Pea Ridge
Elkhorn Tavern
Civil War Arkansas

American Civil War
March 6-8, 1862

On the night of March 6, Major General Earl Van Dorn set out to outflank the Union position near Pea Ridge, dividing his army into two columns.

Learning of Van Dorn's approach, the Federals marched north to meet his advance on March 7. This movement compounded by the killing of two generals, Brigadier General Ben McCulloch and Brigadier General James McQueen McIntosh, and the capture of their ranking colonel—halted the Rebel attack.

Van Dorn led a second column to meet the Federals in the Elkhorn Tavern and Tanyard area. By nightfall, the Confederates controlled Elkhorn Tavern and Telegraph Road.

The next day March 8, Major General Samuel R. Curtis, having regrouped and consolidated his army, counterattacked near the tavern and, by successfully employing his artillery, slowly forced the Rebels back. Running short of ammunition, Van Dorn abandoned the battlefield.

The Union controlled Missouri for the next two years.

Result(s): Union victory

Location: Benton County

Campaign: Pea Ridge Campaign (1862)

Date(s): March 6-8, 1862

Principal Commanders: Major General Samuel R. Curtis [US]; Major General Earl Van Dorn [CS]

Forces Engaged: Army of the Southwest [US]; Army of the West [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 5,949 total (US 1,349; CS 4,600)


Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West
The 1862 battle of Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas was one of the largest Civil War engagements fought on the western frontier, and it dramatically altered the balance of power in the Trans-Mississippi. This study of the battle is based on research in archives from Connecticut to California and includes a pioneering study of the terrain of the sprawling battlefield

Pea Ridge Arkansas March 7, 1862


Pea Ridge Arkansas March 8, 1862


Van Dorn: The Life and Times of a Confederate General
Biography of the flamboyant Earl Van Dorn, one of the most promising yet disappointing officers in the Confederate Army

Civil War Battle Map Pea Ridge Arkansas

Click for full size Map
Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and Prairie Grove: A Battlefield Guide, with a Section on Wire Road
three of the most important battles fought west of the Mississippi River during the Civil War. They influenced the course of the first half of the war in that region by shaping Union military efforts while significantly contributing to Confederate defeat. A history of each battle and an overview of the larger strategy and tactics of the military action in which these battles figured.
Rugged and Sublime: The Civil War in Arkansas
Arkansas was also the scene of bloody struggles, not only battles but smaller clashes involving guerillas as well. According to editor Mark Christ, the state of Arkansas saw "at least 771 Civil War military actions", a number which ranks the state fifth in total number of battles, actions, and skirmishes

US Parks Service Battle Map
Arkansas State Battle Map
State Battle Maps
Civil War Exhibits
Civil War Timeline
Civil War Summary
Documents of the War
Ships and Naval Battles
Women Civil War Soldiers
Civil War Music History
Confederate Commanders
Civil War Store

Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned 15 Inch Cast-Iron Skillet
Large Skillet with 2.25 inches in depth. This one is not for the standard home stove. Perfect for use on the Grill or over campfires when you are cooking for the "troops".

Camping Supplies
Cast Iron Waffle Iron
12 Inch Pre Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
Full size military Camp Cot
One and two man tents
Large size and multiple room tents
Hiking Boots
Jan Sport Back Packs
High Sierra Camp Equipment
American Civil War Book Titles

Things Grew Beautifully Worse : The Wartime Experiences of Captain John O'Brien, 30th Arkansas Infantry, C.S.A.
The story of an Irish immigrant to Arkansas who became a soldier, officer and prisoner during the Civil War. Captured during the Battle of Murfreesboro, Captain John O'Brien was ultimately transferred to Johnson's Island military prison in Ohio. While imprisoned, O'Brien kept a diary in which he recounts his military service and capture in addition to his daily life in the prison. Through it all, Captain O'Brien is able to maintain his sense of humanity--and even a bit of his native Irish wit and humor.
All Cut to Pieces and Gone to Hell
Union General Frederick Steele led 8,500 soldiers out of comfortable quarters in Little Rock and into the pine and scrub woodlands of southwest Arkansas. Steele's intended target was Shreveport, Louisiana. He planned to join another Union force coming from Fort Smith, bringing his projected complement to 12,500 troops
The Camden Expedition of 1864 and the Opportunity Lost by the Confederacy to Change the Civil War
The Confederacy had a great opportunity to turn the Civil War in its favor in 1864, but squandered this chance when it failed to finish off a Union army cornered in Louisiana because of concerns about another Union army coming south from Arkansas. The Confederates were so confused that they could not agree on a course of action to contend with both threats, thus the Union offensive advancing from Arkansas saved the one in Louisiana and became known to history as the Camden Expedition. 		Arkansas Civil War Book Title
With Fire and Sword: Arkansas, 1861-1874 (Histories of Arkansas)
Scholarly examination of just how the events of the Civil War and the Reconstruction so heavily devastated the state of Arkansas, its population and its economy

Red River Campaign: Politics and Cotton in the Civil War
Fought on the Red River throughout Central and Northwestern Louisiana, this campaign is a study in how partisan politics, economic need and personal profit determined military policy and operations in Louisiana and Arkansas during the spring of 1864.
Civil War Arkansas: Beyond Battles and Leaders
Written and first published in 1866 soon after the author's discharge from the Union army, A.F. Sperry's History of the 33rd Iowa Infantry is one of the classic regimental histories of the American Civil War. It is a detailed account of the regiment's movements and actions
A Stranger And a Sojourner: Peter Caulder, Free Black Frontiersman in Antebellum Arkansas
An illiterate free black man, defied all generalizations about race as he served with distinction as a marksman in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812, repeatedly crossed the color line, and became an Arkansas yeoman farmer, thriving and respected by white neighbors until he fell victim of new discriminatory legislation on the eve of the Civil War
Civil War on the Western Border, 1854-1865
Fanatical politics of the western frontier, immigrant abolitionists with loaded Spencer rifles funded by mysterious personages back East, cut-throats, gin heads and horse thieves, colorful character descriptions

Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles

Civil War Combat: America's Bloodiest Battles
The violent mayhem of the hornet's nest at Shiloh, the valiant charge on the sunken road at Antietam, the carnage in the wheat field at Gettysburg, and the brutal fighting at Cold Harbor
Civil War Journal - The Conflict Begins
These four programs from the History Channel series Civil War Journal cover critical aspects of the early days of the war.
Civil War Journal
Collector's Edition 4-DVD Set
Made exclusively for Books Are Fun. Discs include: · Stonewall Jackson · Sherman and the March to the Sea · West Point Classmates-Civil War Enemies · Robert E. Lee · Battle of 1st Bull Run · The 54th Massachusetts · John Brown s War · Destiny at Fort Sumter
Gettysburg / Gods and Generals
The tide of the war changes during three fierce days of combat at Gettysburg [Disc 1] the gripping saga of the tactics command errors and sacrifices behind the bloodiest battle ever fought on U.S. soil. Gods and Generals [Disc 2] reveals the spirited allegiances and fierce combat of earlier Civil War struggles

History Channel Presents The Civil War
From Harper's Ferry, Fort Sumter, and First Bull Run to Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. The most legendary Civil War battles in brilliant detail. A selection of the soldiers and legendary leaders.
The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns
Here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one
The Blue and the Gray
The Complete Miniseries
The Civil War proved a backdrop for this 1982 miniseries. Complete and uncut three disc set. Two families divided by the War Between the States. A Southerner caught when he becomes a war correspondent for the Northern newspaper. He finds himself  where history's in the making from the Battle of Bull Run to Abraham Lincoln's assassination
Blue Vs. Gray - Killing Fields
Relive the most vicious fighting of the Civil War, in which General Ulysses S. Grant forcibly reversed the tide of the conflict by paying with the blood of thousands. It was a desperate time for the Union

Women in the War
Kids Zone Underground Railroad
Civil War Submarines
Confederate President Jefferson Davis
General Stonewall Jackson

Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.