 Peckham
At a
time when our men were staggering under the effects of a terrific fire, pouring
death and dismay in our ranks, Lyon was engaged in preventing increasing
desertions from the line by soldiers who had fought bravely until then. While
thus engaged, rallying, exhorting, encouraging, his horse was shot dead beside
him, and himself wounded in the leg and head.
 
Boyd
I saw
a Federal officer on a gray horse not far to the right of Totten's Battery.
Several of our boys who had Mississippi Rifles, captured from the enemy at
neosho, took shots at him.
 Spfld Patriot
In this
stirring and exciting contest Gen. Lyon was wounded, and had his horse shot
from under him; General (then Major) Schofield's horse was killed under him
and mine was struck by a spent ball,....
Schofield
Early
in this engagement, while General Lyon was leading his horse along the line
on the left of Captain Totten's Battery and endeavoring to rally our troops,
which were at this time in considerable disorder, his horse was killed, and
he received a wound in the leg and one in the head. He walked slowly a few
paces to the rear and said' "I fear the day is lost."
Herron
...saw
his horse hit....It seemed to sink down as if vitally struck, neither plunging
nor reeling....As he left his dead horse and limped along - for he had now
been wounded in the leg - he looked stunned and white....
Ware
One of
them behind a tree, perhaps 50 yards in front of us, after his associates
had retired, rose up and deliberately, fired a double-barreled shotgun, both
barrels, at us. He injured no one that we knew of, but some one dropped him
suddenly, and Seeger of our company ran forward and got his shotgun....a
splendid stub-and-twist gun.
Blocker
....We
were turned to the left, up the valley, just behind Price's men, who were
strung along the hills to our right, and were firing as fast as they
could.
 |
Corp
James Walker
2nd Kansas
Inf |
photo
courtesy of Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
Full
picture reveals deformed hand from injury sustained at this battle
Stafford
Our company
charged right into the center of the enemy line opposed to us. We drove them
back but was unsupported and caused near all of us being killed and taken
prisoner.
Pritchard
We kept
our men concealed behind the brow of the hill, and delivered our fire only
when the enemy attempted to turn the summit.
Writer from Iowa
8-22-61
...but
as our men were falling by dozens under the steady fire of the enemy, we
retired over the hill,...
Snead
(Lyon)walking
along his line from left to right encouraging his men by his own intrepid
bearing and by a few well-spoken words; rallying them where they were beginning
to give way; steadying them where they still stood to their duty; inspiring
them with his own brave purpose to make one more effort to win the
day,...
Blue
and Gray
The general
was not in good humor. A bullet had grazed his left temple, which caused
the blood to cover his cheek, and another struck his right ankle so near
the bone that he could with difficulty make his way on foot. The gray horse
which had borne him during the campaign, and had carried his head so proudly
in the streets of St. Louis and on the prairies of Missouri, now lay stiff
and cold upon the hillside.
(As Lyon
was one of the most loved/hated men in Missouri, depending on which side
your sympathies laid, his gray horse "Star", killed earlier in the battle,
became nearly as famous as he did. The horse had been raised by Frederick
Steele from a colt. For years after the battle, soldiers placed signed rocks
in a pile in honor of Lyon. Some believe the famous rockpile actually sat
where "Old Grey" had fallen when Lyon was first wounded)
 McDonald
(interview
with WF Steele)
...He
asked: "Where is Sigel?" As often as Napoleon at the first Waterloo asked,
"Where is Grouchy?"
Sturgis
I then
dismounted one of my orderlies, and tendered the horse to the General, who
at first declined, saying it was not necessary. The horse, however, was left
with him, and I moved off to rally a portion of the Iowa Regiment, which
was beginning to break in considerable numbers.
Writer from Iowa
8-22-61
...we
rallied and were ordered forward a second time....We followed him down the
hill to the left of the Kansas First who were still firing away at the rebels,
and fired another volley; but as our men were falling by dozens under the
steady fire of the enemy, we retired over the hill,...
McDonald
(interview
with WF Steele)
Just
then the Union line gave way and the Kansas men were shouting: "Give us a
leader!" General Lyon staggered to his feet...
Sturgis
...The
General mounted, and swinging his hat in the air, called to the troops nearest
him to follow.
 |
Col
Robert Mitchell
2nd Kansas
Inf |
photo
courtesy of "General Officers of the Civil War"
Sturgis
The Second
Kansas, or at least a portion of it, gallantly rallied around him, headed
by the brave Colonel Mitchell.
"M" under letter by
Kansas Troops
As we
filed up the steep ascent, we passed numbers of men who had "fought their
last battle," and were sleeping their last sleep; and near the battery I
saw large pools of blood.
McDonald
(interview
with WF Steele)
...Lyon
rode in front of the Second Kansas, waving his old drab felt hat and shouted
"Come on, my bully boys. I will lead you." And he gave the command,
"Forward."
 |
Lyon's
charge from Frank Leslie's Illustrated History
from "Missouri
Sketch Book" by Clifton Edom |
Osterhaus
The enemy,
who had undoubtedly observed our fire to slack, attempted a general advance
of his line, but was met by our General Lyon, although already wounded, dashing
forward at the head of the Kansas infantry. The confederate rally threatened
DuBois' battery greatly;...
Tholen
The regiment
was marching in column by two, General Lyon riding on the left of the head
of the column and Col. Mitchell to the right. Having arrived at the place
where the General intended to form the regiment into line of battle, ordered
Col. Mitchell to form the regiment into line.
