The trail is open to hikers and horses, and I did come up on a few horses. The trails are big enough to accommodate both hiker and horses. Late last year, I hiked the Bloody Hill section of the trail, which is where the main battle took place. This time I went deeper into the park enjoying the terrain and walking what is left of the Old Wire Road. From Wikipedia:
The Wire Road
The Ray House was built on the Wire or Telegraph Road, which ran from Jefferson City, Missouri to Fort Smith, Arkansas, passing through the towns of Springfield and Fayetteville. The road received its nickname from telegraph wire that was strung along the road in 1860. In the late 1850s the Butterfield Overland Stage Company used the road as part of their route from Tipton, Missouri to San Francisco, California, a grueling 2-week trip, on which the Ray House served as a "flag stop" for the stagecoaches. During the war, the road became the main artery of transportation for both Confederate and Union military forces in various operations in the Ozarks. After Wilson's Creek, in February 1862, Southern forces retreated down the road on their way to the Battle of Pea Ridge, and in December Union forces under General Francis Herron used it for a forced march of 110 miles in three days to the Battle of Prairie Grove outside Fayetteville, Arkansas.
John Ray owned two slaves, but remained faithful to the union. Remember, the Civil War wasn't about slavery as Lincoln stated on more than one occasion including in his inaugural address where he stated he would protect slavery and slave owners and his letter to Horace Greeley where he clearly states the war isn't about slavery. It was however about states' rights and the redistribution of wealth from unfair taxes from the South to Northern states. Slavery figured in later in the war when Lincoln was looking to rebuild his image and build a legacy. Remember, Lincoln violated many Constitutional rights including freedom of the press, often putting those he considered political enemies in jail without habeas corpus.
The Rays and the Battle
Early on the morning of August 10, 1861, the Ray family quickly discovered that what started as a normal day would soon turn into a nightmare. Three of the Ray children, herding horses in the valley near the springhouse, were warned by a soldier on horseback that "there's going to be fighting like hell in less than ten minutes." Alerting their parents to the soldier's warning, Roxanna took her children, "Aunt" Rhoda and her children, and hired-hand Julius Short into the cellar, while John watched the ensuing fighting in his own cornfield between U.S. Regulars and Arkansas and Louisiana troops. Soon the Confederates forced the Regulars from the field, but when they attempted to pursue, Union artillery fire from Bloody Hill drove the Confederates back past the Ray House. The Union battery continued to fire on the retreating enemy, and in the process struck the Ray chicken house. Southern surgeons raised a yellow flag, (recognized on the battlefield as a symbol of a field hospital), and the gunners ceased fire. The Ray House itself was not struck by musket or cannon fire during the battle.
As soon as the battle ended, the family emerged from the cellar to find their farm house was now a hospital, and immediately began to assist medical personnel in treating the wounded and dying. The children made many trips to secure water from the springhouse for the suffering soldiers. Later, the body of General Nathaniel Lyon was brought to the house and examined before it was removed to Springfield under a flag of truce. Roxanna supplied a counterpane, or bedspread, to cover the body. While most of the wounded were quickly removed to Springfield, one soldier would convalesce with the Rays for several weeks before he could be moved. In addition, most of the family's livestock and crops were gone, foraged by hungry soldiers.
Wilson's Creek is a national park. There is a $5 charge per individual to enter the park or $10 per car. I highly recommend walking the Wire Road but not hiking the boundary trails. Rather hike up Bloody Hill to the site where Union General Nathaniel Lyon was killed. Lyon was the first general to lose his life in the Civil War. There is a marker at the approximate location where he was struck by musket fire.
