Pea Ridge, Part Four - West Overlook

You can access a National Park Service map of the Pea Ridge battlefield by clicking here. It might help you better visualize the locations we are describing in our series.

This view, from atop Big Mountain (also called Pea Ridge), provides an outstanding view of the Ozark Plateau over which the two armies moved during the days leading up to and during the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. On a clear day, it is possible to see as far as Bentonville (11 miles west) and Fayetteville (29 miles south). The West Overlook also provides good views of the wider battlefield area. The overlook is at Tour Stop #5 on the tour road at Pea Ridge National Military Park. No significant action took place at this spot, but it s a good place to absorb the incredible view.

Our series will continue. In the meantime, read more by visiting http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com.pearidgeindex/.

Pea Ridge, Part Three - "Shooting Wagons"

As we continue our series on the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, please remember that you can access a map of the battlefield by clicking here.

The photo here shows the view from Tour Stop 4 on the tour road at Pea Ridge National Military Park. This was Foster's Farm at the time of the battle and was the scene where the Union cavalry collided with McCulloch's oncoming Confederates shortly before the action at Leetown (described in our last post).

After forming his division along a tree line, Col. Osterhaus sent forward his cavalry and three field guns to confront the Confederates and unveil the situation. As the Union horsemen emerged into the fields of Foster's Farm, however, they were stunned to see the 8,000 men under Gen. McCulloch advancing on across the same fields. The Union cannon opened fire, but McCulloch sent Gen. McIntosh sweeping around from his right to charge the severely outnumbered Federals. As the Confederate cavalry came storming down on them, the Federals broke and ran after a short fight and Southern troops overran their supporting cannon. The Confederates continued to advance and the battle moved into the phase that we described in yesterday's posting on Leetown.

Among the Southern troops that fought here at Foster's Farm was the Indian Brigade under Brig. Gen. Albert Pike. Composed of warriors from the Indian Territory (today's Oklahoma), this Native American Confederate force was involved in capturing Union artillery, called "shooting wagons" by some of the warriors. They also successfully ambushed two companies of Iowa cavalry.

After the battle, Union troops discovered the scene of this ambush. Among the bodies littering the ground they reported that they found the remains of 8 men that had been scalped and another 17 that had been mutilated. The U.S. Congress launched an investigation into the incident and leveled the blame on Pike and his Native American warriors.

It should be noted that scalping and mutilation of dead enemies held ceremonial importance among some Native American tribes during the 18th century. It was a way of assuring that enemies would be much weaker in the next world. It is also worth noting that early white officials in the Southeast encouraged some of these practices, often allying themselves with specific tribes and rewarding war parties for every scalp they brought back.

Our series on the Battle of Pea Ridge will continue. Until then, you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pearidgeindex.

Pea Ridge, Part Two - Attack at Leetown

Note: If you aren't familiar with the Pea Ridge battlefield, you can use this map from the National Park Service to help understand the sites we'll be describing over the next few days.

As he arrived with his division at Leetown to the right and rear of the Federal right flank and found the Confederates there in force, Union Col. Peter Osterhaus deployed his infantry along a treeline and sent his cavalry forward into an open field. They were quickly driven back by Confederate cavalry.

The Confederates greatly outnumbered Osterhaus and planned to launch three separate attacks on this segment of the battlefield. General Ben McCulloch planned to attack Osterhaus' infantry with his man force, while Col. Lewis Hebert moved through Morgan's Woods and struck the Federal right flank. General Albert Pike's warriors from Indian territory would operate on the Confederate right.

Gen. McCulloch rode forward to take a closer look at the arrangement of the Union lines before launching his attack. It proved to be a fatal decision. He was shot and killed by Federal skirmishers.

His second-in-command, General James McIntosh, now assumed command of the attack. He was killed less than 15 minutes later, however, while leading a regiment forward. The Confederate attack disintegrated as command and control broke down on the battlefield. Other Confederate officers had no way of knowing that both generals were dead and so no one stepped forward to assume command of the attack. Osterhaus had held.

