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We were there in 2011 too. The place where we ate breakfast was full of reenactors. Great pictures, Bill.The Battle of Wilson's Creek
August 10, 1861
Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon’s Army of the West was camped at Springfield, Missouri, with Confederate troops under the commands of Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch approaching. On August 9, both sides formulated plans to attack the other. About 5:00 am on the 10th, Lyon, in two columns commanded by himself and Col. Franz Sigel, attacked the Confederates on Wilson’s Creek about 12 miles southwest of Springfield. Rebel cavalry received the first blow and fell back away from Bloody Hill. Confederate forces soon rushed up and stabilized their positions. The Confederates attacked the Union forces three times that day but failed to break through the Union line. Lyon was killed during the battle and Maj. Samuel D. Sturgis replaced him. Meanwhile, the Confederates had routed Sigel’s column, south of Skegg’s Branch. Following the third Confederate attack, which ended at 11:00 am, the Confederates withdrew. Sturgis realized, however, that his men were exhausted and his ammunition was low, so he ordered a retreat to Springfield. The Confederates were too disorganized and ill-equipped to pursue. This Confederate victory buoyed southern sympathizers in Missouri and served as a springboard for a bold thrust north that carried Price and his Missouri State Guard as far as Lexington. In late October, a rump convention, convened by Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson, met in Neosho and passed an ordinance of secession. Wilson’s Creek, the most significant 1861 battle in Missouri, gave the Confederates control of southwestern Missouri.
* The Battle of Wilson's Creek Civil War Trust Map.
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* The Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Visitor Center.
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* Wilson's Creek.
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* Tour Stop : 1 (Gibson House Site, Mill Site and Oatfield).
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* The Ray Cornfield.
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* Tour Stop : 2 (The Ray House, Springhouse and Orchard).
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* Tour Stop : 3 (East Battlefield Overlook).
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* The Edward's Cabin (Confederate General Sterling Price's HQ).
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* Tour Stop : 4 (Sigel's Second Position).
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* Tour Stop : 5 (Sigel's Final Position - Backoff's Battery)
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* Tour Stop : 6 (Guibor's Battery).
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* Tour Stop : 7 (The Bloody Hill - Union Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon Death Site).
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* Tour Stop : 8 (Route of Union Advance and Withdrawal).
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* Missouri State Monument (The Battle of Oak Hills - Wilson's Creek).
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* Photos Courtesy of William Bechmann (2011)
We were there in 2011 too. The place where we ate breakfast was full of reenactors. Great pictures, Bill.
Thanks to @Buckeye Bill 's heads-up on Facebook, I went there today. Although I missed the commemoration I did spend some quality time with Ranger Alan in the research library. He told me about working on some battlefield preservation studies when he was at Fort Scott. I use those studies all the time when I am searching out some of the less well known engagements. I think I may have "schooled" him a little on Vera Cruz (MO) / Clark's Mill as well!
Sterling Price's gold watch was right there next to his computer.....ho hum . Hey Bill.... put up that pic for me willya?!
Funny how things work... I actually should have been driving to meet Bill today except for my dad's second broken leg in two months.
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Great pics and comments. I grew up with Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern) in my back yard...but in my 53 years I have not been to Wilson's Creek. .yet!!
Thanks for sharing
Not sure I read that article the first time through the thread. Didja visit Springfield National Cemetery?http://www.houstonherald.com/news/r...cle_3fe30628-7278-11e5-b9ca-e381bfdf9c36.html
The Houston Herald used my photo of the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield visitor center.
Your opinion is shared by many. Near as I can tell, nothing in the State was named in honor of the man. There was probably a monument put up somewhere in St. Louis.In my view, that guy right there is a certified hot-head. I don't think there's any doubt that he was courageous. I don't think there's any doubt that he led from the front. My point is that, before the land war started, he was the guy who slammed his hand down on the negotiating table in St. Louis and declared: "This means war!" That left no further room for negotiation on the other side of the table.
Some of you might think this was heroic of Lyon. I think it was reckless, arrogant and self-righteous of him. A few of you will demand sources for my opinion. Here's my source: It's my opinion.
I think Lyon was personally responsible for dragging Missouri into the war earlier than it needed to be dragged in. Yes, our Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson was probably equally hot-headed and equally guilty. But he was not the first to slam down his hand on the table.
I know that Lyon was not kind to my home town of Boonville, MO in any way on the afternoon of June 17, 1861, nor for some days afterwards.
I think he was an arrogant bxxxxxx. He was very full of himself. I'd go so far as to say he saw himself as God's avenging angel. That self concept got him killed at Wilson Creek.
My personal opinion, you understand. I don't expect everyone to agree.
Not sure I read that article the first time through the thread. Didja visit Springfield National Cemetery?
The Sinkhole is a very haunted spot as well as a grave site. Lyon was a very brave man, but he was slightly off. He was a rabid abolitionist and a fanatic. He was a hard fighter as well. He well deserved his reputation, but he also caused Missouri to become a very dangerous and deadly inner Civil War. Many died over his need to save Missouri for the Union. Thanks Bill for the fantastic tour of Wilson's Creek. I haven't been there since my honeymoon with my late wife. A lot of good memories there also.
thanks Bill, I really liked the Old Sweeney. I always enjoyed it because it was about Missouri. Something rarely seen in Civil War museums. It was dedicated to Missourians, it was all that the owner collected. It was nice to see it get into the hands of the NPS at Wilson's Creek, otherwise it would have been scattered to the winds.
Well worth watching if you want to understand the background leading up to, and the battle of Wilson's Creek (or battle of Oak Hills, as the South identified it)