Battle of Wilson's Creek

Battle of Wilson's Creek (Battle of Oak Hills)
Part of the American Civil War
Battle of Wilson's Creek by Kurz and Allison.
Date August 10, 1861 (1861-08-10) Location Greene County and Christian County, Missouri 37°06′04″N 93°24′28″W / 37.1010°N 93.4078°W / 37.1010; -93.4078Coordinates: 37°06′04″N 93°24′28″W / 37.1010°N 93.4078°W / 37.1010; -93.4078 Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
United States	Missouri (Confederate) Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
Nathaniel Lyon † Franz Sigel Samuel Sturgis	Sterling Price Ben McCulloch Nicholas Pearce
Units involved
Army of the West	Missouri State Guard; Western Army; Army of Arkansas: 1st Division
Strength
∼ 5,430	∼ 12,120
Casualties and losses
1,317 (258 killed 873 wounded 186 missing)	1,232 (277 killed 945 wounded 10+ missing)

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Area	1,749.91 acres (7.0816 km2)
Established	April 22, 1960
Visitors	160,000 (in 2014)
Governing body	National Park Service

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. Fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Federal forces and the Missouri State Guard, it is sometimes called the "Bull Run of the West."

At the beginning of the war, Missouri maintained an officially neutral status. However, its governor, Claiborne Fox Jackson, began to work to bring Missouri out of the Union by purchasing arms from and fighting alongside Confederate troops. The two sides repeatedly skirmished, most notably in the Camp Jackson affair, the Battle of Boonville, and the Battle of Carthage. Jackson's support for secession resulted in his removal by a constitutional convention in July. Jackson refused to accept the maneuver as valid, and continued to act as governor.

In early August 1861, Confederates under the command of Brig. Gen. Benjamin McCulloch and Missouri State Guard troops under the command of Maj. Gen. Sterling Price approached Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon's Army of the West, which was camped at Springfield. On August 9, both sides formulated plans to attack the other. At about 5:00 a.m. on August 10, Lyon, in two columns commanded by himself and Col. Franz Sigel, attacked the Confederates on Wilson's Creek about 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Springfield. Confederate cavalry received the first blow and retreated from the high ground, later referred to as "Bloody Hill," and infantry soon rushed up to stabilize their positions. The Confederates attacked the Union forces three times during the day, but failed to break through. When Lyon was killed during the battle and General Thomas William Sweeny wounded, Major Samuel D. Sturgis assumed command of the Union forces. Meanwhile, the Confederates routed Sigel's column south of Skegg's Branch. Following the third Confederate attack, which ended at 11:00 a.m., the Union withdrew. When Sturgis realized that his men were exhausted and lacking ammunition, he ordered a retreat to Springfield. The Confederates were too disorganized and ill-equipped to pursue the retreating Federal forces.