March with the Missouri State Guard

Enjoy a moderate hike to key historical locations at one of the country’s best-preserved Civil War battlefields. This 1-mile or 3-mile (optional) roundtrip walk on unpaved trail will lead you to key battlefield locations related to the Missouri State Guard. Tour Road Stop 3 is the suggested starting point. From there, hike on the historic Wire Road, with an optional stop at the Pulaski Arkansas Battery. Cross Wilson’s Creek via a historic steel truss bridge near the original creek ford. You’ll soon reach the Edwards Cabin, a restored 1850s cabin near the location of the original home. The temporary headquarters for Maj. Gen. Sterling Price, commander of the Missouri State Guard, was situated nearby. From the Edwards Cabin, you may continue on the longer hike (3 miles roundtrip) to iconic Bloody Hill, where Union forces took the high ground and resisted three determined Southern attacks. View the 1928 marker commemorating the death of Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union general to fall in battle during the Civil War. The trail also passes a natural sinkhole where Southern survivors hastily buried fallen Union troops. Cannons located at the Totten and Du Bois gun batteries bring the battle to life. On the southern slope of Bloody Hill lies rare “remnant prairie,” one of the few such habitats left in Missouri. Return to Stop 3 via the same trail or use the pedestrian lane on the tour road to walk south toward Stop 3 (a route that adds about 1 mile to the total distance). You also may begin the hike from Stop 7 and view Bloody Hill before opting to proceed down the trail to Edwards Cabin. Enter the one-way tour road from the main entry gate in the visitor center parking lot. Stop 3 is approximately 2 miles from the entrance. Bathroom facilities and water are NOT available along the tour road or trails.