Undated post-Civil War stereoviews (circa 1883) of the Wilson’s Creek battlefield. On the morning of August 10, 1861, Gen. Nathaniel Lyon and Col. Franz Sigel attacked Gen. Benjamin McCulloch’s Confederate troops and Gen. Sterling Price’s Missouri State Guardsmen encamped along Wilson Creek.

Lyon engaged a small force of Missouri State Guardsmen at 5 a.m., while Sigel positioned his artillery overlooking the Southern cavalry encamped on farmer Joseph Sharp’s field. When the sounds of battle reached Sigel, he opened a bombardment that drove the Southerners from the field. By this time, Lyon’s men had taken position on “Bloody Hill.” Southern troops attacked Bloody Hill three times, but failed to break the Union line. During the second assault, Lyon was mortally wounded. Meanwhile, Sigel was surprised by McCulloch’s men and quickly overrun. Heavy casualties and low ammunition forced Union forces to retreat from the battlefield.

Wilson’s Creek was a tactile victory for the South. Gens. Price and McCulloch could not agree about the next course of action and the fragile coalition army disintegrated. The Southerners were never able to effectively follow up their advantage from their victory at Wilson’s Creek.

The photographs were taken by George W. Sittler, a Springfield, Missouri photographer who did business as Sittler & Launey.