Pea Ridge National Military Park

After spending a few hours in the morning at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, I headed south across the state line into Arkansas and Pea Ridge National Military Park.  This park preserves much of the land over which a two-day battle was fought in March 1962.

Though the battle of Wilson’s Creek in August of 1861 was a Confederate victory, they had been unable to follow it up and gain Missouri for the south.  Rather, most of the troops either remained near Missouri’s southern border or retreated into Arkansas to regroup as the Union forces kept control of most of Missouri.

In late 1861 and early 1862, Union forces drove those remaining southern troops out of Missouri.  Confederate forces regrouped near Fayetteville in northwestern Arkansas and, now 16,000 strong, headed north intent on capturing St. Louis.  Union troops, however, had moved into northern Arkansas and blocked the Confederate advance near Pea Ridge in the Elkhorn Mountains.

Confederate General Ben McCollough tried an “end run” intending to attack the Union forces who were under the command of General Samuel Curtis. However, the southern troops, exhausted after a long march, were slow to make the maneuver and Curtis had time to reposition his troops.  In the ensuing battle, McCollough, another southern general, and a colonel were killed, throwing Confederate leadership into confusion.

Nonetheless, by day’s end, the Confederates had begun pushing the Union troops back. However, a surprise counterattack on the following morning broke the Confederate lines, and with ammunition running low, the southern forces again retreated, securing a neutral but northern Missouri for the rest of the war.

Like Wilson’s Creek, this military park did not have all of the monuments and plaques common to the major battlefields of the east.  However, it had a nice visitors center that appears to be new (or renovated) with ongoing construction around the parking lot.  The visitors center has an informative video on the battle itself, along with several exhibits about the battle and the general history of the western theater.

A seven-mile mostly one-way road encircles the battlefield, with 10 marked stops. Each stop is identified with a plaque along the road and details in the park pamphlet. About halfway through the tour, the road climbs Pea Ridge and follows the ridgeline for a fair distance, with a pull-off offering fantastic views of the battlefield below.

Wilson’s Creek and Pea Ridge are two major Civil War battlefields, yet because they are in distant Missouri and Arkansas, often skipped over in basic American history courses. Yet they were critical to the survival of the Union and the ultimate defeat of the Confederacy. I left both parks with a far greater understanding of the pre-war events and political atmosphere of the area which contributed to its strategic importance.

Steve