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The Battle of Wilson's Creek: remembering the 150th anniversary

A cannon stands on what is now Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. The area was, 150 years ago on Aug. 10, the site of the Battle of Wilson's Creek.
(via Flickr/Jo Naylor)
A cannon stands on what is now Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. The area was, 150 years ago on Aug. 10, the site of the Battle of Wilson's Creek.

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-981240.mp3

"It's not the large, organized, and, later in the war, the drafted armies that you see on the East Coast. This is very personal. You know, you better know who your neighbor is, and where their sympathies lie, or they're going to be turning you in, so to speak." - Connie Langum, National Park historian on the nature of Civil War battles in Missouri

Today marks the 150-year anniversary of the Battle of Wilson's Creek near Springfield, Mo.

It was the second major battle of the Civil War, after Bull Run, and the first major battle to take place west of the Mississippi River.

About 2,500 men died or were wounded at the site, which is now known as Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.

St. Louis Public Radio's Maria Altman spoke with National Park historian Connie Langum about what happened on that day a century and a half ago, and how it will be remembered this week.

Listen to their conversation above.

 

Maria is the newscast, business and education editor for St. Louis Public Radio.