Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, located at 6424 West Farm Road 182 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. The Confederates' failure to exploit their victory here resulted in Missouri remaining in the Union. Major features include a 5-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 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.

Battle at Wilson's Creek

The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri. Union forces under general Nathaniel Lyon were striving to defeat the Confederate-sympathizing Missouri State Guard under Sterling Price and preserve Missouri for the Union, along with St. Louis, a major port on the Mississippi River.  Lyon split his outnumbered forces into wings commanded by himself and Col. Franz Sigel in order to attack Price (who by this point in time had been reinforced by troops under the command of Benjamin McCulloch) from both the front and the rear.  After Sigel's force was driven from the field, Price and McCollough were able to combine their forces against Lyon's column on Bloody Hill.  Lyon was killed, at the Union forces retreated from the field. It was the first major military engagement in the American Civil War to take place west of the Mississippi river. Despite the Confederate victory on the field, the battle was eventually a strategic defeat and Missouri remained in the Union.

Park history
The battle site was established as Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Park on April 22, 1960, and was re-designated a National Battlefield on December 16, 1970. The battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.  The official area of the park was expanded by 615 acres in 2004 with the approval of Public Law 108-394.

Features
The park is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The visitor's center contains exhibits about the battle, a short film, fiber optics maps and a bookstore.  The battlefield is accessed by a 5-mile long self-guided automobile-tour loop, which connects eight stops highlighting historically important facets of the battlefield. The tour loop also features hiking trails and a seven-mile long horseback riding trail.

On August 10, the anniversary of the battle, the park hosts commemorative events.

The Wilson's Creek Civil War Museum (formerly the General Sweeny Museum), contains artifacts and exhibits relating to the war west of the Mississippi is located in the visitor's center.

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.

The Civil War Trust (a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and its partners have acquired and preserved  of the battlefield, most of which has been sold to the National Park Service and incorporated into the park.

One of the features at the battlefield site is the John K. and Ruth Hulston Civil War Research Library, which was founded in 1985.  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.

References

External links

 Official NPS website: Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
 Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Foundation

Category:American Civil War battlefields
Category:History of Greene County, Missouri
Category:National Battlefields and Military Parks of the United States
Category:Missouri in the American Civil War
Category:Protected areas established in 1960
Category:American Civil War museums in Missouri
Category:Museums in Greene County, Missouri
Category:National Park Service areas in Missouri
Category:Protected areas of Greene County, Missouri
Category:Parks in Missouri
Category:1960 establishments in Missouri
Category:Battlefields of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War
Category:Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Greene County, Missouri
Category:American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places