Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

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Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.jpg
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Location Greene County, Missouri, USA
Nearest city Republic, Missouri
Coordinates 37°6′56″N93°25′12″W / 37.11556°N 93.42000°W / 37.11556; -93.42000
Area2,433 acres (9.85 km2) [1]
EstablishedApril 22, 1960 [2]
Governing body National Park Service
Website Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
NRHP reference No. 66000113 [3]
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966 [3]

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, located near Republic, Missouri, preserves the site of the Battle of Wilson's Creek. Fought on August 10, 1861, the battle was the first major American Civil War engagement west of the Mississippi River. In the battle, a Confederate army commanded by Benjamin McCulloch and Sterling Price defeated a smaller Union army commanded by Nathaniel Lyon. However, the Confederates were unable to hold much of Missouri, and a Confederate defeat at the Battle of Pea Ridge effectively solidified Union control of the state. Major features include a five-mile automobile tour loop, the restored 1852 Ray House, and "Bloody Hill", the site of the final stage of the battle. The site is located near Republic in southwestern Missouri just southwest of the city of Springfield. It has been a unit of the National Park Service since 1960, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

Contents

Battle at Wilson's Creek

Battle of Wilson's Creek, by Kurz and Allison, 1893. Battle of Wilsons Creek.png
Battle of Wilson's Creek, by Kurz and Allison, 1893.

In early 1861, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for the state of Missouri to enlist four regiments to fight against the Confederate States of America. However, then-Missouri governor Claiborne F. Jackson, a supporter of the Confederate States of America, refused to distribute the call and prepared, instead, to use the Missouri State Guard to seize a United States government arsenal in St. Louis, Missouri. In response, Union general Nathaniel Lyon moved aggressively against the pro-Confederate Guard, driving the force away from St. Louis and removing Jackson from official government leadership. The Missouri State Guard, now commanded by Sterling Price, fell back towards the city of Springfield in southwestern Missouri, followed by Lyon and his Union army. [4]

Meanwhile, Price had been reinforced by a small Confederate army under the command of Benjamin McCulloch. On August 10, Lyon decided to attack Price and McCulloch's combined forces while the Confederate were encamped along the banks of Wilson's Creek. Lyon split his outnumbered forces into wings commanded by himself and Col. Franz Sigel in order to attack the Confederate camp from both the front and the rear. Sigel's force was soon driven from the field, allowing Price and McCulloch to combine their forces against Lyon's column, which had taken position on Bloody Hill. Lyon was killed, and the Union forces retreated from the field. [5] It was the first major military engagement in the American Civil War to take place west of the Mississippi river. [6]

After the battle, Price and McCulloch strongly disagreed over command issues. Price would move towards Kansas, fearing a counterstroke from Union troops there, leaving McCulloch with an army that soon dwindled after terms of enlistments expired and some of the remaining troops were reassigned elsewhere. [7] Price followed up Wilson's Creek with a strike northwards towards the Missouri River, and was victorious at the Siege of Lexington. However, news that Union troops were marching to intercept his army led Price to retreat back towards Springfield. [8] In March of the next year, Price and McCulloch would command wings of a Confederate army under the command of Earl Van Dorn at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. The Confederate army was defeated and McCulloch was killed. The defeat at Pea Ridge ended any serious Confederate chance of holding a position in Missouri. [9]

Park history

The battle site was established as Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Park on April 22, 1960, [10] and was re-designated a National Battlefield on December 16, 1970. [11] The battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. [12] The official area of the park was expanded by 615 acres in 2004 in accordance with Public Law 108-394, [13] and an additional 60 acres were added in 2018 after the land was purchased by the American Battlefield Trust, formerly known as The Civil War Trust. [14]

The park is located near Republic, Missouri, which is southwest of Springfield in Greene County, Missouri. [3] The American Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved 278 acres (1.13 km2) of the battlefield, most of which has been sold to the National Park Service and incorporated into the park. [15] In total, the park preserves 1,750 acres of the battlefield. [16]

Features

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The visitor center contains exhibits about the battle, a short film, fiber optic maps and a bookstore. The battlefield is accessed by a five-mile long self-guided automobile-tour loop, which connects eight stops highlighting historically important facets of the battlefield. [17] The tour loop also features hiking trails and a seven-mile long horseback riding trail. [18] On August 10, the anniversary of the battle, the park hosts commemorative events. [18]

