CHAPTER XII. BATTLE OF WILSON’S CREEK.--DEATH OF GENERAL LYON.
|Here is a description of the battlefield of the tenth of August, 1861,by a gentleman who was there on that occasion, and afterward visited thespot when he could do so without danger from shells and bullets.
As you go south from Springfield there is a comparatively level countryfor several miles, but in approaching the creek which gives the name tothe battlefield you find a more broken region. The valley of the creekis bordered by low hills, and at the time of the fight these hills werecovered with scrub-oaks, which were generally known to the natives as“black-jacks.” These trees are so thickly scattered in many places thatit is impossible to see for any distance, and on the day of the battlethey masked the movements of the opposing armies from each other and ledto several surprises.
The Fayetteville road going south crosses the creek at a ford and thenruns almost parallel to the course of the stream for nearly a mile.On this part of the road and along the creek the main body of theConfederates was encamped, and the camp extended up a tributary ofWilson’s Creek known as Skegg’s Branch. Between Skegg’s Branch and itsjunction with Wilson’s Creek is a steep hill, perhaps a hundred feethigh, its sides seamed with ravines and its top broken with rocks inmany places, so that wagons and artillery cannot be freely moved about.
This was known as Oak Hill at the time of the battle, and has since beencalled Bloody Hill by the Confederates in memory of the slaughter thattook place there. It was the scene of the principal fighting of the dayand of the death of General Lyon.
During the war it often happened that engagements were called bydifferent names by the opposing forces. Thus the battle now known asthat of Shiloh was originally called the battle of Pittsburg Landing bythe Northern side and Shiloh by the South. The battle of Pea Ridge wasso named by the Northerners, but it was known as Elkhorn Tavern by theSouth. In the same way the battle of Wilson’s Creek, as the North knewit, was the battle of Oak Hill to the South. In fact, it had threenames, as General Price in his official report called it the battle ofSpringfield.
Oak Hill, or Bloody Hill, was covered with low bushes in addition to thescrub-oaks already mentioned, but the underbrush was not thick, anddid not particularly interfere with movements of troops or individuals,though it caused the lines of the soldiers to be considerably broken,and furnished a complete screen to men lying down. The rebels werecamped at the foot of the hill, and its summit afforded a good view ofthe greater part of the Confederate position.
General Lyon reached the farther slope of the hill before his approachwas discovered. His advance was first made known to the Missourians, whowere camped in that vicinity, and whose commander had sent out a picketabout daylight. The first encounter was between Captain Plummer’sbattalion of regulars and Colonel Hunter’s Missouri regiment, the latterfalling back as their commander saw the strength of the forces opposedto him. General Lyon advanced as rapidly as possible, and soon hadpossession of the crest of the hill.
The whole force of General Lyon which he had on the field on thatterrible morning was about five thousand five hundred men, of whom onethousand two hundred were with General Sigel and three thousand threehundred under his own personal direction. General Sigel’s forces havebeen enumerated. Those of General Lyon were Captain Plummer’s regulars,the batteries of Captains Totten and Dubois--ten guns in all, Steel’sbattalion of three hundred regulars, Osterhaus’s battalion of volunteerinfantry, and the volunteer regiments of the First Missouri, FirstIowa and First and Second Kansas. According to their own figures theConfederates were ten thousand one hundred seventy-five strong, abouthalf of them belonging to the Missouri state guard and the other halfto the forces that had been sent from Arkansas and Louisiana to aid theMissourians in recapturing the state from the national government.
Let us turn for a moment to General Sigel. His part of the plan ofattack was perfectly carried out. He arrived before daylight in theposition assigned to him and had his guns in position and his troopsdrawn up ready to begin the attack as soon as he heard the sound ofLyon’s guns. From the point where he stood he could look down upon therebel camp and see the cooks busy with their preparations for breakfast,and he so arranged his skirmishers that they captured every man whostraggled out of camp, and thus prevented any warning of the presence ofan enemy. Anxiously did he wait for the signal to begin the attack. Heand his officers around him saw that they would make a complete surpriseof the part of the camp they were to attack, and already felt sure thatthe battle would be in their favor.
It was a few minutes past five when the first of the rebels wereencountered by Lyon’s advance, and by five-thirty the battle had begun.Captain Totten planted his artillery in a good position and threw a12-pound shell into the enemy’s camp. Shell after shell followed fromhis batteries and Dubois’s, and then the sounds of Sigel’s cannon wereheard answering from the other end of the line.
A rebel officer afterward told the writer of this story that he wasasleep in his tent when an orderly came to tell him to get his regimentunder arms, as the Yankees were coming.
“Is that official?” queried the officer, as he languidly raised hishead.