One Who Was
There
"Now,
boys, once more for young Kansas and the Old Flag." He did not look familiar
then, for the red current flowed from a wound in the head, and the beautiful
gray which had served him so well, was gone.
 |
Lyons
charge drawn by F. Darley engraved by H.B. Hall, 1862 from "Missouri Sketch
Book" by Clifton Edom
(Notice
- the uniform's on Union troops are incorrect) |
Crawford
When
the Second was moving by the flank to its new position on the right, General
Lyon passed within ten paces of where I was marching at the head of my company,
and joined Colonel Mitchell at the head of the regiment. They two were leading
straight toward a thicket of underbrush and scattering oak trees, when a
volley was fired from the thicket....
Osborne
Soon
firing was heard in our advance the regiments had just time to fire when
the enemy rose up in front of us and poured a volley into our ranks which
was very well sent as that single volley killing and wounding more men than
all the rest of the battle. The second man from me fell mortally wounded.
This volley threw us into some confusion but Gen. Lyon riding along just
then on a bay horse...with his hat in his hand flourishing it over his head
and ordering us to stand up to them and drive them back.
Shelton
...When
within about 75 yards of our line, riding a small grey horse, waving his
sword urging on his men, some ragged Missourian with his squirrel rifle drew
a shooting match bead on him....
Tholen
At this
moment we saw the enemy draw up about 100 yards ahead of us, who fired
immediately a full volley at the head at our column.
Weed
His time
had come, and a ball from one of the old-fashioned squirrel rifles in the
hands of a lanky back-woodsman pierced the breast of the truly brave general
and brought to an untimely end the career of one of the most brilliant young
officers of the Federal Army.
 |
Lyon's
Death by Kurz & Allison, Chicago 1893 from "Missouri Sketch Book" by
Clifton C Edom |
Wherry
...A
ball penetrated Lyon's left breast, inflicting a mortal wound. He slowly
dismounted, and as he fell into the arms of his faithful orderly, Lehmann,
he explained, "Lehman, I am killed," and almost immediately expired...
Rains
here,...fell
the leader of the Republican Invaders, Major-General Lyon, under a fire from
the Fifth Infantry.
Osborne
Col.
Mitchell was also wounded severely in the groin.
Crawford
The same
volley struck Captain Tholen's company on the flank and threw it into
confusion.
Tholen
This
fire...killed and wounded thirteen members of my company.
Crawford
The next
two companies (Russell's and Mitchell's) also swayed backward for a short
distance. My company came next; and I, being farther from the concealed enemy
and having more time to steady the men, wheeled the company into line facing
the ambuscade and sent a volley into the bushes where the enemy was
concealed.
Sturgis
(Mitchell)...as
he was carried from the field, he met a member of my staff, and called out,
"For God's sake, support my regiment."
Osterhaus
My supporting
battalion was therefore ordered to charge and by its resolute move checked
and drove back the enemy; thereby securing for the battery an advanced position
with a more sweeping horizon than it had at first.
Schofield
When
Lyon and I separated, he to lead the attack in which he fell, I reformed
the other regiment and led into action, giving the command "Charge!" As soon
as we came within plain view of the enemy, hoping to try conclusions with
the bayonet, with which we were much better supplied than they. That regiment
advanced in splendid style until it received the enemy's fire, then the command
"Charge!" was forgotten, and the regiment halted and commenced firing. Thus
I found myself "between two fires." But the brave boys in my rear could see
me, and I don't believe I was in any danger from their muskets, yet I felt
less "Out of place" when I had passed around the flank of a company and stood
in rear of the line. I there witnessed, for the only time in my experience,
one of those remarkable instances of a man too brave to think of running
away, and yet too much frightened to be able to fight. He was loading his
musket and firing in the air with great rapidity. When I took hold of his
arm and shook him, calling his attention to what he was doing, he seemed
as if aroused from a trance, entirely unconscious of what had happened.
Hughes
...Weightman
now filed his column in on the right of my regiment, in Gen. Slack's division,
where he fell mortally wounded, near Totten's battery, covered all over the
wounds. I received his sword to keep it from the enemy.
King
The commander
of my brigade, Col R. H. Weightman was shot dead almost at my feet, and was
picked up by myself and two of my men and laid under a black-jack tree just
behind our line. He and General Lyon were killed about seventy-five or one
hundred yards apart and where the dead lay thickest.
Pritchard
...Weightman....fell
mortally wounded while leading a charge. His sword was handed to me by a
friend of his (Colonel Hughes), having received it from him when he fell.
My horse just at this time was shot from under me. I hung the sword on a
bush to catch another horse that was near by, some one took it off, and we
have not yet been able to find it.
Crawford
...our
three companies speedily drove the enemy out of the bushes. We fired over
Lyon's body, and three or four of Captain Tholen's men, as they lay
wounded.
 |
Capt
Stimming
Co H
1st Iowa
Infantry |
photo
courtesy of "Iowa Valor" by Steve Meyer
Eyewitness to Weekly
Democrat
Well
and nobly did the Second Kansas and Iowa boys follow up these charges, indeed
nearly or quite all of our troops were engaged at this period, and the dastardly
wretches were again driven before them like chaff...
Wherry
...General
Lyon's body was brought to me through the ranks by his servant Lehman and
a party of soldiers, the face uncovered, and Lehman crying and making a great
noise.
Mentzer
His body
was carried from the field...By Lieut. Shryer, of Co. K, A. Kepler and Ed.
Spurlock, of Co. G, Kansas 2d,...
Schofield
A few
minutes later I went toward the right to rejoin my chief, and found his lifeless
body a few feet in rear of the line, in charge of his faithful orderly, Lehman,
who was mourning bitterly and loudly the death of the great soldier he
adored...The fight was then raging in great fury...My only thought was the
apprehension that the troops might be injuriously affected if they learned
of the death of their commander....I chided poor Lehman for his outcry, and
ordered that the body be taken quietly to the rear, and that no one be told
of the General's death.
General
Nathaniel Lyon became the first Union General killed in the Civil
War
|
TX
