Family trip to the Battle of Wilson's Creek
All photos were taken by my wife or myself.
Today, my family visited the site of the Battle of Wilson's Creek. On August 10, 1861 the North and South fought for control of Missouri during the Civil War.
This house was owned be the Ray family and was used as a hospital during the war.
We got to see a camp with people living out the day as Union soldiers. They prepped and cooked the food as the soldiers would have. Beef and potatoes were on the menu for lunch.
There was an infantry demonstration.
There was a cannon demonstration.
3 types of ammunition: Right is a solid iron ball, middle is hollow iron ball filled with gun powder and a timed fuse, left is filled with 1.5 inch iron balls making the cannon like a shotgun. Attached to each is a bag filled with gun powder.
Just some other pics.
As a bonus, here is video of the cannon firing.
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I've always loved trips to Wilson's Creek. It's kind of a heavy vibe out there, when you think of the sheer scale of the violence that place has seen, but still a really cool glimpse into history...
I've never been there even thought it's like 15 mins away. I wasn't super interested in going but once there it's like, WHOA all that happened right here on the land in standing on? My son asked what happened to all the bodies ( roughly 2500), which brought to mind that there are probably bones in the ground beneath us. Crazy feeling.
Yeah, didn't the "hospital" change hands several times too? I seem to remember that the Rays were Pro Union, and then the Confederates captured it, and then maybe the union got it back or something like that. As a kid I took several field trips out there, but haven't been in years.
Although they had 2 slaves, the Ray's were pro-union. It was used as a hospital during the battle and they Ray's continued to live there after the battle. After the family died, the house changed hands several times before the National Parks Service bought it.
Thanks for sharing. I didn't know about that battle. I'm from PA so I'm all about Gettysburg. Even found out I'm related to Union general John Fulton Reynolds.
My great grandparents are from Scranton, PA. I still have some family out there.
Neat. My girlfriend lived in Hazelton for about 5 years. I grew up in Phoenixville, Chester county.
Excited to follow another Springfield dad to Steemit! Thanks for sharing your family trip. Hope to take my my family out there soon.
Glad to follow you as well. I wasn't super interested in going but once you are there immersed in scenery and history, it hits ya.
Great post I gave you a follow!
Thank you.