This is a good view from the base of the ridge, showing the hillside up which the Federal infantry charged time after time during the heaviest fighting of the Battle of Prairie Grove. The battle was very much a see-saw affair, with Federals charging up the hill and Confederates charging back down. When all was said and done, however, the fighting ended essentially in a draw. The Confederates withdrew during the night, leaving the Federals in command of the field. The Borden House can be seen at the top of the ridge

This is the approximate point at which Lt. Col. John C. Black of the 37th Illinois Infantry earned a Congressional Medal Of Honor at Prairie Grove. Falling back down the hill after an unsuccessful charge, Black and his men wheeled on and broke up a Confederate countercharge during some of the heaviest fighting of the day

Prairie Grove was a small but active farming community at the time of the battle. The engagement developed so quickly that many local families did not have time to flee. Numerous eyewitness accounts of the battle were written by civilians who took shelter in cellars like this one and listened to the sounds of the fighting above

The West Overlook is detached from the main Prairie Grove Battlefield park area, but can be accessed by following the driving tour. The well-designed facility overlooks the Morton Hayfield, where Union and Confederate soldiers battled late into the afternoon. As was the case on the eastern end of the line, the fighting here also ended in a draw after both sides sustained heavy casualties