Col. Hebert was now the division commander, but had already moved with his men into Morgan's Woods following orders to attack the Union right flank. He drove back two Union regiments and captured part of a battery, but his attack became disorganized in the thick woods. Things became so confusing that some Confederates fired into the backs of their own men.

Since the attack on his front had fallen back, Osterhaus now swung his command to the to the right and struck Hebert's flank. Another force of Union troops under Col. Davis soon attacked the Hebert's other flank and his command disintegrated. The colonel himself became confused as he tried to escape the debacle and went in the wrong direction, only to be captured near Curtis' headquarters.

The Confederate attack at Leetown had failed and two promising Southern generals - Ben McCulloch and James McIntosh - had been killed. The Battle of Pea Ridge, however, was just beginning.

Our series on the battle will continue in the next post. Until then you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pearidgeindex.

The Battle of Pea Ridge, Part One

Today is the anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. The major Civil War battle was found on March 7-8, 1862.

We are marking the 146th anniversary of the battle with a new series here at Arkansas in the Civil War. Over the next week, we will look in depth at the Battle of Pea Ridge (also called the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern) and explore some of the key sites on the battlefield.

The battle began on March 7, 1862, when the Confederate Army of the West, commanded by Major General Earl Van Dorn, launched an uncoordinated attack on the right flank and rear of the Union Army of the Frontier, commanded by Major General Samuel R. Curtis.

Pea Ridge was one of the few major battles of the Civil War in which the Confederate forces outnumbered the Union forces. Van Dorn brought an army of 16,000 men and 65 cannon into the fight, compared to the Union force of 10,500 men and 52 cannon.

Van Dorn's primary strategy was to sweep around the left flank of the Union army and surprise Curtis with a devastating attack on his flank and rear. The Union forces were then entrenched in a line overlooking Little Sugar Creek in northern Benton County, Arkansas. Despite severe cold and the exhausted state of his men, Van Dorn committed them to battle on March 7, 1862, without waiting for his supply trains to come up or for his forces to move completely into position. His attack was intended to encounter an invasion of Northwest Arkansas by Curtis, who had moved into the region in February and penetrated as far south as Fayetteville.

General Curtis was meeting with his subordinate generals behind his lines at Pratt's Store on the morning of March 7, 1862, when couriers reported that Confederates were present in force on the Ford Road just north of the little hamlet of Leetown. A second report soon indicated that more Southern troops were coming south down the Telegraph Road. All of these sites are now part of Pea Ridge National Military Park. Curtis sent Colonel Peter Osterhaus with his division to intercept the Confederates at Leetown, while Colonel Eugene Carr marched north with Colonel Grenville Dodge's brigade to unveil the situation up the Telegraph Road.

Osterhaus reached Leetown to find that the reports were correct and that a major Confederate offensive was sweepingdown on the Union right flank.

Our series on the Battle of Pea Ridge will continue later today. Until then, you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pearidgeindex.

The Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas

This week marks the 148th anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. This massive engagement was found across thousands of acres of beautiful Ozark Plateau countryside in Northwest Arkansas on March 7-8, 1865.

Also called the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, the Battle of Pea Ridge was one of the largest battles ever fought west of the Mississippi River and was also one of the largest battles of the first year of the Civil War. The site today is preserved at Pea Ridge National Military Park, an outstanding national park area in Benton County, Arkansas.

Beginning tomorrow, we will begin a multi-part series on the Battle of Pea Ridge. We will look at the strategy and tactics of the battle and share photographs of the battlefield as it appears today. Until then, if you would like to read more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pearidgeindex.

Jenkins' Ferry - Part Five

We wrap up our series on the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry and Jenkins' Ferry State Park today with this view of the state park area.

Things are a little brown here (the photo was taken in late February), but the trees should be showing plenty of green soon.

The park is a very nice place to stop for an hour or so and reflect on the history of the area or to enjoy an afternoon in the sunshine. In addition to its historical significance, Jenkins' Ferry State Park offers picnic tables, a boat ramp and a "swimming hole." There are no facilities at the park, so keep that in mind.