Ray House RayHouse-WilsonsCreekNationalBattlefield-SpringfieldMO.JPG
Ray House

The Ray House, which is still preserved on the battlefield, dates to before the Civil War, and was used as a field hospital following the battle. General Lyon's body was brought to the Ray House by Confederate soldiers after the Union army retreated from the field. The house is open for tours during limited hours over the summer. [18] The tour loop also includes a stop at Bloody Hill, the site of heavy fighting during the battle, as well as the site of Lyon's death. The site of Lyon's death is marked with a monument, which was dedicated in 1928. Several cannons are also on display at Bloody Hill. [19]

The battlefield also includes several features besides those on the tour road. One of these is the John K. and Ruth Hulston Civil War Research Library, which was founded in 1985. [20] The library contains over 12,000 books about the Civil War, with an emphasis on the Trans-Mississippi Theater. The library also has digital access to Civil War genealogical information and some regimental histories. [20] Also on the battlefield site is the Wilson's Creek Civil War Museum (formerly known as the General Sweeny Museum), which contains artifacts and exhibits relating to the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. [21]

Newtonia

The Mathew H. Ritchey House and 25 acres of battlefields of the First Battle of Newtonia and Second Battle of Newtonia including the Old Newtonia Cemetery in Newtonia, Missouri, about 45 miles away, were added to Wilson's Creek National Battlefield in 2022 by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, despite National Park Service opposition due to the lack of connection, need for protection, or enhancement of public enjoyment. [22] [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Wilson's Creek</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was the first major battle of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri. Missouri was officially a neutral state, but its governor, Claiborne Fox Jackson, supported the South and secretly collaborated with Confederate troops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathaniel Lyon</span> First Union general to be killed in the American Civil War

Nathaniel Lyon was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War. He is noted for his actions in Missouri in 1861, at the beginning of the conflict, to forestall secret secessionist plans of the governor Claiborne Jackson.

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The Battle of Marais des Cygnes took place on October 25, 1864, in Linn County, Kansas, during Price's Missouri Campaign during the American Civil War. It is also known as the Battle of Trading Post. In late 1864, Confederate Major-General Sterling Price invaded the state of Missouri with a cavalry force, attempting to draw Union troops away from the primary theaters of fighting further east. After several victories early in the campaign, Price's Confederate troops were defeated at the Battle of Westport on October 23 near Kansas City, Missouri. The Confederates then withdrew into Kansas, camping along the banks of the Marais des Cygnes River on the night of October 24. Union cavalry pursuers under Brigadier General John B. Sanborn skirmished with Price's rearguard that night, but disengaged without participating in heavy combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Mine Creek</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Mine Creek, also known as the Battle of Little Osage, was fought on October 25, 1864, in Linn County, Kansas, as part of Price's Missouri Campaign during the American Civil War. Major-General Sterling Price had begun an expedition in September 1864 to restore Confederate control of Missouri. After being defeated at Westport near Kansas City on October 23, Price's army began to retreat south through Kansas. Early on October 25, Price's army was defeated at the Marais des Cygnes. After Marais des Cygnes, the Confederates fell back, but were stalled at the crossing of Mine Creek while a wagon train attempted to cross.

The Battle of Dry Wood Creek, also known as the Battle of the Mules, was fought on September 2, 1861, in Vernon County, Missouri, during the American Civil War. After his victory at the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, Sterling Price and the Missouri State Guard moved further north into Missouri. A force of Union troops under James H. Lane moved from Fort Scott, Kansas to attempt an interception of Price's army, and set an ambush along Dry Wood Creek. Price's Missouri State Guard troops outnumbered Lane's Kansas troops, and after a two hour skirmish forced Lane to retreat to Fort Scott. In their retreat, Lane's troops abandoned their supplies and mules to the Missourians. Price followed up his victory by continuing his northward march, culminating in another victory at the siege of Lexington, September 13 to 20, before returning south shortly afterwards.

