Pea Ridge Aftermath

On March 6, 1862, a Confederate army under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn attempted to flank the Federal position near Pea Ridge, Arkansas. The Federals met this advance the next day and stopped it. Van Dorn then led a second column and met the Federals at Elkhorn Tavern. By nightfall, the Confederates controlled Elkhorn Tavern and Telegraph Road, but the next day Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, regrouped, counterattacked and forced Van Dorn to abandon the field.

The battle proved a disaster for the Confederacy. The sparsely populated Ozark country provided only a small amount of the food and foder necessary for the thousands of men and animals that retreated south. Hundreds of men deserted, and by the time the Confederates returned to their base at Van Buren, they were a pitiful remnant of the proud army that had begun the campaign.

What follows are excerpts from articles in the March 11, 1862, issue of the New York Times that detail the pursuit of the Confederates by the Federal armies.

Another Great Battle ---*--- Most Glorious Victory in Arkansas ---*--- The Combined Rebel Army Under Price, McCulloch, Van Dorn, and McIntosh, Defeated. ---*--- A Desperate Battle Lasting Three Days ---*--- Final Rout of the Enemy. ---*--- Our Cavalry in Full Pursuit. ---*--- St. Louis, Monday, March 10 The following is an official dispatch to Maj.-Gen. McClellan: The army of the Southwest, under Gen. Curtis, after three days' hard fighting has gained a most glorious victory over the combined forces of Van Dorn, McCulloch, Price and McIntosh. Our loss in killed and wounded is estimated at one thousand! That of the enemy was still larger. Guns flags, provisions, &c., were captured in large quantities. Our cavalry are in pursuit of the flying enemy. (signed) H.W. Halleck, Major-General --*-- The Southwestern Army And its Movements St. Louis, Monday, march 10. Correspondence of the Missouri Democrat Cross Hollows, Ark. Saturday, March 1 Vigorous reconnaissances are kept up to watch the enemy's movements, and foraging parties are active in obtaining supplies. Pork and beef are purchased in the vicinity in abundance, and about half the quantity of flour required is obtained in the same manner... Price, whose retreat is acknowledged on all hands to have been ably conducted, has found refuge in the Boston Mountains. From two deserters who came into camp yesterday, it is ascertained that he is encamped on Cove Creek road, while McCullouch is posted one and a half miles distant. The latter had burnt the village near the Indian frontier, known as Caul Hill... At Fayetteville we found all the telegraphic dispatches up to the time of the evacuation by the rebels. A dispatch from McIntosh to Herbert, in command at Cross Hollows, urges him to press forward and reinforce Price at Springfield at all hazards... The clemency of Gen. Curtis, and judicious policy inaugurated in relation to the treatment of the citizens of Benton County, is bringing its reward in the general confidence already showing indications of being restored among fugitives who fled at our approach. Confederate bills, which were 25 cents discount on our arrival in Benton County, have suddenly become valueless, and the inhabitants refuse to take them. ... On the afternoon before the fight, the ladies of one village left, one by one, and during the attack were all out. Maj. Wright learns that there are 5,500 rebels in Cedar County and in Dade County, Mo. These parties are committing depredations, and swearing vengeance against Union men. ---*--- The Chase After Price Skirmishing with the Rear Guard Burning of Bentonville and Fayetteville Correspondence of the New-York Times. CAMP HALLECK, ARKANSAS, Sunday, Feb. 23, 1862 We are at the head waters of the Osage Creek, and about 20 miles from the Cherokee nation, having marched about 250 miles into the heart of Secessia. Skirmishing between our advance guard and the rear of Gen. Price began about five miles north of Springfield, and has continued up to this time... We have about 20,000 men and 70 pieces of artillery. We have captured in all about 70 prisoners, but no part of Price's train or ammunition. The results of the skirmishing thus far have been unimportant. In the sharpest attack, a cavalry charge, we lost nine killed and about twelve wounded. The enemy's battery was so well served and securely planted that our men were compelled to retire... Price and his army have industriously reported through this whole country the wrongs which would be inflicted upon the unprotected persons who remained at home, and the consequence has been that men, women and children are fleeing from us as though the angel of destruction were our attendant. A few days ago, when our troops entered the town of Bentonville, the women shrieked and fainted with terror, and would not believe that they would not all be butchered at once... By march of the two armies the county is left in ruin and desolation. Bentonville and most of Fayetteville have been laid in ashes -- the first by our men, because one of their comrades, who had been taken prisoner, was found in a sink with his brains dashed out. The latter, the enemy have burned, with large quantities of powder and ammunition. To-day the weather is like the middle of April in New York, although it has been quite cold. The roads are very muddy, and rapid movements will be impossible without some improvement. No New Yorker can imagine how we live here. Our bills of fare would astonish, if not disgust some of our epicures. Facilities for writing are limited. A report is in circulation that one of our commissary trains has been cut off. One of our messengers, with mail and dispatches, has never been heard from.

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