After crossing the Saline River at the end of the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, the Union army marched away across the ground seen here and continued their retreat to Little Rock. The withdrawal ended the last significant Arkansas action of the Red River Campaign.

To read more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/jenkinsferry1.

Jenkins' Ferry, Part Four

This photo gives you a good idea of the appearance of the actual battlefield at Jenkins' Ferry as it appears today.

This vast swampy scene of the battle is located across the Saline River from Jenkins' Ferry State Park and remains on private property. Access is restricted, so please respect private property rights.

At the time of the battle, as seen here, the white oak swamps bordering the Saline River were overflowing and the men of both sides fought in water, muck and mud. This contributed greatly to the inability of Confederate commanders to properly coordinate their attacks and proved an advantage to the Federals in defending their wagon trains until they could get them across the river.

If you would like to read more about the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/jenkinsferry1. I'll be adding other Arkansas sites from the Red River campaign over the next few weeks.

Jenkins' Ferry, Part Three

This is the monument erected at the Jenkins' Ferry battlefield in 1928 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The monument is to the left just inside the entrance to the state park.

Although estimates of casualties vary, the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry was extremely bloody for Confederate forces who hurled themselves repeatedly against the breastworks of the Union army. The Southern attacks were uncoordinated and hampered by flooding. As a result, the Confederate ranks experienced severe losses.

Although they were unable to carry the Union lines, the Confederates were able to hammer the Federals so hard that they withdrew from the battlefield in an extremely battered condition, bringing the Arkansas phase of the Red River Campaign to a close.

Our look at the Jenkins' Ferry battlefield will continue, but in the meantime you can read more by going to www.exploresouthernhistory.com/jenkinsferry1.

Jenkins' Ferry, Part Two

Continuing our look at Jenkins' Ferry State Park and the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, Arkansas, this is the Saline River as seen from the park. The actual battlefield is on the opposite side.

As you can see from the muddy color of the water, the river was on the rise when this photo was taken in late February (the area is quite a bit greener during the spring and summer). At the time of the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry in 1864, the river was also rising and had overflowed the surrounding swamps.

As the Union army of General Frederick Steele came down from the ridges into the Saline River Valley during their retreat from Camden, they instantly encountered difficulty due to muddy roads and overflowing swamps. They began building a pontoon bridge here at Jenkins' Ferry and were trying to get across when the Confederate army of General Kirby Smith closed on them from behind.

After heavy fighting in which three successive Confederate attacks were thrown back, the Union troops were finally able to get across the Saline and dismantle the bridge behind them. Smith's Confederates pushed up to the river bank opposite today's Jenkins' Ferry State Park, but were not able to get across. Steele's weary men marched through the park area and continued their retreat to Little Rock.

I'll have more on Jenkins' Ferry in the next post, but in the meantime you can read more about the park by going to www.exploresouthernhistory.com/jenkinsferry1.

Jenkins' Ferry State Park - Arkansas

The last major battle of the Arkansas phase of the Red River Campaign took place here at Jenkins' Ferry. The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry is commemorated by Jenkins' Ferry State Park, located 13 miles south of the city of Sheridan on Arkansas Highway 46. The park is an easy drive of less than one hour from Hot Springs, Little Rock and Pine Bluff.

The park is set along the picturesque Saline River and includes interpretive displays, a monument, picnic areas, a swimming hole and a boat ramp.

The actual battle was fought across the river from the park, but it provides interpretation of what happened in the Saline River swamps on April 29-30, 1864 and preserves the site of the actual ferry, where Union troops built a pontoon bridge across the river and made good their escape from Kirby Smith's attacking Confederate army. The retreat route led through the state park.

I'll have more on Jenkins' Ferry in the next post.

Boston Mountains, Part Three

This post concludes a quick three part look at the Boston Mountains of western Arkansas.

