http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-981240.mp3
"It's not the large, organized, and, later in the war, the drafted armies that you see on the East Coast. This is very personal. You know, you better know who your neighbor is, and where their sympathies lie, or they're going to be turning you in, so to speak." - Connie Langum, National Park historian on the nature of Civil War battles in Missouri
Today marks the 150-year anniversary of the Battle of Wilson's Creek near Springfield, Mo.
It was the second major battle of the Civil War, after Bull Run, and the first major battle to take place west of the Mississippi River.
About 2,500 men died or were wounded at the site, which is now known as Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.
St. Louis Public Radio's Maria Altman spoke with National Park historian Connie Langum about what happened on that day a century and a half ago, and how it will be remembered this week.
Listen to their conversation above.
