Battle of Wilson's Creek 1861
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 10 August 1861 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1861 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 37.1000, -93.4075 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
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.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Wilson's Creek (revision 1380654951), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- First Battle of Springfield 1861 · 14 km
- Second Battle of Springfield 1863 · 14 km
- First Battle of Newtonia 1862 · 73 km
- Second Battle of Newtonia 1864 · 74 km
- Battle of Carthage, Missouri 1861 · 80 km
- Battle of Hartville 1863 · 81 km
Other battles of the Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War
- Action at Blue Mills Landing 1861
- Battle of Belmont 1861
- Battle of Carthage, Missouri 1861
- Engagement at Fredericktown 1861
- First Battle of Lexington 1861
- First Battle of Springfield 1861
- Battle of Cane Hill 1862
- Battle of Moore's Mill 1862
- Battle of St. Charles 1862
- First Battle of Newtonia 1862
All 16 battles of the Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles