Okla-homey
3/7/2008, 07:37 AM
...long before King Wal-Mart was crowned potentate of western Arkansas, and long before 20 million chickens began to cluck from ginormous coops draining thousand of tons of poultry poop into the Illinois River and Lake Tenkiller, a desperate battle raged within earshot of the Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers corridor.
March 7, 1862 Battle of Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern), Arkansas
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/9161/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz17.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Horrible fighting on March 7, 1862 around Elkhorn Tavern
On this day 146 years ago, Union forces under General Samuel Curtis defeat the army of General Earl Van Dorn at Pea Ridge, located in the extreme northwestern sector of Arkansas. This battle was the most important Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River.
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/3322/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzarmapd.png (http://imageshack.us)
The red dot marks the approximate location of the battle at Pea Ridge. Note: during the Civil War, the Confederates usually named battles based on the nearest town or place name. The Feds usually called battles by the most prominent geographical feature. Thus the South referred to this fight as "Elkhorn Tavern" (the town of Pea Ridge, AR did not yet exist) and the North called it "Pea Ridge" because that was the name of the plateau upon which the battle raged, north of the Boston Mountains.
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/9853/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz14.jpg
Union commander MG Samuel Curtis. Calm and professional, the 56 year-old Indianan was the victor
http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/3065/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzv.jpg
Brave but brash CS general Earl Van Dorn sought to wrest Missouri from Union control. The Federals under Curtis at Pea Ridge were the only thing standing in his way. Van Dorn survived the battle but was killed by a jealous husband later.
Pea Ridge was part of a larger campaign for control of Missouri. Seven months earlier, the Confederates defeated a Union force at Wilson's Creek, some 70 miles northeast of Pea Ridge.
General Henry "Old Brains" Halleck, the Federal commander in Missouri, now organized an expedition to drive the Confederates from southwestern Missouri. In February 1862, General Samuel Curtis led a 12,000-man army of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and pro-Union Missourians toward Springfield, Missouri.
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/8850/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz19.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Henry Halleck. Called "Old Brains" by the men. He was widely considered one the smartest guys in uniform west of the Appalachian Mountains. With Curtis' help, he kept Missouri and St Louis under Union control.
Confederate General Sterling Price retreated from the city with 8,000 troops in the face of the Union advance. Price withdrew into Arkansas, and Curtis jockeyed his force to engage the Rebs and give battle.
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3774/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz3.gif (http://imageshack.us)
One of Van Dorn's subordinate commanders, CS General Sterling Price
Price hooked up with another Rebel force led by a former Texas Ranger named General Ben McCulloch, and their combined army was placed under the leadership of General Earl Van Dorn, recently appointed commander of Confederates forces in the trans-Mississippi area.
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8850/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz19.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Another Van Dorn subordinate, CS General Ben McCulloch. He was killed by a US sniper as he rode forward to reconnoiter the Federal troops' disposition on the morning of the decisive action on March 7.
Van Dorn joined Price and McCulloch on March 2 and ordered an advance on Curtis' army. Curtis received word of the approaching Confederates and concentrated his force around Elkhorn Tavern.
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/8339/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz15.jpg
Elkhorn Tavern still stands on the site of the battle and is administered by the National park Service.
Van Dorn sent part of his army on a march around the Yankees. On March 7, McCulloch slammed into the rear of the Union force, but Curtis anticipated the move and turned his force towards the attack and stopped them cold.
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/1069/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz20.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
McCulloch was killed during the battle, and the Confederate attack withered. Meanwhile, the other part of Van Dorn's army attacked the front of Curtis' command. Through bitter fighting the Union troops held their ground.
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5059/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz18.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Van Dorn's Confederate Missourians are vaporized while trying to attack a Federal battery protecting Elkhorn Tavern on March 7.
Curtis, suspecting that the Confederates were low on ammunition, attacked the divided Rebel army the following morning. Van Dorn realized he was in danger and ordered a retreat, ending the battle.
The Yankees suffered 1,384 men killed, wounded, or captured out of 10,000 engaged; the Confederates suffered a loss of about 2,000 out of 14,000 engaged.
The Union had won a decisive victory, secured Missouri from Confederate control and helped them clear the upper Mississippi Valley region on the way to securing control of the Mississippi River by mid-1863.
If you would like to learn more about this fascinating and important battle, this very readable volume is, IMHO, is the best book on the battle:
http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/1267/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz13.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Go see the battlefield. I've been to most of the Civil War national military parks and Pea Ridge is among the best in that it is largely unspoiled and thus most closely appears as it did at the time of the battle.
http://www.nps.gov/peri/
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/9050/insane7zo8ag.jpg
March 7, 1862 Battle of Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern), Arkansas
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/9161/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz17.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Horrible fighting on March 7, 1862 around Elkhorn Tavern
On this day 146 years ago, Union forces under General Samuel Curtis defeat the army of General Earl Van Dorn at Pea Ridge, located in the extreme northwestern sector of Arkansas. This battle was the most important Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River.
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/3322/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzarmapd.png (http://imageshack.us)
The red dot marks the approximate location of the battle at Pea Ridge. Note: during the Civil War, the Confederates usually named battles based on the nearest town or place name. The Feds usually called battles by the most prominent geographical feature. Thus the South referred to this fight as "Elkhorn Tavern" (the town of Pea Ridge, AR did not yet exist) and the North called it "Pea Ridge" because that was the name of the plateau upon which the battle raged, north of the Boston Mountains.
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/9853/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz14.jpg
Union commander MG Samuel Curtis. Calm and professional, the 56 year-old Indianan was the victor
http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/3065/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzv.jpg
Brave but brash CS general Earl Van Dorn sought to wrest Missouri from Union control. The Federals under Curtis at Pea Ridge were the only thing standing in his way. Van Dorn survived the battle but was killed by a jealous husband later.
Pea Ridge was part of a larger campaign for control of Missouri. Seven months earlier, the Confederates defeated a Union force at Wilson's Creek, some 70 miles northeast of Pea Ridge.
General Henry "Old Brains" Halleck, the Federal commander in Missouri, now organized an expedition to drive the Confederates from southwestern Missouri. In February 1862, General Samuel Curtis led a 12,000-man army of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and pro-Union Missourians toward Springfield, Missouri.
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/8850/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz19.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Henry Halleck. Called "Old Brains" by the men. He was widely considered one the smartest guys in uniform west of the Appalachian Mountains. With Curtis' help, he kept Missouri and St Louis under Union control.
Confederate General Sterling Price retreated from the city with 8,000 troops in the face of the Union advance. Price withdrew into Arkansas, and Curtis jockeyed his force to engage the Rebs and give battle.
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3774/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz3.gif (http://imageshack.us)
One of Van Dorn's subordinate commanders, CS General Sterling Price
Price hooked up with another Rebel force led by a former Texas Ranger named General Ben McCulloch, and their combined army was placed under the leadership of General Earl Van Dorn, recently appointed commander of Confederates forces in the trans-Mississippi area.
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8850/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz19.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Another Van Dorn subordinate, CS General Ben McCulloch. He was killed by a US sniper as he rode forward to reconnoiter the Federal troops' disposition on the morning of the decisive action on March 7.
Van Dorn joined Price and McCulloch on March 2 and ordered an advance on Curtis' army. Curtis received word of the approaching Confederates and concentrated his force around Elkhorn Tavern.
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/8339/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz15.jpg
Elkhorn Tavern still stands on the site of the battle and is administered by the National park Service.
Van Dorn sent part of his army on a march around the Yankees. On March 7, McCulloch slammed into the rear of the Union force, but Curtis anticipated the move and turned his force towards the attack and stopped them cold.
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/1069/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz20.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
McCulloch was killed during the battle, and the Confederate attack withered. Meanwhile, the other part of Van Dorn's army attacked the front of Curtis' command. Through bitter fighting the Union troops held their ground.
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5059/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz18.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Van Dorn's Confederate Missourians are vaporized while trying to attack a Federal battery protecting Elkhorn Tavern on March 7.
Curtis, suspecting that the Confederates were low on ammunition, attacked the divided Rebel army the following morning. Van Dorn realized he was in danger and ordered a retreat, ending the battle.
The Yankees suffered 1,384 men killed, wounded, or captured out of 10,000 engaged; the Confederates suffered a loss of about 2,000 out of 14,000 engaged.
The Union had won a decisive victory, secured Missouri from Confederate control and helped them clear the upper Mississippi Valley region on the way to securing control of the Mississippi River by mid-1863.
If you would like to learn more about this fascinating and important battle, this very readable volume is, IMHO, is the best book on the battle:
http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/1267/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz13.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Go see the battlefield. I've been to most of the Civil War national military parks and Pea Ridge is among the best in that it is largely unspoiled and thus most closely appears as it did at the time of the battle.
http://www.nps.gov/peri/
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/9050/insane7zo8ag.jpg