Staff rides and battlefield tours provide officers with the opportunity to obtain important insights into military operations, concepts of leadership, and how men have fought and endured in battles. This staff ride offers students of military history a guide to the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield south of Springfield, Missouri. In the process, officers are presented with an overview of the campaign and a detailed narrative of the battle replete with vignettes by its Northern and Southern participants. All the components and information needed to conduct a staff ride or battlefield tour to Wilson's Creek are provided. "Armies of the North and South fought the Battle of Wilson's Creek about ten miles southwest of Springfield, Missouri, on Saturday, 10 August 1861. Like most battles, Wilson's Creek provides fertile ground for studying military art and science. It is particularly useful for examining the dynamics of battle and the effect of personalities on the action. While the action at Wilson's Creek was small compared to that at Gettysburg or Chickamauga, it remains significant and useful to students of military history. This book outlines the general usefulness of Wilson's Creek National Battlefield for both battlefield tours and staff rides. A successful battlefield tour of Wilson's Creek can achieve many objectives. It can (1) expose students to the "face of battle" and the timeless dimensions of warfare; (2) provide case studies in combined arms operations as well as the operations of the separate arms; (3) furnish case studies in the relationship between technology and doctrine, particularly as they relate to untrained and untried armies; (4) supply case studies in leadership from company through army level; (5) provide case studies in the effects of logistical considerations on military operations; (6) show the effects of terrain on military plans and battles; (7) furnish a framework for studying battles and an introduction to studying campaigns; (8) encourage the use of military history to develop expertise in the profession of arms; and (9) kindle or reinforce interest in the history of the U.S. Army, the American Civil War, and the evolution of modern warfare."

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Introduction -- The campaign for Missouri, summer 1861 -- The armies at Wilson's Creek -- Staff ride and battlefield tour stands -- Appendix A: characters for role playing -- Appendix B: Medal of Honor recipients at Wilson's Creek, 10 August 1861 -- Appendix C: families on the Wilson's Creek battlefield -- Appendix D: order of battle, Wilson's Creek, 10 August 1861.