Wilson's Creek National Battlefield: relive the Civil War's second battle
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield commemorates the second battle of the Civil War, fought on Aug. 10, 1861. Visitors will find the area little changed in the nearly 150 years since then.
The first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River, the Battle of Wilson's Creek was fought in Missouri, a slave state that had, nonetheless, remained in the Union. The state was deeply divided between the original Southern settlers and later German immigrants with anti-slavery sympathies.
Union General Nathaniel Lyon, a Mexican War hero and a resolute abolitionist, was sent to St. Louis at the Civil War's beginning. Lyon had already skirmished several times with the pro-slavery Missouri governor and his militia and with Confederate troops. On Aug. 10, Lyon surprised the Confederates just before dawn where they were camped at Wilson's Creek, 12 miles southwest of Springfield. Lyon came with 7,000 soldiers and attacked the Southerners from two sides.
But the Union forces were badly outnumbered — the Southerners numbered more than 12,000. The hill at Wilson's Creek earned its nickname, Bloody Hill: One-fourth of Lyon's forces were lost. Lyon himself was killed in the battle, and, by 11:30 a.m., the federal troops began retreating northeast to Rolla. However, the Southern armies — themselves beset with hundreds of dead — were too disorganized to take advantage of their victory and pursue and rout the Union soldiers. In less than a year, Union armies had decisively secured control of Missouri for the rest of the Civil War.
The Wilson's Creek Civil War Museum, located at the battlefield, displays several artifacts related to the Battle of Wilson's Creek and to the Civil War west of the Mississippi. Martyred abolitionist John Brown's telescope, Arkansas Confederate General Patrick Cleburne's sash, rifles and assorted Confederate flags are among the items on display. A new 13-minute interpretive film illustrates the battle's progress.
The museum's hours are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. daily. The Wilson's Creek National Battlefield's tour road is open daily 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., while the visitor's center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- by Ivonne Rovira, Springfield Reporter for HelloMetro
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Ivonne RoviraA graduate of the prestigious Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City, Ivonne Rovira worked as a reporter for the Miami News, The Miami Herald and The Associated Press. She has written articles for The National Catholic Reporter and The Courier-Journal. For more than 15 years, Ivonne wrote and edited articles aimed at middle-school children.