The Battle of Fort Davidson, also known as the Battle of Pilot Knob, was a battle of Price's Missouri Expedition fought on September 27, 1864, near Pilot Knob, Missouri. Confederate troops under the command of Major-General Sterling Price had entered Missouri in September 1864 with hopes of challenging Union control of the state. On September 24, Price learned that Union troops held Pilot Knob. Two days later, he sent part of his command north to disrupt and then moved towards Pilot Knob with the rest of his army. The Confederate divisions of Major-General James Fagan and Brigadier-General John Marmaduke drove Union troops under Brigadier-General Thomas Ewing and Major James Wilson from the lower Arcadia Valley into Fort Davidson on September 26 and on the morning of September 27.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Newtonia</span> 1862 battle of the American Civil War

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Newtonia</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Second Battle of Newtonia was fought on October 28, 1864, near Newtonia, Missouri, between cavalry commanded by Major General James G. Blunt of the Union Army and Brigadier General Joseph O. Shelby's rear guard of the Confederate Army of Missouri. In September 1864, Confederate Major General Sterling Price had entered the state of Missouri with hopes of creating a popular uprising against Union control of the state. A defeat at the Battle of Pilot Knob in late September and the strength of Union positions at Jefferson City led Price to abandon the main objectives of the campaign; instead he moved his force west towards Kansas City, where it was badly defeated at the Battle of Westport by Major General Samuel R. Curtis on October 23. Following a set of three defeats on October 25, Price's army halted to rest near Newtonia on October 28.

The Battle of Roan's Tan Yard, also known as the Battle of Silver Creek, was a minor battle fought during the American Civil War on January 8, 1862, in Randolph County, Missouri. After back-and-forth operations throughout 1861, the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard under the command of Sterling Price had been confined to southwestern Missouri. In December 1861, Price authorized recruiting and raiding activities in the central portion of the state, with the North Missouri Railroad being a major target. In January 1862, Major W. M. G. Torrence of the Union Army located a Missouri State Guard base in Randolph County and attacked it on January 8 with elements of four cavalry regiments. The camp, which was commanded by Colonel John A. Poindexter, put up little resistance and was soon overrun. Large quantities of supplies were captured in the abandoned camp, which was destroyed. The action at Roan's Tan Yard, along with a Missouri State Guard defeat at the Battle of Mount Zion Church the preceding December, led to a decrease in pro-Confederate activity in central Missouri.

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The 1st Iowa Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment's soldiers had enlisted for a period of three months after President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteer soldiers in April 1861 after the outbreak of the war, and was officially mustered in on May 14. John F. Bates was elected as the regiment's commander. Starting out its service at Keokuk, Iowa, the regiment was transferred to Missouri in June, where it joined the forces of Nathaniel Lyon at Boonville. In July, the regiment marched with Lyon from Boonville to Springfield, and it participated in a skirmish at Forsyth on July 22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Y. Slack</span> American lawyer, politician and military officer

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The 2nd Kansas Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Recruited in May 1861, it formally organized on June 20. Sent into Missouri, it participated in several small actions in the Springfield area before fighting in the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, where it suffered 70 casualties out of about 600 men present excluded a detached cavalry company. Ordered back to Kansas after the battle, it fought in several small actions in Missouri and later mobilized in Kansas after enemy forces captured Lexington, Missouri, as Kansas was believed to be threatened by the Lexington movement. The unit was disbanded on October 31, with some of its men, including its commander, joining the 2nd Kansas Cavalry Regiment. Colonel Robert B. Mitchell commanded the regiment until he was wounded at Wilson's Creek and Lieutenant Colonel Charles W. Blair took command.

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The First Battle of Newtonia Historic District, near Newtonia, Missouri, is a National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) site that preserves the location of the First Battle of Newtonia, an 1862 battle during the American Civil War. The battle saw Confederate troops under Colonels Douglas H. Cooper and Joseph O. Shelby defeat a Union force commanded by Brigadier General Frederick Salomon. The historic district contains some Civil War-period structures, as well as the Mathew H. Ritchey House, which is listed separately on the NRHP.

Slayback's Missouri Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Originally formed as Slayback's Missouri Cavalry Battalion, the unit consisted of men recruited in Missouri by Lieutenant Colonel Alonzo W. Slayback during Price's Raid in 1864. The battalion's first action was at the Battle of Pilot Knob on September 27; it later participated in actions at Sedalia, Lexington, and the Little Blue River. In October, the unit was used to find an alternate river crossing during the Battle of the Big Blue River. Later that month, Slayback's unit saw action at the battles of Westport, Marmiton River, and Second Newtonia. The battalion was briefly furloughed in Arkansas before rejoining Major General Sterling Price in Texas in December. Probably around February 1865, the battalion reached official regimental strength after more recruits joined.

