Prairie Grove Battlefield - Medal of Honor

Among the interpretive signs along the Battlefield Trail at Prairie Grove is one at the base of the ridge below the Borden House that tells the story of John C. Black, an officer with the 37th Illinois Infantry. He later received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Prairie Grove.

Lt. Col. Black was with his regiment when it charged up the ridge to the Borden House. Realizing that his men were about to be overwhelmed, he ordered a retreat back down to the base of the hill. There he positioned the 37th Illinois and 26th Indiana regiments behind a fence and prepared to receive the Confederate counterattack. The two regiments, directed by Black, turned back a Confederate charge in fierce fighting that was among the most intense of the day. Black's brother later described how the men rose up and unleashed a volley on the pursuing Confederates, catching them in the open and breaking their rapid pursuit of the Federals who were trying to withdraw from the ridge.

Prairie Grove Battlefield - Attack on the Right Flank

Continuing our look at the Prairie Grove Battlefield in Arkansas, this view was taken from the Battlefield Trail from the bottom of the ridge looking at the ground across which Herron's troops charged.

After forming in the wide prairie and moving up to the foot of the ridge, the Union troops attacked the Confederates who were formed at the crest. A major attack took place across this ground with the Federals surging up the ridge seen here and storming the Confederate line. Heavy fighting took place around the Borden House, which can be seen here at the top of the ridge.

The Union troops managed to break through and charge into the orchard beyond the house, but were driven back by a Confederate counterattack and pushed back down the ridge. The Southern troops followed on their heels, storming down the ridge and advancing across the open ground in this view. They charged into a fury of Federal fire, however, and withdrew back to their original line atop the ridge.

Repeated charges and counter charges took place across the ground seen here throughout the afternoon of December 7, 1862, until nightfall finally brought the Battle of Prairie Grove to a close. Some of the worst bloodshed of the Civil War took place here.

Our postings on Prairie Grove will continue, but in the meantime you can see and learn more about the battlefield and other Civil War sites in Arkansas by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com.

Prairie Grove Battlefield - Borden Orchard

This photograph shows the apple orchard in the rear of the Borden House at Prairie Grove Battlefield. During one of their key attacks, Union troops rushed through the yards around the Borden House and surged into the orchard. Confederate soldiers, however, ringed the orchard and poured heavy fire into the outnumbered attackers. Overwhelmed, the Federals withdrew out of the orchard and fell back down the ridge, with the Confederates charging behind them.

The orchard today has been restored by employees at the state park and can be seen both from the Battlefield Trail and from the driving tour.

For more on the Battle of Prairie Grove, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com. Simply scroll down the page and look for the "Arkansas" heading in the Index section.

Prairie Grove Battlefield - Borden House

As the Battlefield Trail at Prairie Grove winds through the scene of some of the heaviest action of the battle, it passes the Borden House, a beautiful old historic structure that is now preserved as part of the state park. The current structure was built immediately following the war on the foundations of the original, which was destroyed during the battle.

When Hindman's Confederates formed on the ridge at Prairie Grove on the morning of December 7, 1862, their right flank was anchored on the grounds surrounding the Borden House. An artillery battery was put in position on the crest of the ridge within site of the house and men took up positions stretching along the slope in front of the house.

The Federals charged up the ridge at 1 p.m. and succeeded in capturing the cannon near the Borden House. Surging forward, they poured around the house and into the orchard to its rear. The Confederates responded, however, by ranging the orchard on three sides and pouring fire into the exhausted Union soldiers. Unable to withstand the onslaught, they began to fall back down the ridge, the Confederates storming behind them. The Southern troops made a fatal mistake, however, and pursued the retreating Federals down the ridge only to find their ranks shredded by heavy Union fire.

And so the battle continued for hours. The Union soldiers would storm up the ridge, only to be driven back. The Confederates would storm down after them, only to be driven back themselves. By the end of the day, the Confederates still held the ridge and the Federals were still in position in the prairie below.

Eyewitness accounts estimated that as many as 250 men fell in the yards around the Borden House, making it one of the bloodiest spots of the Civil War. The home was burned to the ground at the end of the battle, but the family rebuilt it after the war, using the same foundations as the original.

Keep checking back for more posts on the Battle of Prairie Grove and the Civil War in Arkansas. In the meantime, you can read more by going to www.exploresouthernhistory.com and scrolling down the page to the Index section. Just look for the Arkansas heading and you'll find links to Prairie Grove, Pea Ridge, Massard Prairie, Devil's Backbone and other Arkansas Civil War sites of interest.

Prairie Grove Battlefield - Battlefield Trail

This photograph shows the beginning of the Battlefield Trail at Prairie Grove. A one mile paved loop, the trail leads through the scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the Battle of Prairie Grove.

The trial loops through the eastern end of the battlefield, following the Confederate lines to near the right flank and then dipping down the ridge and leading through the area across which the Union forces charged over and over again in futile efforts to drive the Confederates off the ridge above. Interpretive plaques along the trail help interpret key moments of the battle.

This section of the Prairie Grove Battlefield is one of the best preserved Civil War sites in the nation. The ridge still provides a commanding view of the fields across which the Union troops advanced and much of the core battlefield area has been saved. Among the highlights along the trail are the historic Borden house, ground across which both Union and Confederate charges took place and the scene where a Union officer won the Congressional Medal of Honor.

We'll look closer at specific sites along the trail over the coming days. In the meantime, feel free to learn more about the Battle of Prairie Grove by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com. Simply scroll down the page and look for the link under the "Arkansas" category.