Stop #3
Ravine

This natural ravine runs north and south through the Prairie Grove ridge. Soldiers in General James F. Fagan's Confederate brigade lay here around noon waiting for the Union Army. When the 20th Wisconsin Infantry appeared to the east, the Southern troops poured a heavy fire of small arms into the blue ranks, before charging toward the Borden house.

Stop #5
Carnage in the Orchard

During the first Union charge, the 19th Iowa Infantry reached the southern edge of the apple orchard before heavy fire from Shelby's cavalry to the east halted their advance. Lieutenant Colonel Samuel McFarland died instantly when nine musket balls penetrated his body. The 37th Illinois Infantry entered the orchard during the second charge, but were also forced to withdraw. The 26th Indiana Infantry charged just east of the orchard during the second Union charge and suffered heave casualties before retreating down the ridge.

Stop #6
Confederate Right Flank

Colonel Emmett MacDonald's Missouri cavalry positioned themselves at the edge of the ridge. Captain Westley Roberts located his Missouri battery, composed of only rifled cannons in the Southern Army, just up the ridge where he and his men withstood a heavy bombardment from the Union guns.
 

Stop #7
Borden Wheat Field

Lieutenant Joseph Fout's Union Missouri battery set up just east of this location and pounded the ridge with his cannons. Just north of the battery was the 94th Illinois Infantry, which was supposed to be a part of the first Federal charge of the day, but they never left the wheat field. This regiment served as the left flank of Herron's Army with the end of its line abutting the Illinois River. Ordered to lie down in the field, the Illinois troops saw the Confederate bullets and shells go over their heads, resulting in very light casualties for the regiment.

Stop #8
Illinois River Ford

Northeast of this location is the main ford of the Illinois River. General Herron crossed with a small number of troops only to be driven back by Confederate artillery fire from the ridge. Learning of a northern ford, the Federals placed Captain David Murphy's Missouri battery on Crawford's Hill to the north and began pounding the ridge with cannon fire. After silencing the Southern guns, the majority of Herron's men used the main ford, then positioned themselves in this prairie and faced the ridge to the south. Captain Frank Backof's Union Missouri Battery sat just a few yards north of here.

Stop #9
Borden Cornfield

General Herron's infantry advanced through the Borden cornfield south of here to assault the ridge. After both attacks failed, Confederate counterattacks crossed this ground only to be shattered by Union cannons firing canister at ranges of less than one hundred yards at times. One soldier commented afterwards, that you could walk a distance without touching the ground because of the dead bodies in this field and along the slope of the ridge. After heavy casualties for both armies, the fighting shifted to the west.

Stop #10
Position of the 20th Iowa

Just west of here were the lines of the 20th Iowa Infantry, which served as the right flank of Herron's Union Army. The Confederates began to mass on the ridge to the southwest in order to attack and overwhelm this regiment, which would give the Southerners a victory over Herron's command. Before the attack began, two cannon shots from the northwest signaled the arrival of General Blunt's Federals who quickly advanced up the ridge to the west. This forced the Southerners to move their troops to face the Union threat to their left flank. The 20th Iowa charged with Blunt's soldiers, which included members of the Cherokee and Creek Nations in the 1st and 3rd Indian Home Guard.