The Sinkhole
Tour Stop
Location: Start from WCNB Tour Stop 7 [ Waypoint = N37 06.370 W93 24.926 ] and follow the walking trail. About 100 yards past Totten's Battery [ Waypoint = N37 06.355 W93 24.831 ] there will be a fork in the trail. Bear right and after about 50 yards you should see the Sinkhole [ Waypoint = N37 06.326 W93 24.742 ] on your right. It is marked with a red tag bearing the number 10.
Description: You are standing near a mass burial site for soldiers that were killed on Bloody Hill. By 11:00 A.M. after three assaults up Bloody Hill, many dead from both sides littered the field on Bloody Hill. According to official records, 277 Southerners and 258 Federals were killed in the Battle of Wilson's Creek. About 80% of those were killed on Bloody Hill.
The intense heat of the day made it absolutely necessary to bury the dead as quickly as possible. Because the Federals had withdrawn from the field, the Southerners had to bury the bodies. The necessity for speed resulted in imperfect burials. Most were buried in two large mass graves that have never been located. But this natural sinkhole was used to bury about 30 of the dead.
Back: Lyon's Death Marker
Next: WCNB Bloody Hill Red Markers