Kentucky History Drive

History is all around us.

Pioneers, Native nations, long hunters, soldiers and distillers. Explore the stories that made Kentucky, on a living map you can travel through time.

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Civil War in the Bluegrass

From Kentucky's largest Civil War battle at Perryville to the Union recruiting camps at Camp Dick Robinson and Camp Nelson, the 1862 fight at Richmond, and the Lexington home of the Hunt and Morgan families.

Stops

  1. 1. Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site

    PublicLimited hoursPaid admissionOct. 8, 1862. State historic site; grounds open, museum keeps set hours with admission.

    About 16,000 Confederates under Gen. Braxton Bragg fought about 22,000 Federals under Gen. Don Carlos Buell; Bragg withdrew. The KHS marker lists 4,211 Union and 3,396 Confederate casualties. Sources: KHS marker #58: Battle of Perryville; American Battlefield Trust: Perryville; Kentucky State Parks: Perryville

    No story yet for this stop.

  2. 2. Camp Dick Robinson marker (KHS #1750)

    PublicMarker onlyAug. 1861. Roadside marker; the house is not a public museum.

    Maj. Gen. William Nelson set up the first Union recruiting camp south of the Ohio River here in August 1861, on Richard M. Robinson's farm; the camp later moved to Camp Nelson. Sources: KHS marker #1750: Camp Dick Robinson; Wikipedia: Camp Dick Robinson

    16.6 mi, about 29 min from stop 1
    No story yet for this stop.

  3. 3. Camp Nelson National Monument

    PublicDepot from April 1863. National Park Service site; free. The national cemetery is next door.

    Established as a fortified Union supply depot in April 1863, Camp Nelson became a large recruitment and training center for U.S. Colored Troops and a refugee camp for their families. Sources: National Park Service: Camp Nelson; KHS marker #1515: Camp Nelson

    15.5 mi, about 26 min from stop 2
    Camp Nelson, Jessamine County →

  4. 4. Richmond Battlefield Park

    PublicLimited hoursAug. 29–30, 1862. County park and visitor center; visitor center hours are limited.

    Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith's Confederate Army of Kentucky defeated Union forces here in August 1862; days later, on Sept. 2, Frankfort fell to Confederate forces. Sources: American Battlefield Trust: Richmond; Wikipedia: Battle of Richmond

    39.4 mi, about 55 min from stop 3
    No story yet for this stop.

  5. 5. Hunt-Morgan House (Hopemont)

    PublicPaid admissionLimited hoursBuilt 1814. Blue Grass Trust house museum; guided tours with admission, set hours.

    Built in 1814 by John Wesley Hunt; it was later the family home of Confederate Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan and the birthplace of geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan. Sources: KHS marker #2365: Hunt-Morgan House; Wikipedia: Hunt–Morgan House

    32.1 mi, about 43 min from stop 4
    No story yet for this stop.

Directions cover the public stops only. Access, fees and hours are general; verify before visiting.

Route map