Battle scene. General on horseback at center, falling backwards off horse. Wounded soldier sitting against tree to left being attended. Remainder of title: “He fell mortally wounded at the head of his troops, while successfully charging the Rebel forces at the Battle of Wilsons Creek, Mo. Aug. 10th 1861”
Nathaniel Lyon, killed at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, has the distinction of being the first general to die in the Civil War. He enjoyed a successful military career, which was marked by swift and bold moves. Lyon developed a fanatical and bitter hatred towards pro-slavery Missourians. On August 10, 1861, the first major Civil War engagement west of the Mississippi River raged at Wilson’s Creek, Missouri, involving about 5,400 Union troops and 12,000 Confederates. Outnumbered at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, his Union forces were defeated. He was shot twice before falling mortally wounded from his horse.
