentucky's early neutrality gave way as competing forces sought to force Kentuckians to take sides. The state would become pivotal for its rails and rivers linking North and South.