Customer Reviews

Bloody Hill: The Civil War Battle of Wilson's Creek

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Commendably, Mr. Brooksher has added another volume to the limited literature devoted to the American Civil War in the West. The author concentrates the majority of the text to setting the stage, discussing events leading up to and following the outbreak of the war; but then does a credible job narrating the battle itself. His prose does tend to be a little "purple," from time to time ("angel of death," "happy camper," and "spit-warm ditch water") but it is a fascinating tale, replete with colorful characters. Decent maps and well done orders of battle compliment the text. His bibliography seems a bit padded to me with Ken Burns and American Heritage thrown in with the more often seen "Jennison's Jayhawkers," Castel's "Sterling Price," and Tunnard's "3d Louisiana." A few too many secondary sources to suit me, personally. Nonetheless, good intro volume before purchasing Piston's or Bearss' volumes. I would also recommend following this work with "PEA RIDGE," by Shea and Hess.

Wilson's Creek was one of the major battles fought west of the Mississippi (along with Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, etc.).

The book begins much earlier than the Civil War, discussing events in Missouri, starting with the Louisiana Purchase. The book notes that (Page 2): "The road that ended in the Battle of Wilson's Creek was a long one--thoroughly enmeshed in the history of the continent and the pressures that accompanied the development of a new nation." Of more immediate relevance, the tension in Missouri before the outbreak of the Civil War is described.

As war broke out, those tensions increased. A central figure was the Union Brigadier General, Nathaniel Lyon. He worked to keep Missouri from falling into Confederate hands.

The battle at Wilson's Creek featured some intriguing figures. Fellow general Sterling Price (Old Pap) was also involved. Heading the Confederate forces was the colorful general, Ben McCullough. One of Lyon's lieutenants was Franz Sigel, who underperformed in many battles (including this one).

Lyon's troops were outnumbered. Despite that, he tried a tricky envelopment maneuver. Not surprisingly, it failed, leading in the end to the defeat of the Union troops. Sigel's colorful escape is nicely described. The book concludes by looking at the implications of the battle. An appendix with the order of battle for the two armies is provided, too.

This is a narrative of Kansas settlement troubles which culminated at Wilson's Creek. Detailed coverage of the missed opportunity by Gov. Jackson to secure the St. Louis Armory. It even mentions Belle Starr nursing the fighting men down at Carthage. Complete works cited list and end notes. Brooksher tells this true story in a way that I really enjoyed. A treat to read and I will read his other works.

This book is a great introduction to the battle but also gives a lot of background on the turmoil that took place in Kansas before the war, and the events that took place in Missouri after the Civil War had started all the way upto the battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861. I recommend this book for someone who is just starting to learn about this part of Civil War history. It gives the reader a good overview of events and introduces them to all the principal characters on both sides of the conflict.

The author has a lively writing style that kept me interested even though I am familiar with most of the material. The book didnt get bogged down with to many little details but the participants and events come to life with personality and color.

The book could have used more maps with better detail to make it easier for the reader to understand what is taking place. The theater of operations map shows all of Missouri and Arkansas but needed to show more of Kansas to aid in following events there prior to the war. This same map didnt show a lot of the towns mentioned in the text so it was difficult to follow the action. An area of operations map showing Southwest Missouri would have been helpful for understanding the campaign leading upto the battle but the book does not have one. There are five maps for the battle of Wilson's Creek. These are good maps that I found helpful except that the unit symbols for both the Union and Southern forces are both the same color. The first of the these five maps shows the terrain of the battlefield area minus the opposing forces that show the contours of the ground so it was easier to understand why the troops fought where they did and why certain things happened. The other four show the same map with units for both sides at different stages of the battle.

There are 15 illustrations of people, events, battle drawings, and even a period cartoon that helped put faces to some of the names and give a mental picture to the actions described in the book. Also included are two Appendixes that list the order of battle for the opposing forces with unit strenths.

This book works as an introduction to this part of Civil War history and I enjoyed reading it. Entertaining for general readers and Civil War buffs alike. (For further reading I recommend "The Battle of Wilson's Creek" by Edwin C. Bearss, and "Wilson's Creek" by William Garrett Piston and Richard W. Hatcher III.)

Bill Brooksher is a retired USAF Brigadier General. He writes in a style that showcases a brilliant mind and his dry humor. Bloody Hill began the Civil war in the west. It provided the Union with its first hero, BGen Nathaniel Lyon. Bloody Hill captures the drama of the era in Missouri. It is an insightful review of the intrigue that characterized the border states. Bloody Hill is a valuable addition to the sparse literature on the American Civil War in the west.