Pea Ridge, AR 
March 7-8, 1862
Driving Directions
Rogers, AR
Updated Thursday, July 29, 2010 6:57 PM
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Click on the map for Interactive, Aerial and Birds Eye Views.
Park Visitor's Center off Highway 62
Pea Ridge Day 1 Leetown
March 7,1862
The first Union position on the banks of Sugar Creek is listed as Tour Stop 11 and is closed to visitors. The information signs for Sugar Creek are at Stop 1.
Gen. Curtis's Headquarters Site
(Tour Stop 1)
Ruins of something, they make a nice picture. Curtis made his Headquarters here in this clearing.
The Union troop arrived first and dug in at a ford over Suger Creek, only to discover that the Confederates had gone around them.
East Overlook (Tour Stop 5)
Gen. Van Dorn started his troops marching in the Boston Mountains south of Fayetteville, seen in the distance in the picture. After three days of very hard slogging, in very poor weather, the Confederates arrived late and exhausted on the battlefield only to discover that their surprise was no more.
East Overlook (Tour Stop 6)
The view from the top of the Eastern Lookout gives the visitor a unique view of the battlefield and helps to put together the actions of the two days. While it would be a lot more driving it would be helpful to start here just to get the lay of the land and to see how the various sites fit together. In this virtual tour you will be returned there frequently.
Trying to regain the initiative, Van Dorn divided his forces sending Brig. Gen McCullock right around Elkhorn Mountain to attack Leetown, while Van Dorn lead the bulk of his troops around the east side of Elkhorn Mountain to attack Elkhorn Tavern. Union commander Brig. Gen. Curtis split his forces also, sending Brig. Gen. Sigel to defend Leetown and leading the force to defend Elkhorn Tavern himself. So the first days battle was actually two separate battles at Leetown and Elkhorn Tavern.
Leetown Battlefield (Tour Stop 3)
10 AM The fight begins
View from East Overlook (Tour Stop 6) of the Leetown Battlefield.
Leetown (Tour Stop 3) Nothing remains of the town, but this is where it was located. During the battle every building in town was pressed into service for hospital space. Wounded poured in from both sides.
Early in the day Gen. McCollock was shot and killed by a Union picket severely impacting the Confederate attack on Leetown. Gen. McIntosh, who ascended to command after the fall of McCullock, was also killed in short order.
Leetown (Tour Stop 3)
Leetown (Tour Stop 3)
Leetown (Tour Stop 3)
The battle was hard fought by both side but eventually resulted in a Union victory at Leetown. The loss of both senior commanders early in the battle was too serious to overcome for the Confederates. Confederate troops fell back and regrouped at Elkhorn Tavern. Pea Ridge was the first Civil War battle to include large numbers of Native Americans, about a 1,000 fought on the side of the Confederacy. Tour Stop 4 discusses their involvement. Maj Gen Earl Van Dorn complained that the Indians did not fight well; but interestingly enough, Cherokee Chief Stand Watie, who fought at Pea Ridge, rose to Brigadier General in the CSA and was the last general to surrender; fully a month after everyone else gave up.
Pea Ridge Day 1 Elkhorn Tavern (Tour Stop 7)
March 7, 1862
Reproduction
Ditto. I lost his name among my stacks of papers, but he was a very helpful and knowledgeable volunteer who mans the Elkhorn Tavern. That’s a real antique shotgun, the kind carried by many of the Confederates who fought in the battle.
10 AM The fight begins (Tour Stop 7)
The Confederates, in their hard marching to get to the battlefield had run off (or runnoft) and left their supply wagons struggling in the mud. This was to have severe consequences for the outcome of the battle on the next day. Survivors from the Leetown battle arrived at Elkhorn Tavern throughout the day and that night, but they were exhausted, hungry and defeated and thier bad mood infected the victors of the fight at the tavern.
Pea Ridge Day 2 Elkhorn Tavern
March 8, 1862
The first day had ended as a kind of draw, the Union had won at Leetown but the Confederates had won at Elkhorn Tavern. Now both armies were once again reunited and deployed to face each other in two long lines about a quarter of a mile apart.
The Confederate lines stretched along a wood up into a large rock formation at the Eastern Overlook. The Confederates in the Overlook area took shelter in the rocks which looked like a great place, but turned out to be a bad idea due to the shattering nature of the shale when hit by shot and shell. (Tour Stop 6)
The Union lines stretched along the middle of a large field. Both sides massed their artillery and the second day of fighting opened with an artillery duel. The Union got the upper hand early on but the Confederates doggedly held on until the ran out of ammunition, their subsequent retreat ended the Battle of Pea Ridge and Confederate involvement in Missouri. (Tour Stop 10) The bluff center right in the picture is the eastern overlook where the Confederate took shelter in the rocks, and paid dearly for it.
The Confederates retreated by way of Huntsville Road at Elkhorn Tavern. (Tour Stop 7)
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Next see Cabin Creek or Newtonia.