The Inkwell Gallery, Historical Figures, Civil War autographs, Nathaniel Lyon War-date Signature

American military officer Nathaniel Lyon [1818-1861] was the first Union general to be killed in the Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict.

Union and Confederate armies met a few miles south of Springfield, Missouri on the morning of August 10 in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. Lyon, who had already been wounded twice in the fighting, was shot in the head, leg, and chest and killed while dramatically rallying his badly outnumbered men. Although the Union Army was defeated at Wilson’s Creek, Lyon’s quick action neutralized the effectiveness of pro-Southern forces in Missouri, allowing Union forces to secure the state.

In the confused aftermath of the Union retreat from Wilson’s Creek, Lyon’s body was mistakenly left behind on the battlefield and discovered by Confederate forces. It was briefly buried on a Union soldier’s farm outside Springfield until it could be returned to Lyon’s relatives. Eventually General Lyon’s remains were interred at the family plot in Eastford, Connecticut, where an estimated crowd of 15,000 attended the funeral.