Pea Ridge National Military Park ⓘ

Pea Ridge was a decisive victory for the Federal Army, even though the Federal forces at Pea Ridge were outnumbered and outgunned by the Confederates, and had been surprised by Van Dorn's bold moves. The Battle of Pea Ridge was one of the few times during the Civil War that a Federal Army would be at such a disadvantage.

The victory came down to one important factor - leadership. The outcome of the battle rested squarely upon the shoulders of Samuel Ryan Curtis. Curtis led his army capably and skillfully. His division and brigade commanders fought aggressively, took the initiative when it was required, and served their chief well. Thoughout the campaign, Curtis allowed his commanders enough flexibility to adapt to changing situations while still retaining control.

Each time that the Confederates appeared to gain the upper hand, a different leader stepped forward and made a bold counter move - Osterhaus & Davis at Leetown, Carr at the Elkhorn Tavern, Sigel on Welfley's knoll, Dodge on the Bentonville Detour and on the morning of the 7th.

Pea Ridge would be the proving ground for some of the Federal Army's most successful leaders. Curtis and Asboth would command military districts during the war. Sigel would command an Army. Osterhaus, Davis and Dodge would each command a Corps. Carr would command a cavalry Division. And then there was Sheridan. He would rise to be General-in-Chief of the United States Army, only the 4th man (after Washington, Grant & Sherman) in United States history to wear the four stars of a full General. Learn more about Confederate Commanders and Federal Commanders on our biography pages.

Four 12-pounder howitzers and two 12-pounder guns (one howitzer absent on Conrad's expedition)

(Companies B, C and E present at Pea Ridge; Company F absent on Conrad's expedition; remainder absent on duty in Missouri)

(Companies A, C, D, E, F and I present at Pea Ridge; remainder absent on duty in Missouri)

(Companies B, F, G, H, I, K, L, and M present at Pea Ridge; remainder absent on duty in Kansas)

35th Illinois - Colonel Gustavus A. Smith (wounded), Lieutenant Colonel William P. Chandler (captured)

1st Independent Battery, Iowa Light Artillery -Captain Junius A. Jones (wounded), Lieutenant Virgil A. David

9th Iowa - Lieutenant Colonel Francis J. Herron (wounded/captured), Major William H. Coyl (wounded)

3rd Independent Battery, Iowa Light Artillery (Dubuque Battery) - Captain Mortimer M. Hayden

Losses: exact numbers unknown; between 55-79 casualties (includes killed, wounded and missing)

(Brigade consisted of several partially organized units in the process of transferring to Confederate service; parts of Colonel Thomas R. Freeman's and Lieutenant Colonel John A. Schnable's Missouri State Guard regiments and Captain L. C. Campbell's cavalry company)

Cearnal's Missouri Cavalry Battalion- Lieutenant Colonel James T. Cearnal (wounded), Major D. Todd Samuels

(Divisions consisted of various unidentified infantry and cavalry units from Frost's and Brigadier General James H. McBride's divisions)

Shea, William & Hess, Earl. Pea Ridge, Civil War Campaign in the West, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1992: 331-339.

Over 23,000 soldiers fought at Pea Ridge on March 7 and 8, 1862. Many of these soldiers were from small towns and had never traveled more than a few dozen miles from home before they joined the army. They were farmers, merchants, teachers, mechanics, lawyers, and countless other occupations before enlisting as volunteer soldiers. Many joined for patriotic reasons, to preserve the embattled Union, or to defend their homes, while others sought to escape the boredom of life in a small town. Some went with heads filled with dreams of glory, while others did not want to be considered cowards. No one thought that this was to be a long and bloody war. The Battle of Pea Ridge is not just about generals and tactics but about the soldiers who fought here on both sides. It is about the civilians who had their homes and fields destroyed by conflict and the communities left behind to survive in a lawless countryside once the armies left. . View biographies of the battle's leaders. Take an online tour of the Pea Ridge battlefield. Learn more about the units that fought here through the Order of Battle .