The most intense and savage fighting of the battle took place on Bloody Hill. From about 5:30 until 11:30 a.m., Union troops held Bloody Hill and resisted three determined Southern attacks. About 9:30 a.m. Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, the Union commander, was mortally wounded here, becoming the first Union general killed in action during the Civil War. The only monument on the battlefield is the "Lyon Marker," erected in 1928 on the traditional site of his death.
A 3/4 mile walking trail leads visitors across Bloody Hill, and includes points of interest such as the Lyon Marker and a natural sinkhole used as a mass grave for Union soldiers killed in the fighting.
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Last updated: April 10, 2015