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In the 1862 Confederate offensive into Kentucky, General Braxton Bragg's army left Chattanooga, Tennessee, in late August. Followed by Major General Don Carlos Buell's Union Army, Bragg approached Munfordville, a station on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad and the location of the railroad bridge crossing Green River, in mid-September.
Colonel John T. Wilder commanded the Union garrison at Munfordville which consisted of three regiments with extensive fortifications. Wilder refused Brigadier General James R. Chalmers's demand to surrender on the 14th. Union forces repulsed Chalmers's attacks on the 14th, forcing the Rebels to conduct siege operations on the 15th and 16th.
Late on the 16th, realizing that Buell's forces were near and not wanting to kill or injure innocent civilians, the Confederates communicated still another demand for surrender. Wilder entered enemy lines under a flag of truce, and Confederate Major General Simon B. Buckner escorted him to view all the Rebel troops and to convince him of the futility of resisting. Impressed, Wilder surrendered.
The formal ceremony occurred the next day on the 17th. With the railroad and the bridge,
Munfordville was an important transportation center, and the Confederate control affected the movement of Union supplies and men.
Result(s): Confederate victory
Other Names: Green River Bridge
Location: Hart County
Campaign: Confederate Heartland Offensive (1862)
Next Battle in Campaign Previous Battle in Campaign
Date(s): September 14-17, 1862
Principal Commanders: Colonel Cyrus L. Dunham and Colonel John T. Wilder [US]; Brigadier General James R. Chalmers and General Braxton Bragg [CS]
Forces Engaged: Union garrison [US]; Army of the Mississippi [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 4,862 total (US 4,148; CS 714)
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