The Battle of Pea Ridge was fought on March 6-8, 1862.Considered to be one of the most important battles of the American Civil War. It is also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern. The American Civil War was fought between the Union forces and Confederate soldiers.The American Civil War continued from 1861-1865. With hundreds and thousands of casualties during the conflict, the American Civil War still remains the deadliest conflict in all of USA history. The Confederates led by Van Dorn were defeated by the Union forces, which were led by General Samuel Curtis.Although throughout the battle, the Confederates had an upper hand, in terms of numbers and advanced weaponry, the sheer aggressiveness and unwillingness of the Union forces proved to be fatal for the Confederates. Their hopes to recapture Missouri remained a dream, only. Van claimed to have lost nearly a thousand of his soldiers in the battle, but what he did not reveal was the number that had retreated willingly. There were a number of other factors as well that led to his defeat, like low ammunition, fatigue of the soldiers after such a long and difficult journey.If you enjoyed this article, then why not also read about the battle of Cold Harbor facts and battle of France facts here on Kidadl.Shocking Facts About The Battle Of Pea RidgeThe Battle of Pea Ridge, also known popularly as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, was fought between Union forces and Confederate forces and ended with a Union Victory.It took place in northeast Arkansas. Initially, the Union soldiers were outnumbered by the Confederate army, with a tally of only 11,000 in the Union army and 16,000 in the Confederate army.Led by Major General Earl Van Dorn, the strategy of the Confederate forces was to invade Missouri and capture St. Louis, which was a major industrial center, and thus establish their dominance in the state further. Initially, the Confederate forces had already won the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, in 1861 and they were determined to capture Missouri since the Mississippi River was an important link for the eastern and western parts of the Confederacy.In this battle, Van Dorn’s forces had an upper hand since they were larger in number and had more advanced artillery in comparison to the Federal army. However, the Union troops under the leadership of General Samuel Curtis managed to defeat Van Dorn’s army and establish Union control of Missouri.The battle of Elkhorn Tavern was considered to be the deadliest in terms of casualties. The Confederate attack claimed hundreds of lives. This battle was significant not only because it was the largest of the Civil War battles fought west of Mississippi, but also because it completely secured the Union control over Missouri.Weird Facts About The Battle Of Pea RidgeVan Dorn did not want to capture Missouri only. He had other large plans for the Confederate forces.With the help of General Albert Sidney Johnston, Ben McCulloch, and Sterling Price, he wanted to establish Confederate dominance in the West. Once he had secured Missouri from the South as well, he wanted to attack the forces in Tennessee, led by Major General Ulysses S. Grant. However, the reality was far from what he had planned.Earl Van Dorn divided the entire army of Confederate forces into two halves, one led by him and the other one led by McCullough. While he and his troops would move along the Bentonville Detour and Telegraph Road, and capture the region surrounding the Elkhorn Tavern, McCulloch would instead move along the western side of Pea Ridge and then join with Van Dorn in the east at the tavern. This was the plan.However, the plan failed miserably since the Union forces led by Curtis had already taken precautionary measures that slowed down the movement of the Confederate troops. The Confederate generals had to pay for this and suffered a huge loss since both McCulloch and General James McIntosh lost their lives.Insightful Facts About The Battle Of Pea RidgeThe battle and its events, as well as the events that led up to it, are beyond interesting. The facts about this battle give you an insight into the minds of the people and their struggle for power.On March 4, the Confederate troops headed by Van Dorn decided to head towards northern Arkansas, where they encountered heavy snowfall. Van Dorn fell sick and had to be carried in a wagon as well, but this did not deter him from his determination to fulfill his plan. On the other hand, Curtis consolidated his federal forces and decided to hold their positions across Little Sugar Creek.The federal positions on the right rested near the dense woods of Pea Ridge and Elkhorn Mountain. The mountains provided security to the federal army, and as Van Dorn approached them, Van Dorn realized that he would have to confront the union lines in order to march north. Under the leadership of General Franz Sigel, the Confederates had already managed to defeat a small group of Union troops.This provided motivation to Van Dorn, and he decided to attack the Union forces from both sides, thus, in turn, severing the lines of supply trains for the Union soldiers. What he did not realize was that by doing so, he would also cut off his own line of supply, which came from Arkansas.While Curtis positioned his army along the regions of Little Sugar Creek, he soon found out that the rebels had already shifted their positions from the south end of the creek and were planning to attack them from the back. Instead of retreating, he, along with his federal troops, marched to meet the rebel advance.Empowering Facts About Battle Of Pea RidgeThe Confederate forces consisted of Texas Rangers, Cherokee troops, and almost 7,000 Missourians. It was a strong army, and they were more in number than the Union forces.The battle took place in the historic village of Benton County, Arkansas, called Leetown.As many as 203 soldiers from the federal force were killed, and many others wounded. Van Dorn lost 800 soldiers, while many others were captured and put into prison. Following his victory, Curtis wanted to capture Little Rock, Arkansas as well. However, due to the shortage of supplies, he had to move southward and capture Helena.This battle of Pea Ridge took place during the American Civil War. The American Civil War was a civil war between the Union and the Confederates that continued from 1861-1865. The Civil War is still considered to be one of the bloodiest periods in American history.The place where the battle of Pea Ridge was fought has now been transformed into the Pea Ridge National Military Park, which is located in northwest Arkansas.Baffling Facts About Battle Of Pea RidgeThe defeat of Confederate Maj. General Van Dorn in the Pea Ridge campaign, was a terrible loss for the Confederates.There were a number of factors that led to the Union victory, the foremost being their aggressive nature and unwillingness to retreat from the rebel effort.From days of walking and low ammunition, the greater number of the Confederates were already tired and fatigued. On top of that, the vigor of the Union force proved to be deadly to the Confederates and ultimately led to their defeat.Even though the odds were in their enemy’s favor, Curtis also proved to be a great leader, and his thoughtful decisions on the battlefields led to their victory eventually. Although Van Dorn reported a large number of casualties in the battle, what remained unreported was the number of soldiers who were later revealed to have retreated from the fight.With Curtis’s victory, Missouri was no longer in danger from the Confederates and remained under the Union. After the Civil War, some native tribes had to pay the price for siding with the Confederates during the battle. With land cessions and unfair policies, they had to bear a huge loss.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for the Battle of Pea Ridge facts, then why not take a look at the battle of Jutland or the battle of Kursk.The author of the second image is Richardmouser
The Battle of Pea Ridge was fought on March 6-8, 1862.
