Battle of Wilson's Creek
Springfield
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| The Battle of
Wilson's Creek (called Oak Hills by the Confederates) was fought ten
miles southwest of Springfield, Missouri on August 10, 1861. Named
for the stream that crosses the area where the battle took place, it
was a bitter struggle between Union and Confederate forces for
control of Missouri in the first year of the Civil War.
The Battle of Wilson's Creek marked the beginning of the Civil War in Missouri. For the next three and a half years, the state was the scene of savage and fierce fighting, mostly guerrilla warfare, with small bands of mounted raiders destroying anything military or civilian that could aid the enemy. By the time the conflict ended in the spring of 1865, Missouri had witnessed so many battles and skirmishes that it ranks as the third most fought-over state in the Nation. |
