威尔逊克里克战役

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.

In August, Confederates under Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch and Missouri State Guard troops under Maj. Gen. Sterling Price approached Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon's Army of the West, camped at Springfield. On August 10, Lyon, in two columns commanded by himself and Col. Franz Sigel, attacked the Confederates on Wilson Creek about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Springfield. Confederate cavalry received the first blow and retreated from the high ground. Confederate infantry attacked the Union forces three times during the day, but failed to break through. Eventually, Sigel's column was driven back to Springfield, allowing the Confederates to consolidate their forces against Lyon's main column. When Lyon was killed, Major Samuel D. Sturgis assumed command of the Union forces. When Sturgis realized that his men were exhausted and lacking ammunition, he ordered a retreat to Springfield. The battle was reckoned as a Confederate victory, but the Confederates were too disorganized and ill-equipped to pursue the retreating Union forces.

Although the state remained in the Union for the remainder of the war, the battle effectively gave the Confederates control of southwestern Missouri. The victory at Wilson's Creek also allowed Price to lead the Missouri State Guard north in a campaign culminating at the siege of Lexington, Missouri.

Background

Military and political situation

At the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, the state of Missouri was a politically divided border state. Permitting slavery, the state had long-standing cultural and economic ties to the Southern United States, although these had declined in the years leading up to the outbreak of war.……

Opposing forces

Union

Lyon's army was known as the Army of the West. This army was formed from three bodies of troops: one that had accompanied Lyon south from Boonville; troops that had moved from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, under the command of Sturgis; and a force that had moved down from St. Louis commanded by Sweeny. Sweeny's troops had left St. Louis before he did, and these soldiers were commanded by Sigel earlier in the campaign.……

Confederate

McCulloch's army lacked a formal name, although he referred to it as the Western Army.……

Battle

McCulloch's camp had withdrawn its pickets during the night, which allowed Lyon's column to surprise the opposing force. The first notice the Confederates and allied militia received was when a group of foragers from Rains' division sighted the Union approach early on the morning of August 10. Colonel James Cawthorn, who commanded Rains' cavalry, later sent out a patrol, which made contact with Lyon's force.……

Aftermath

The casualties were about equal on both sides – around 1,317 Union and an estimated 1,222 Confederate/Missourian/Arkansan soldiers were either killed, wounded, or captured. Nearly a quarter of Lyon's force had become casualties. Union percentage losses were heaviest in the 1st Missouri, 2nd Missouri, and 1st Kansas. The 1st Kansas's killed and mortally wounded was the seventh-highest for any Union regiment during the entire war.……

Battlefield preservation

The site of the battle has been protected as Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. The National Park Service operates a visitor center featuring exhibits, a fiber optic map displaying the course of the battle, and a research library. Living history programs depicting various aspects of the soldier's experience of that area are presented on weekends seasonally. The battlefield encompasses 1,750 acres (7.1 km2).……