“I know only two tunes: one of them is ‘Yankee Doodle', and the other one isn’t."
- Ulysses S. Grant
Kendra and I live just a stone's throw from Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. I can drive there in 10-minutes. Wilson's Creek was the site of the second major battle of the Civil War. The park is 1,750 acres of beautifully maintained grounds preserving the history of the conflict. By any measure, it is a jewel. The newly renovated and expanded Visitor's Center and Museum are as good as any I've ever experienced. I go to the park often to run and walk the many trails that weave through the woods by the creek that the battle and park are named for. It's serene. It nourishes my spirit.
As other states voted in early 1861 to succeed from the Union over the issues of slavery and state's rights, Missouri delegates voted overwhelmingly in favor of remaining connected to the federal government and declared itself neutral (a border state). However, there was significant sentiment within the state for the secessionist cause and factions on both sides of the issue would clash for control for the duration of the war.
At Wilson's Creek, Federal troops led by General Nathaniel Lyon, moved on a ragtag collection of rebels camped in an area nine miles south of Springfield. Lyon, a vehement Unionist, sought to squelch the growing confederate cause in the area and secure Union control of the state. Although badly outnumbered 11,000 to 5,400, Lyons felt that an early morning surprise attack would be enough to give him the advantage.
Just before dawn on August 10, 1861, Lyon launched his offensive on the unsuspecting rebels. At first it appeared that it would be a route for the Union troops against their confused enemy. By mid-morning, though, the confederates had gotten themselves together, counterattacked and eventually turned the tide. General Lyon was shot and killed and by noon the Federals were beaten back and decided to retreat from the field and return to the safety of Springfield. In the short term it was a rebel victory, but it settled nothing and for the remainder of the war Missouri would be a bitterly divided and war-torn state.
In comparison with the death and destruction of other Civil War battles that were yet to come, Wilson's Creek could almost be called a minor skirmish, with 1,095 confederate causalities and 1,235 for the Union. But, it served as an ominous warning for the state and the nation that the conflict that had long been brewing was barreling full-speed toward something very serious indeed.
It's not uncommon for people who live in a place to be unaware of or never visit things that other people come from all over to see. I know this from living in Memphis. There are countless locals who have never been to Graceland while thousands of people from around the world beat a path to its door every year. I would wager that the number of people in this area that have shopped at the Battlefield Mall in Springfield outnumber the ones that have visited the Battlefield nearby, fifty to one. I get it though. I'm guilty of the same thing. There are all kinds of interesting things around these parts that I have never taken the time to see. I can do better. With that said, go out and visit the beautiful Wilson's Creek sometime if you have the chance.
Now, as far as music goes, there are many, many songs about the Civil War. Something of its magnitude is fertile ground for writers. But, as far as I can tell, the Battle of Wilson's Creek hasn't produced many. There is an instrumental called Lyon Funeral March in honor of the fallen general But, Steve Earle, great writer that he is, has given us an adjacent tune called Ben McCulloch that is hard to beat. McCulloch was a Brigadier General from Texas that commanded some of the Rebel Texas and Arkansas Confederates that fought at Wilson's Creek. He was killed the following spring at the battle of Pea Ridge in Northwest Arkansas.
Carry on, RP