Kentucky was a neutral state. The state government would not choose sides in the conflict. The story of "brother against brother" was true for many families in Kentucky. The Confederacy wanted the state, as did the Union. Incursions by Union forces against defenders at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson gave the North early victories. The Confederacy would respond in the spring and summer by interrupting communications between far flung northern commanders using ingenious methods. Battles in Perryville, Munfordville and continued guerrilla raids by Gen. John Hunt Morgan carried the conflict through 1862, only to see the Confederacy retreat from the state for the rest of the war.