Battle of Pea Ridge

In the civil war, the states were split in half. One half was known as the confederates. The other was known as the union. Now, youve probably been taught that the union was the good guys and the confederates the bad. This is not so. At the beginning, the confederates felt that if states wanted to break away and become free from the union, they should. The union didnt want them to become independent. All that tax money down the drain. The matter of slavery came in later, when Lincoln pulled it in. Anyway, Missouri was a union state but with many confederate supporters in it. Therefore, both sides were constantly fighting for control of it. Many battles took place in that area, but the one that gave Missouri to the union was the battle of Pea Ridge in northern Arkaansas. Febuary 1862 sees Brigadere General Samuel R. Curtis successful in his attempts to push confederate troops out of Missouri. He has chased Major General Sterling Price and his Missouri state guard into the Boston Mountains in northern Arkansas. As he recuperates in the mountains, Price joins Ben Mculloch , creating a force superior to the Unions, who are waiting in the bluffs near the Elkhorn Tavern. They were ordered to build earthworks, but going was slow as the ground was frozen. Meanwhile, Major General Van Dorn had taken over from price as commander of the 16000 confederates. While his force outnumbered Curtiss. It would have been impossible to successfully storm the Unions post as they had artillery, earthworks, a slope, and numerous other things in their favor. So, of course, Van Dorn, decided to go behind unions. He pushed his men hard to stay on schedule (his attack date was March 7) but due to cold, terrain, and distance, did not make the deadline. The men were so weary that many fainted on the last leg of the journey. Of course, Van Dorn didnt care, he had a horse! Mcullochs men were so far behind that they were ordered to go back to west Elkhorn Mountain, then go meet Van Dorn at an area near the Unions position. But Van Dorn made a fatal mistake marching his men so fast. To increase speed, he ordered the supply wagons that held precious ammunition to be left behind. Meanwhile, as Mculloch and his troops were marching toward the rendezvous, they were attacked by a small group of Union soldiers. A scuffle followed, at the end of which the Unions retreated. Mcullochs men made camp in the edge of the woods. Perhaps to make his men braver, Mculloch himself offered to go on a lone scouting mission. Unbeknownst to him, a thirty-man force waited in the field. Mculloch rode out. The Unions fired. Mculloch was shot, and in the following firefight, his second in command General James MacIntosh was also shot. With little command left, the men and Cherokee Indians who had been under Mcullochs command scattered or lounged, waiting for orders that never came. Back at Curtis camp, turmoil reigned. Unions turned canons, armed themselves, built fences and shouted orders. Curtis had learned of Van Dorns little circle around. Curtis, was seriously annoyed. Now he had to turn everything aroundto prepare for an attack from behind. Luckily for him, the delays in schedule of Van Dorns army gave him enough time to prepare. Van Dorns army was faring far better than Mullochs. They attacked the unions post and in a matter of hours, forced them to retreat from the Elkhorn tavern. The battle ended for that night. The confederates had captured Elkhorn tavern and much of the surrounding area. The two owners of Elkhorn tavern (who had hidin in the basement during the fighting) help fend the soldiers who were wounded. The tavern became a hospital. Later in the night, the remainder of Mcullochs Indians and confederates came. The next day Curtis struck hard and fast. His artillery smashed the confederates position relentlessly nd his army battled in closer and closer quarters. Halfway through, Van Dorns fatal mistake came into play. He ran out of ammunition. By attempting to move faster, he left the army supple wagons, he had destroyed his campaign. He ordered a retreat, and gave Missouri to the Unions. He lost face, rank, and the confidence of his troops. Curtis however won fame, promotion, and glory. He and his troops moved on to fight in many more campaigns.