Casualties at Prairie Grove

At 10:00 a.m., the battle began as Herron’s artillery opened fire on the Confederates for two hours, forcing many of the rebels to seek shelter. At this point in the battle, Herron only had about 3,500 men ready to fight after a grueling 3 day march over a 110 mile distance. Nevertheless, after the bombardment ceased, he sent 2,000 men forward to seize the high ground. At the top of the hill, the Federal troops found two Confederate divisions under Brigadier General Marmaduke and Brigadier General Shoup. The Northern troops suffered heavy losses and fled back down to the safety of their batteries.¹ The rebels that chose to pursue were mowed down by canister shot. At this point, Hindman attempted to push his left wing forward to push the Union troops back to the Illinois River. Unfortunately for him, they moved too slowly, and by the time they advanced, they were met with an artillery barrage from Blunt’s forces. The Confederates attempted to advance again, but were again driven back by artillery. The fighting halted as night fell.²

The Union army suffered at least 1,251 casualties, with 175 killed, 813 wounded and 263 missing.¹ Blunt noted that both sides had taken heavy losses. He initially reported that around 200 of his men had been killed and 500 wounded.¹ He stated in a letter to General Curtis that the Confederate casualties exceeded his by a 4 to 1 ratio.¹ He later claimed that the rebel forces must have taken at least 3,000 casualties.¹ The Confederates took at least 1,317 casualties, being made up of 164 killed, 817 wounded and 336 missing.⁷ Additionally, Hindman notes that he took 275 prisoners, 9 being officers. However, these numbers may be much lower than the actual casualty rate.² Hindman himself stated that Union casualties laid at around 400 killed and over 1,500 wounded. Adams’ Arkansas Regiment had all but 75 men drop their arms and desert to the Union side.¹

¹United States War Department, Robert N Scott, H. M Lazelle, George B Davis, Leslie J Perry, Joseph W Kirkley, Fred C Ainsworth, et al. The War of the Rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies. Washington, Govt. Print. Off., to 1901, 1880.
²Kennedy, Frances H., and William L. Shea. “Prairie Grove, Arkansas, Washington County, December 7, 1862.” Essay. In The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 141–44. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.