Day Eight: The Civil War Rages On

Day Eight: The Civil War Rages On

Today we headed out to Pea Ridge, a turning point in the Civil War and a battle that saved Missouri for the Union. In early March 1862, the Federal Western Army, under the command of General Samuel Curtis clashed with the Major General Earl Van Dorn’s Western Confederates in the Ozark countryside.

Decisions made on both sides changed the course of history.

Van Dorn, vain and ambitious, planned to take Missouri, all the way to St. Louis, and at the onset, it seemed within his grasp. He had more men, supplies and cannon than Curtis, who had begun to dig in at Little Sugar Creek. Knowing a frontal assault was suicide, Van Dorn pushed his men on a ruthless march north to the Federal rear and right. To save time, he made the decision to leave behind supplies and additional ammunition. By the end of the fighting on March 7, the Confederates had pushed the Blues back to Ruddick’s Field, and gained control of Elkhorn Tavern, but lost two of its commanding officers, General Benjamin McCulloch and James McIntosh in the fighting.

Van Dorn felt confident he would take the battle the next day, but that night, Curtis fortified his troops and in the morning, the cannonade fired on the Confederates was precise and savage. Union troops then assaulted the Confederate right and centers. Without sufficient ammunition or supplies, the Confederates had no choice but to retreat, leaving Missouri firmly in Union control.

After the defeat at Pea Ridge, Van Dorn continued to fight in Mississippi, where he successfully defended Vicksburg in 1862, but after failing to retake Corinth in October, his troops became disenchanted with him. His career was cut short in 1863 when a jealous husband, a personal enemy who claimed Van Dorn had been having an affair with his wife, killed him.

Samuel Curtis continued his government service after the war, working as an Indian commissioner and consultant for track laid by the Union Pacific Railroad.

The Pea Ridge National Battlefield site covers 4,300 acres. We took the seven mile driving tour with stops that include the Elkhorn Tavern and the east overlook, which provides a panoramic view of the battlefield. It is such a serene scene, and so hard to comprehend the sea of blue uniforms, over 10,000 men stretching a mile long, who amassed in that open field on the morning of March 8, 1862. What chaos with the waves of men, billowing smoke from the black powder, the deafening sound of cannon shot, all eventually forcing the Confederates to withdraw.

In the last two years, Jason and I have been to Civil War battlefields all over the south, each different in their tribute to the fallen, but each hallowed ground. It is important that we remember this tragic chapter in our country’s history, and we do what we can to preserve the battlefields as battlefields, far more essential than another shopping mall or housing development.

If you are interested in learning more about preserving Civil War battlefields, especially in this, the 150^th anniversary of the war, visit the Civil War Trust or the national Give 150 campaign sponsored by the History Channel.