“Better, sir, far better, that the blood of every man, woman,
and child within the limits of the state should flow, than that
she should defy the federal government,” swore Union Gen.
Nathaniel Lyon to Missouri governor and Confederate sympathizer
Claiborne Fox Jackson during negotiations to prevent the state
from joining the Confederacy. His next words, “this means war,”
were put into action after Jackson publicly declared for the
Confederacy. Following a few skirmishes in June and July, Union
and Confederate factions met at first light on Aug. 10, 1861, at
Wilson’s Creek, near Springfield, for what would ultimately be a
Southern victory by default. Lyon’s army struck the first blow,
forcing the Confederates to retreat from high ground, which
later would be called “Bloody Hill.” The Confederates then
launched three counterattacks, but the Union line still held.
However, the Southern army did manage to rout Union Col. Franz
Sigel’s column, forcing the soldiers, many of whom were German,
to flee for their live