A region of the Ozarks, the mountains were an imposing barrier between Washington and Benton Counties in Northwest Arkansas and Fort Smith, Van Buren and other communities in the Arkansas River Valley.

The mountains were also the home of the "Mountain Feds" of Arkansas. These individuals lived deep in the valleys and hollows of the mountains, but came out to fight on the side of the Union at various points of the war. Fiercely independent, they were tough soldiers.

In addition, the region was also haunted by outlaw gangs of guerilla raiders from both sides. These bands roamed the countryside, striking out at farms, homes and small communities, as well as isolated detachments of troops and supply trains. Due to the rugged nature of the mountains, these bands were almost impossible to surpress and remained active not just during the war, but for years after it had ended.

The Boston Mountains, Part Two

Continuing our look at the Boston Mountains of Arkansas, this view looks from a ridge across the valley of Cove Creek.

A major Civil War landmark, Cove Creek flows south through the Boston Mountains from the Ozark Plateau of Washington and Benton Counties into Crawford County on the Arkansas River. It merges with Lee Creek in northern Crawford County and flows into the Arkansas River at Van Buren.

The valley provided a natural route through the mountains for the movement of large bodies of troops. Confederate troops followed Cove Creek on numerous occasions, most notably during the days leading up to the Battle of Prairie Grove. Federal troops, in turn, used the valley to move south prior to the fights at Dripping Springs and Van Buren.

The Boston Mountains of Arkansas

In our just completed series on the Battle of Dripping Springs, Arkansas, the Boston Mountains were mentioned several times. This range of the Ozark Hills stretches east to west between Van Buren and Fayetteville and was of considerable significance during the Civil War.

The Boston Mountains form a natural barrier between the Ozark Plateau of Northwest Arkansas and the lowlands of the Arkansas River Valley. Rough country, interrupted by deep ravines and valleys, the mountains were a serious factor in the movement of large bodies of troops in western Arkansas.

Prior to the Battle of Pea Ridge, for example, General Sterling Price withdrew into the mountains to shelter his army from the advancing Federal troops until he could be joined by reinforcements.

The Boston Mountains again played a critical factor in the Battle of Cane Hill (Canehill), Arkansas by providing Confederate forces with a route of retreat and suitable terrain to lay an ambush for their Federal pursuers.

The mountains shielded General Thomas C. Hindman's Confederates as they marched north to the Battle of Prairie Grove, allowing him to flank the Union force at Cane Hill before he was detected.

Over the next few days, we will look at some of the Civil War sites in the Boston Mountains and explore more of their rich history. Be sure to check back regularly for the latest!

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Although the city itself dates from the post-Civil War years, you will find bits and pieces of Union and Confederate history around Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

The beautiful little Victorian city is a major Southern destination and a great place to stay if you are exploring the Civil War sites of Northwest Arkansas and Southern Missouri.

I've just launched a new Eureka Springs section that you might find of interest at www.exploresouthernhistory.com. Just follow the link and look for the heading on the main page.

Dripping Springs, Part Five

Our short series on the Battle of Dripping Springs, Arkansas concludes today. If you would like to read all five posts in order, just scroll down the page.

Once they abandoned their battle line at Dripping Springs on the morning of December 28, 1862, Lt. Col. R.P. Crump and his 1st Texas Partisan Rangers began to fall back down the Van Buren Road. They continued to skirmish as they went, halting at strategic points and turning to fire on the pursuing Federals. The exact locations of most of these short skirmishes have been lost, but they took place all along the route of the old Dripping Springs to Van Buren road.

Losses at Dripping Springs and in the subsequent skirmishes were light. The headstones of a few of Crump's men can be found in Van Buren. They were buried along side comrades who had fallen at Prairie Grove earlier in the month.

An important preliminary episode to the Battle of Van Buren, Arkansas, fought later the same day, the Battle of Dripping Springs remains one of the least known episodes of the Civil War in the Natural State. To read more, simply go to www.exploresouthernhistory.com and look for the link under the "Battlefields and Forts" heading in the left hand column.