152nd Anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas

Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Location
Southwest Missouri
March 6-8, will be the 152nd anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge, or the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, fought in Northwest Arkansas in 1862. On the night of March 6, 1862, Confederate 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, commanded by Major General Samuel R. Curtis, marched north to meet his advance on March 7. This movement—compounded by the killing of two generals, Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch and Brig. Gen. 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, Maj. Gen. 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.
 
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