| August 10, 1861 Wilson's Creek Missouri |
Union | Confederate |
| Also known as: Oak Hills, Springfield, and First Springfield. |
 Nathaniel Lyon (killed) |
 . . 
Benj. McCulloch . . Sterling Price |
| Forces | 5,400 | 11,600 |
| Casualties | 1,235 | 1,184 |
| August 10, 1861 Wilson's Creek Missouri |
Union | Confederate |
| Also known as: Oak Hills, Springfield, and First Springfield. |
Nathaniel Lyon (killed) |
. .
Benj. McCulloch . . Sterling Price |
| Forces | 5,400 | 11,600 |
| Casualties | 1,235 | 1,184 |
Brief Description. At Springfield, Union Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon divided his Army of the West into two columns. About 5:00 am, they struck the unprepared rebels camped along Wilson's Creek about 12 miles southwest of the town. The Federals pushed them back through the morning. Lyon's column drove the enemy before them until they themselves reached the defensible high ground of "Bloody Hill," where they halted to meet rebel countercharges and to await the second column under Sigel.
Sigel's advance, despite early successes, bogged down before stubborn Confederate resistance south of Skegg's Branch. In the end, Sigel had to withdraw his men but had no way to get word to Lyon.
On "Bloody Hill," the third major Confederates ended after Federal Gen. Lyon was killed while leading a countercharge. The rebels broke off the attack around 11 am, but Maj. Samuel D. Sturgis knew that his Union force was both exhausted and nearly out of ammunition and ordered a retreat to Springfield. Disorganized and ill-quiipped, the Confederates did not pursue.
Significance. Union defeat opened the way back into central Missouri for the rebels, but conflict between the Confederate and state authorities crippled their abilities to realize such possibilities.
Additional Sources. The field is maintained as Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. as Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.
Consult the Wilson's Creek Bibliography, the Transmississippi Theatre Bibliography, and the appropriate volumes of the Official Records. Or you can return to an account of the the 1861 Missouri Campaign or to the Summer 1861 Overview.. Or you can go back to the index for the Civil War Online Study Guide or back to Lause's Links.
These pages are under continual construction. Your feedback to Mark Lause is greatly appreciated.
Get your own Free Home Page