Hiram Bledsoe's Missouri Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Missouri State Guard and the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery was formed when the Missouri State Guard was formed as a pro-secession state militia unit in response to the Camp Jackson affair. As part of the Missouri State Guard, the unit was engaged in the Engagement near Carthage and the Battle of Wilson's Creek during mid-1861, before fighting at the Battle of Dry Wood Creek and the Siege of Lexington later that year when Major General Sterling Price led the Guard northwards towards the Missouri River. After the Missouri State Guard retreated into Arkansas in early 1862, Bledsoe's Battery served during the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Pea Ridge in March. The battery, as part of the Army of the West, transferred across the Mississippi River into Tennessee in April, where it left the Guard to enter Confederate service on April 21.

The capture of Sedalia occurred during the American Civil War when a Confederate force captured the Union garrison of Sedalia, Missouri, on October 15, 1864. Confederate Major General Sterling Price, who was a former Governor of Missouri and had commanded the Missouri State Guard in the early days of the war, had launched an invasion into the state of Missouri on August 29. He hoped to distract the Union from more important areas and cause a popular uprising against Union control of the state. Price had to abandon his goal of capturing St. Louis after a bloody repulse at the Battle of Fort Davidson and moved into the pro-Confederate region of Little Dixie in central Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Newtonia Site</span> United States historic place

The Second Battle of Newtonia Site is a battlefield listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) near Newtonia and Stark City in Missouri. In late 1864, Major General Sterling Price of the Confederate States Army began a raid into Missouri in hopes of diverting Union troops away from more important theaters of the American Civil War. After a defeat at the Battle of Westport on October 23, Price's Army of Missouri began retreating through Kansas, but suffered three consecutive defeats on October 25. By October 28, the retreating Confederates had reached Newtonia, where the Second Battle of Newtonia broke out when Union pursuers caught up with the Confederates. Confederate cavalry under Brigadier General Joseph O. Shelby was initially successful, but after Union reinforcements under Brigadier General John B. Sanborn counterattacked, the Confederates withdrew. The Union troops did not pursue, and Price's men escaped, eventually reaching Texas by December.

References

  1. ↑ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2020" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved August 15, 2021. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. ↑ "Park Anniversaries" . Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Thomas P. Busch (March 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Wilson's Creek National Battlefield" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 1, 2017. (includes 3 photographs from 1969, 1975)
  4. ↑ Stevens 1990, pp. 285–286.
  5. ↑ "A Brief Account of the Battle of Wilson's Creek". National Park Service. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  6. ↑ Prushankin, Jeffrey S. "The Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi Theater 1861-1865" (PDF). history.army.mil. United States Army. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  7. ↑ Piston & Hatcher 2000, pp. 312–314.
  8. ↑ Piston & Hatcher 2000, pp. 314–316.
  9. ↑ Kennedy 1998, pp. 34–37.
  10. ↑ "Senate Report - Wilson's Creek National Battlefield". govinfo.gov. United States Government Publishing Office. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Public Law 91-554" (PDF). govinfo.gov. United States Government Printing Office. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Greene County National Register Listings". dnr.mo.gov. Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  13. ↑ "US Public Law 108-394" (PDF). congress.gov. United States Government Printing Office. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  14. ↑ Skalicky, Michele (February 14, 2018). "Significant Historical Site Added to Wilson's Creek National Battlefield". KSMU Ozarks Public Radio. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Saved Land 2019". battlefields.org. American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  16. ↑ Kennedy 1998, p. 23.
  17. ↑ "The National Parks Index 2009–2011" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  18. 1 2 3 "Things To Do - Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Teacher's Guide for Bloody Hill" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  20. 1 2 "The Hulston Library - Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Visit the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield". Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Foundation. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  22. ↑ "S. Rept. 117-185 - Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Addition". Congress.gov. October 18, 2022.
  23. ↑ Ostmeyer, Andy. "Fight to preserve Newtonia continues, but with new sense of urgency". Joplin Globe. Retrieved December 28, 2022.

Sources

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