Hey everyone, welcome to episode 208 of our Civil War Podcast.

I'm Rich. And I'm Tracy. Hello y'all. Thanks for tuning into the podcast. We're going to pick up right where we left off last time with Kirby Smith striking North into Kentucky with a small rebel army while the other Confederate general who figures in our story, Braxton Bragg was forced to delay his own advance because his artillery and supply wagons were still arriving at Chattanooga. As we mentioned last time Kirby Smith had fallen hard for Kentucky's

siren song of glory. And that, coupled with Bragg's own waffling, had meant that control of the campaign had been taken out of Bragg's hands. It would now be very, very difficult to coordinate the movements of the two Confederate armies. But nonetheless, Bragg now had no choice but to dance to the tune that Kirby Smith was playing.

Kirby Smith was already well up into Kentucky by the time Bragg finally was able to begin his march out of Chattanooga. So Bragg fainted toward Nashville, then moved North into the bluegrass state following the line of the Louisville and Nashville railroad. Bragg's movement that the Union Army of the Ohio, commended by Don Carlos Buehl, which had been slowly moving toward Chattanooga, had now been outflanked. And as a result, Buehl was obliged to move North as well.

Meanwhile, the Federal High Command was scrambling to re-at to Kirby Smith's march into Kentucky. Henry Hallack, who was recently installed as General-in-Chief in Washington, hastily reorganized the Department of the Ohio and named Horatio Wright as its commander.

Wright forwarded a growing collection of mostly green Union troops to the city of Lexington and the heart of the Bluegrass region. Those federal soldiers were temporarily commanded by Lou Wallace. But when one of Don Carlos Buehl's division commanders, Bull Nelson, arrived in Lexington on August 24th, Nelson took over and sent Wallace packing.

Department Commander Wright had little confidence in the new recruits from Indiana and Ohio who were being quickly forwarded to defend the Bluegrass state. And so he believed the line of the Kentucky River offered the most favorable terrain to meet the advancing Confederates.

Imposing bluffs lined the river as it flows through the countryside south of Lexington and the few crossing points could be easily defended, even by green troops.

Lou Wallace had planned on making a stand along the Kentucky River, but Bull Nelson, a large, loud, aggressive, profane man, had his own ideas.

Nelson decided to push troops south of the river, and so the Federal's already at the Kentucky River marched south to Richmond.

Then Nelson kept some men in Lexington while moving others to the area of Lancaster and Danville, west of Richmond.

Nelson intended for this force to threaten Kirby Smith's flank if the rebel general ventured further north.

Nelson also ordered three infantry regiments and some artillery to march from Nicholasville to join the five regiments that had been advanced to Richmond.

This is neither here nor there, but I did quite a bit of substitute teaching in Jessman County, they're at Nicholasville after college.

Okay. Well, when all was said and done, the eight regiments of Union troops at Richmond were hastily organized into two brigades and put under the command of two brigadiers who had accompanied Bull Nelson to Kentucky.

They were mainland Manson and Charles Kraft. Nelson put Manson in overall charge of the force at Richmond.

Neither Manson nor Kraft were very impressed with the still wet behind the ears, green horns, who made up their new commands.

After the Battle of Richmond, Manson wrote, quote,

I deem it proper here to state that the troops which I found at Richmond, when I arrived there three days before the battle, had only been in service from 10 to 25 days.

Some of the regiments never had had a battalion drill and knew not what a line of battle was. They were undisciplined, inexperienced, and had never been taught the manual of arms.

And so the opposing forces about to battle each other were similar in size, but not inexperienced. Kirby Smith had about 5500 men in the divisions of Patrick Claibern and Thomas Churchill and 1200 cavalry under Colonel John Scott.

On the Union side, Manson had about 6,500 infantry and about 1,000 cavalry.

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