Description: |
On the night of March 6, Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn set out to outflank the Union position near Pea
Ridge, dividing his army into two columns. Learning of Van Dorn’s approach, the Federals marched north to meet
his advance on March 7. This movement compounded by the killing of two generals, Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch
and Brig. Gen. James McQueen McIntosh, and the capture of their ranking colonel halted the Rebel attack. Van
Dorn led a second column to meet the Federals in the Elkhorn Tavern and Tanyard area. By nightfall, the
Confederates controlled Elkhorn Tavern and Telegraph Road. The next day, Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, having
regrouped and consolidated his army, counterattacked near the tavern and, by successfully employing his artillery,
slowly forced the Rebels back. Running short of ammunition, Van Dorn abandoned the battlefield. The Union
controlled Missouri for the next two years. |