March 5, 1862 - The Confederates concentrate at Elm Springs

Telegraph or Wire Road at Pea Ridge Battlefield

On March 5, 1865, 150 years ago today, the Confederate army of Major General Earl Van Dorn concentrated at Elm Springs in Northwest Arkansas. The Battle of Pea Ridge was now just two days away.

Elm Springs is located near Springdale, roughly between Fayetteville and Bentonville. It provided a logical point for the Confederates to organize for the coming battle. With plenty of water from a cluster of natural springs and plenty of wood for fuel, it was also a good staging point where all of the Southern troops coming down out of the Boston Mountains could gather. It was also within easy striking distance of both Bentonville and the main Federal camps at Sugar Creek near Pea Ridge.

Topographic Map of Elm Springs
(Click to Enlarge)

Colonel Greer of the Third Texas Cavalry, which had led off the advance from the Boston Mountains on the 4th, described the advance of Van Dorn's army to Elm Springs:

...After leaving Fayetteville General McIntosh's brigade, which was composed exclusively of cavalry, marched up the Telegraph or Springfield road for 4 miles, while General Price's division, with the rest of our army, was ordered up the Elm Springs road. Four miles from Fayetteville Colonel Stone was ordered with his regiment to proceed a few miles farther up the Telegraph road, where he would remain during the night and rejoin our forces the next day. The rest of General McIntosh's brigade turned to the left, and after carefully reconnoitering the country and getting all the information we could of the enemy, joined the main body of our army at Elm Springs. Considerable snow fell again that night. - Col. E. Greer, Third Texas Cavalry, CSA, March 1862.

Gen. James McIntosh, CSA
Commander of the Confederate Cavalry Brigade

The position of the troops on the night of the 5th showed initial signs of General Van Dorn's plan for the coming battle. The Telegraph (Wire) Road, up which Colonel B.W. Stone was ordered to move with the Sixth Texas Cavalry, was the main road leading directly to Sugar Creek and the main Union encampment. Based on the movement of the main body of the Confederate army to Elm Springs, Van Dorn clearly was not planning a direct attack up the main road leading to the Union army.

Instead, the concentration of the Confederate force at Elm Springs showed that Van Dorn planned to continue north to Bentonville and then swing right (east) to hit the Federal army on its right flank. This would flank the strong position taken up by General Curtis behind Sugar Creek, eliminating the use of the creek as a natural barrier and bypassing the breastworks the Federals had thrown up on the slopes overlooking the creek.

The halt at Elm Springs also allowed time for Brigadier General Albert Pike to come up with his forces from the Indian Territory. He was now in Northwest Arkansas and would reach Elm Springs the next morning.

The snow continued to pile up on the night of the 5th, creating more misery for the freezing men in the Confederate army and more difficulty for the teams trying to bring up their wagon trains of supplies.

I will continue to post on the Battle of Pea Ridge tomorrow, so be sure to check back for an article on the Confederate army's move into position for battle. You can read more about the battle before then at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pearidgeindex.

March 3, 1862 - Van Dorn reaches the Boston Mountains

Confederate Camp in Boston Mountains

On March 3, 1862, 150 years ago today, Confederate General Earl Van Dorn reached the camps of the combined forces of Sterling Price and Ben McCulloch in the Boston Mountains between Fayetteville and the Arkansas River:

...[B]eing satisfied that the enemy, who had halted at Sugar Creek, 55 miles distant, was only waiting large re-enforcements before he would advance, I resolved to attack him at once. Accordingly I sent for General Pike to join me near Elm Springs with the forces under his command. - Gen. Earl Van Dorn, March 27, 1862.

Van Dorn's plan was solid, but he was so determined to attack that he moved before he had a full understanding of the logistics of the situation facing him. As a result he would outrace his supplies, a critical mistake if the coming battle should last for more than one day.

Gen. Albert Pike, CSA

On the same day, even before receiving the commanding general's orders, General Albert Pike had marched from Park Hill in the Cherokee Nation with O.C. Welch's squadron of Texans, the First Choctaw and Chickasaw Regiment and Colonel D.N. McIntosh's Creek Regiment. His immediate objectives were the towns of Evansville and Cincinnati, on the border between Arkansas and the Cherokee Nation. Colonel Stand Watie was waiting in Cincinnati with his Second Mounted Cherokee Rifles and would join Pike's force as he advanced.

Col. Stand Watie, CSA

Van Dorn, meanwhile, would march out from the camps in the Boston Mountains the next morning and engage the Federals at Pea Ridge just three days later on the 7th. 


His strategy was to swing around the right flank of the Union army of General Samuel Curtis, which was then encamped and entrenched on the north side of Sugar Creek in Benton County, Arkansas. If he could carry out this movement quickly and without being detected, Van Dorn believed he could launch simultaneous attacks on Curtis's right flank and rear, destroying the Union army before it knew what had hit it.


I will continue to post on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge tomorrow, so check back then to learn about the Confederate march from the mountains. Until then you can read more about the Battle of Pea Ridge at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pearidgeindex.

Pea Ridge #12 - The Union Army rests at Sugar Creek

Map showing Pea Ridge Battlefield and Sugar Creek (at top)

News reports the front in Northwest Arkansas began to appear in regional newspapers on February 21, 1862, 150 years ago today.

 A special correspondent to the St. Louis Democrat got a message out from Springfield the previous evening. He reported that the main army was continuing to rest at Sugar Creek, near what would soon become the Pea Ridge Battlefield:

A messenger left our army at 10 o'clock A.M. yesterday, and reached here at 4 P.M. to-day. The army retsed at Sugar Creek, eight miles beyond the Arkansas State line.

