BORA Trivia
How much do you know?
The following questions and answers are based on factual information about the Civil War Battle of Richmond, fought Aug. 29-30, 1862.  In some cases, bonus questions and answers follow-up initial queries.

Question.  Who won the Battle of Richmond?

Answer.  The Confederate army.

Bonus.  How many Union soldiers were captured, killed or wounded (within 50)?

Answer.  Of the 6,500 men that went into battle at dawn, some 4,300 were taken prisoner and more than 1,000 were either killed or wounded for a total of more than 5,300 men captured, killed or wounded.

Question.  Who was the main Confederate general at the battle?

Answer.  Kirby Smith.

Bonus.  How many Confederate soldiers were killed or declared missing (within 10)?

Answer.  The Confederates lost 98 killed, 492 wounded and 10 missing in one of the most decisive victories for the South during the entire war for a total of 108 killed or missing.

Question.  Where were the Union prisoners held after the battle?

Answer.  After the Confederate cavalry units closed off the roads leading out of Richmond, the Union prisoners, after a chaotic retreat, were corralled within the iron fence surrounding the Madison County Courthouse (that fence is now around the Richmond Cemetery).

Bonus.  Who commanded the Confederate cavalry units?

Answer.  Col. John S. Scott.

Question.  There were three main phases of the battle.  Using current landmarks, where were the three phases?

Answer.  Mt. Zion Church, Barnett-Gibbs-Herndon Estate; Duncannon Lane Industrial Park; Richmond Cemetery.

Bonus.  How many Confederate soldiers fought in the Battle of Richmond (within 50)?

Answer.  About 6,000 infantry and 650 cavalry for a total of 6,650 men.

Question.  Who was the primary Union general at the Battle of Richmond?

Answer.  William (Bull) Nelson.

Bonus.  Who was the Confederate general who moved out of camp without orders on Aug. 29 and marched south on the Old State Road into battle with the Confederates and where was that camp?

Answer.  Mahlon Manson.  Manson's soldiers had been encamped on land adjacent to Woodlawn, one of the most prominent farms in the county, which was situated on a hill just south of the city of  Richmond.

Question.  Who was relieved of his command just before the battle, which put Gen. Manson in command?

Answer.  Gen. Cassius M. Clay.

Bonus.  What was Clay's battle strategy?

Answer.  The defense against the veteran Confederate troops should be made on the bluffs of the Kentucky River.  Clay's instincts were right.

Question.  What were the exact dates of the battle?

Answer.  Aug. 29-30, 1862.

Bonus.  Thee were two other skirmishes before the main battle.  Where did they take place?

Answer.  Rogersville (present day Terrill), where Manson's infantry clashed with Scott's Confederate cavalry, and Big Hill, which paved the way for the Southern army to march to Richmond.

Question.  Who was the other Confederate general who planned the invasion of Kentucky in conjunction with Kirby Smith?

Answer.  Maj. Gen. Braxton Bragg.

Bonus.  What date did Kirby Smith depart from Tennessee?

Answer.  Aug. 13, 1862.

Question.  The major Confederate strategy was for the armies of Bragg and Smith to join in Kentucky.  When did they finally link up?
Answer.  Oct. 9, 1862, the day after Union troops successfully turned back Confederate forces at Perryville.