Before the orderly could answer the sound of a cannon was heard, and ashell tore through the tent and narrowly missed its occupant.
No explanation was needed. “Well, that’s official, anyhow,” exclaimedthe officer as he sprang from his blankets and went through whatevertoilet he had to make with the greatest celerity.
Sigel’s shot fell among the Arkansas and Louisiana troops, while thoseof Lyon were delivered at the Missourians. Very quickly the rebelforces were under arms; their tents fell as though by magic, and from apeaceful camp the spot was changed into a scene of war as by the wand ofa magician.
The scrub-oaks and underbrush masked the movements of the rebels andenabled them to form their line quite near that of Lyon’s forces withoutbeing seen. They waited for Lyon’s advance, which was not long delayed,and as the Union troops came advancing through the bushes they were metby a withering fire from the rifles of the Missourians at close range.This was on the slope of Bloody Hill, and on this hill for five hoursthe battle raged between the opposing forces.
Neither side attempted a bayonet charge, as the ground was quiteunsuited to it on account of the density of the brush and theuncertainties that might be behind it. Most of the Missourians werearmed with ordinary shotguns and hunting-rifles; consequently they couldnot have attempted a bayonet charge, even though other circumstances hadpermitted one.
The opposing lines advanced, retired, advanced again, and often were notmore than fifty yards apart. Sometimes the ground was held and contestedfor several minutes, and at others only for a very brief period. Nowand then came a lull, when for half an hour or so hardly a shot wouldbe fired, the antagonists each waiting for the next move of theiropponents. The stillness at these times was almost painful and in markedcontrast to the roar and rattle of the small-arms and the deep diapasonof the artillery whenever the battle was renewed.
The ground was strewn with dead and wounded. Here lay a body stiff andstill in the embrace of death, and close beside it another writhing inthe agonies of flesh torn by bullets or by splinters of shell. Rebel andUnion lay side by side as the line of battle changed its position,and beneath more than one of the dwarfed oaks that spread over thenow-memorable field the blue and gray together sought shelter fromthe August sun and from the leaden rain that fell pattering amongthe leaves. Down by the base of the hill flowed the creek, apparentlyundisturbed as ever. The waters invited the thirsty to partake, butwhoever descended to drink from the rippling stream, or to fill acanteen for the wounded, who piteously begged for relief, did so atthe risk of his life. The creek was commanded by the rifles of theMissourians concealed in a wheatfield on the opposite side, and not tillthe end of the battle was their position changed.
The attack of General Sigel upon the rebel camp on his side of the linewas as successful as it was sudden. The camp was
abandoned, and hissoldiers marched through it without opposition to form along theFayetteville road and be ready to cut off the retreat of the rebelswhenever they should be put to flight by General Lyon.
After the first shock of the battle was over, General McCullochcarefully reconnoitered the position of General Sigel, and inconsequence of the protection afforded by the oaks and underbrush he wasenabled to do so without being seen. Ascertaining their position withgreat exactness, he brought up two batteries and placed them withinpoint-blank range of Sigel’s line, and at the same time advanced theThird Louisiana. All this was accomplished while Sigel still supposedthe entire Confederate force was engaged with Lyon; the complete screenof the trees and bushes rendering the concealment possible.
The Third Louisiana was uniformed in gray exactly like the uniform ofthe First Iowa. When it approached it was mistaken by Sigel’s men forthe latter regiment, and the word passed along the line that friendswere coming.
As the gray-coated rebels came up the fire of Sigel’s men was withheldand flags were waved in welcome. The advancing enemies reserved theirfire and moved steadily forward, and before they were near enough to berecognized the two rebel batteries opened with full force upon Sigel andhis astonished soldiers.
The latter were thrown into consternation, which was increased when thegray-coated men, still supposed to be friends, charged straight uponthem and in a few moments had taken possession of five out of the sixguns. Until it was too late, the Germans under Sigel believed that theregiment approaching them was the First Iowa, and withheld their fire,with consequences easy to foresee.
Their rout was complete. Many were killed or wounded and many morecaptured. About four hundred of Sigel’s men answered at the nextroll-call; some escaped and joined the retreating column the nextday, and a portion of the column took the road through Little York andreached Springfield without further encounter with the enemy.
This happened about nine o’clock in the forenoon, and from that time onthe rebels could concentrate their attentions upon General Lyon, Sigelbeing no longer in their way. They did so concentrate, and by teno’clock Lyon was very hotly pressed. Fresh troops were poured in by therebels, but Lyon’s whole force had now been engaged, and was steadilymelting away. The rebels were assembling for a fresh attack, and theperil of the Union force was imminent. Unless they could break the rebelline before it was ready to advance, the day was in great danger ofbeing lost.