Since the skirmish on Monday fourteen of the enemy were ascertained to be killed and three wounded. Capt. Switzler received a severe wound int he neck. Adjutant-General McKinney is wounded, though not dangerously. Our troops were bivouacking about eight miles from Cross Hollow, where Price had taken up his quarters. Cross Hollow is a deep ravine, through which runs the Fayetteville road, and is crossed by two other ravines, forming a level area in the valley between the salient point of six promontories. - Report to St. Louis Democrat dated Springfield, Missouri, February 20, 1862.

Topographic Map. Camps were along Creek at bottom.

The reports indicated that a battle was soon expected between General Curtis' Union Army and the Confederate force under Generals Price and McCulloch.

Later in the day a second report came in, describing the Battle of Dunigan's Farm which had taken place four days earlier (see: Pea Ridge #9 - The Battle of Dunigan's Farm).

Second Dispatch - Springfield, Mo., Feb. 20 - From the escort which accompanied the messenger from General Curtis to this place I have gathered some additional particulars of the skirmish at Sugar Creek on Monday. The enemy were concealed in the woods which line both sides of the road. The country is broken, hilly woodland. The First Missouri Cavalry, while charging up the hill, were fired upon by the ambushed foe concealed beyind the trees. After receiving a murderous fire, inw hich thirteen of our men fell and five were wounded, the cavalry fell back and formed in line. Major Brown came up and shelled the woods with his mountain howitzers. The enemy replied with their artillery. The latter ceased firing, and our advance fell back to their camp. Major Brown was wounded in the wrist. Capt. Switzler, of Wright's Battalion, Fourth Cavalry, and Major T.C. McKinney, assistant adjutant-general, are also reported among the wounded. - Report to St. Louis Democrat, dated Springfield, Missouri, February 20, 1862.

The report indicated that a number of Confederates had been captured but otherwise noted that details were meager.

Contrary to the first report, there was no real prospect of an immediate battle. Both armies took advantage of the lull to rest and and reorganize after the first phase of the campaign. Both had been in constant motion for weeks and the rest was needed.

I will continue posting on the 150th anniversary of the Pea Ridge Campaign in coming days, so check back often. You can read more about the Battle of Pea Ridge anytime at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pearidgeindex.

Pea Ridge #10 - The Action near Bentonville, Arkansas

Gen. Alexander Asboth, USA

Having concentrated his main army behind Sugar Creek and pushed back Hebert's men the previous day (see Pea Ridge #9 -The Battle of Dunagin's Farm), Union General Samuel Curtis ordered Brigadier General Alexander Asboth to push forward to Bentonville on February 18, 1862, 150 years ago today.

A former Hungarian freedom fighter and the Chief of Staff who had helped General John C. Fremont organize the Union army to defend Missouri the previous year, Asboth was at his best when operating with cavalry in advance of an army. He moved quickly and efficiently at 9:30 a.m.:

...Following Sugar Creek 4 1/2 miles, I struck the Cassville and Springfield Road (which leaves the Wire road at a point 6 miles behind Sugar Creek Crossing, where the First and Second Divisions were last encamped), and after surprising a dismounted rebel cavalry picket 4 miles this side of Bentonville and taking some of their horses and all their saddles and bridles, I occupied Bentonville at 20 minutes past 12 o'clock. - Gen. Alexander Asboth, USA, February 19, 1862.

Fremont Hussars (Civil War Drawing)

The Action near Bentonville was a quick skirmish. The Union force consisted of the Benton and Fremont Hussars from the Fourth and Fifth Missouri Cavalry Regiments (US) and two pieces of light artillery under Captain Elbert of the First Missouri Flying Battery. Sweeping aside the cavalry picket outside of town, Asboth rolled into Bentonville on horseback to find the town occupied by part of Colonel Frank Rector's Seventeenth Arkansas Infantry (CS).

General Asboth (foreground) and his dog

The Confederates were removing equipment and supplies from Bentonville. There are two versions of what happened next. Major C. Schaeffer Bornstein, Chief of Staff, reported that there was a brief battle::

...After a short engagement the rebels were driven to flight, leaving behind a large amount of provisions, arms, wagons and horses. Besides that, our forces captured a number of prisoners, and took possession of their regimental flag, which they found hoisted at the courthouse. - Major C. Schaeffer Bornstein, USA, March 4, 1862.

 General Asboth reported, however, that there was no resistance in the town:

Civil War map showing Bentonville, Arkansas

...Bentonville was entirely deserted upon our taking possession of it. In a short time, however, we collected from the bushes in its vicinity about 60 men, 32 of whom, being rebel soldiers or taken with arms, I brought in as prisoners.... To the others, sick and wounded and non-combatant inhabitants of the town, I administered the oath of allegiance. - Gen. Alexander Asboth, USA, February 19, 1864.

Asboth reported that the Confederate troops from Bentonville had evacuated their camp there to reinforce the main Southern position at Cross Hollows. After doing some scouting of the area, he returned to the primary Union camps at 7:30 p.m. and presented the captured flag to General Curtis.

The taking of Bentonville with such relative ease convinced General Curtis that he could move a flanking force around to the west from his position at Sugar Creek to force Confederate General Ben McCulloch's main body from its camps at Cross Hollows. McCulloch realized this as well and immediately prepared to evacuate that position and its comfortable winter quarters.

I will continue to post on the 150th anniversary of the  Pea Ridge Campaign over coming days and weeks, so be sure to check back regularly. You can always read more about the Battle of Pea Ridge at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pearidgeindex.