Ray House

The historic Ray House decorated for the park's annual holiday luminary event

NPS / Charles Dischinger

Quick Facts

Location:

Tour Road Stop 2, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Republic, Missouri

Significance:

Well-preserved farm house that played a role in the Battle of Wilson's Creek

Designation:

National Park, National Register of Historic Places, HABS/HAER/HALS

Amenities

7 listed

Fire Extinguisher, First Aid Kit Available, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Scenic View/Photo Spot

“Get out of here, children! They'll be fighting like hell here in less than 10 minutes!” - Southern soldier, warning two of John Ray's children, who were herding horses near the family's cornfield before the battle 

The Ray House is a farm house that served as a temporary field hospital for soldiers after the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861. The house, completed about 1852, has been restored. John Ray was a pro-Union farmer and postmaster of Wilson Township. During the battle, Mr. Ray sat on his front porch and watched fighting in the distance in his own cornfield between U.S. Regulars and Arkansas and Louisiana troops. His wife, Roxanna, and children hid in the cellar of the home during the battle, along with an enslaved woman named Rhoda, her children, and hired hand Julius Short. The Southern forces pushed the Regulars from the cornfield, but when the Southerners attempted to pursue, Union artillery fire from Bloody Hill drove them back past the Ray House. The Union battery continued to fire on the retreating enemy, and struck the Ray farm's chicken coop. Southern surgeons raised a yellow flag (recognized on the battlefield as a symbol of a field hospital), and the gunners ceased fire. The house and civilians sheltering there were unharmed.

After the battle, the Ray family assisted the wounded soldiers brought to their home. They also allowed General Nathaniel Lyon's body to be placed on the family's main bed after soldiers recovered the body from the battlefield. Roxanna Ray gave up a white cotton counterpane (blanket) to cover Lyon's body before it was taken back to Springfield. The original "Lyon bed" and the counterpane are now part of the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Museum Collection. 

The Battle of Wilson's Creek was the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi, and General Nathaniel Lyon was the first Union general to die in combat during the American Civil War. The Confederate Army's failure to exploit their victory here allowed Federal forces to maintain their grip on Missouri. The battlefield at Wilson's Creek has changed very little over time, other than the growth of trees and other vegetation that obscure some of the views as they were in 1861.