The Civil War Battle That Saved Missouri

Missouri’s Frozen Battlefield That Decided the Western War

Pea Ridge National Military Park in Arkansas marks the spot where 23,000 soldiers fought through a blizzard to decide Missouri’s fate.

In March 1862, Confederate General Earl Van Dorn marched his starving army through knee-deep snow with only three days of food. Two Confederate generals died in the fighting, leaving their forces without leadership.

Union forces won after two brutal days, keeping Missouri in Union hands and forcing Van Dorn’s defeated army east across the Mississippi.

Here’s how this frozen battlefield changed the entire Civil War west of the great river.

Van Dorn Took a Big Risk on a Snowy March

Earl Van Dorn started his risky campaign on March 4, 1862, moving his 16,500-man Army of the West during heavy snow and freezing cold.

His men carried just three days’ food, forty bullets each, and one blanket per person. Supply wagons stayed back so the army could move fast.

His force mixed Price’s Missouri troops, McCulloch’s Texas-Arkansas men, and about 1,000 Cherokee fighters led by Albert Pike. Van Dorn was so sick with fever he began the march lying in a wagon.

Soldiers Walked Through Deep Snow in the Boston Mountains

The weather got awful as Confederate troops pushed through knee-deep snow while icy winds cut through their thin clothes. Many men wore out before firing a shot, stumbling through the rough Boston Mountains.

Van Dorn’s columns stretched too thin along snowy roads as men grew tired and hungry. Union scouts and local Arkansas Unionists warned General Samuel Curtis about the coming Confederate army.

By March 6, Curtis quickly gathered his 10,500 troops behind strong spots along Little Sugar Creek.

The Midnight Sneak Attack Almost Worked

Van Dorn split his forces to avoid hitting Curtis’s strong defenses head-on.

Price’s group took the longer Bentonville Detour to attack from behind, while McCulloch’s 8,000 veterans went west to hit the Union left flank at Leetown.

Colonel Grenville Dodge sent teams to block roads by cutting down trees, which slowed the Confederate march.

The night move fell behind schedule because Van Dorn lacked good engineers and his staff made several planning mistakes. What should have been a surprise attack turned into a daylight scramble.

A Small Union Group Started the Battle

Union Colonel Peter Osterhaus spotted McCulloch’s entire group marching east around 11:30 a. m. on March 7. Though greatly outnumbered, Osterhaus boldly sent Cyrus Bussey’s horsemen to attack and buy time for the main Union army.

Three Federal cannons fired on the Confederate column, killing at least ten men right away. McCulloch turned McIntosh’s 3,000 riders south to crush the Union spot.

The fierce fight around Leetown village marked the first shots of what would grow into a huge two-day battle for control of Missouri.

The Man in Black Velvet Never Saw the Shot Coming

Ben McCulloch stood out on the battlefield in his famous black velvet suit instead of a military uniform.

Around noon, he rode forward to check Union spots himself, coming within 70 yards of shooters from the 36th Illinois Infantry.

Private Peter Pelican spotted the odd figure and fired one shot that hit McCulloch straight in the heart, killing him on the spot.

News of McCulloch’s death spread fast through Confederate ranks, causing widespread confusion and crushing spirits. The attack at Leetown began falling apart without its popular leader.

McIntosh Died While Leading His Men

James McIntosh took over after McCulloch fell, but lasted less than fifteen minutes in charge. He quickly ordered a massive cavalry charge to get McCulloch’s body and regain momentum in the battle.

Leading his 3,000 riders toward Union lines at Foster Farm, McIntosh reached the edge of a wooded area when Colonel Greusel’s Union group fired a deadly volley.

McIntosh fell from his saddle with a fatal bullet wound, becoming the second Confederate general killed within minutes. The chain of command broke completely as the right wing of the Confederate army lost all direction.

The Confederate Right Wing Fell Apart Without Leaders

With both McCulloch and McIntosh dead, the Confederate group fell into chaos.

Colonel Louis Hébert didn’t know he was now in charge and led his troops into the woods without talking to other units. Several Confederate colonels pulled their men back to wait for orders that never came.

Union Colonel Jefferson Davis brought help just in time to stop Hébert’s lone attack. By 2:00 p.m., McCulloch’s once-strong group had completely broken apart, with units scattered and leaderless across the battlefield.

Elkhorn Tavern Changed Hands in Bloody Fighting

Sterling Price’s Missouri group hammered Union spots near Elkhorn Tavern throughout the afternoon of March 7.

Colonel Eugene Carr’s 4th Division took the worst of it, losing 682 men while fighting hard to hold their ground. Despite tough resistance, Price’s troops took both Elkhorn Tavern and the key Telegraph Road by nightfall.

Both Carr and General Asboth got wounded but stayed with their men.

The Confederate success came at a high cost – Price’s soldiers used up most of their bullets and had nothing to eat as night fell over the battlefield.

Curtis Fed His Men While Van Dorn Forgot the Supply Wagons

During the night of March 7-8, Samuel Curtis fixed his army and made sure his soldiers got hot meals and fresh bullets. He moved his forces to face north toward Elkhorn Tavern for a morning attack.

Meanwhile, Van Dorn struggled to bring his scattered groups together while realizing he’d forgotten to bring up supply wagons from Bentonville.

Confederate soldiers went hungry with empty bullet boxes, having used up their three-day food during the march and first day of fighting.

Curtis planned a massive artillery attack followed by coordinated infantry moves for the morning.

Union Cannons Tore Through Confederate Lines

Franz Sigel’s Union artillery opened a crushing attack on Confederate spots as dawn broke on March 8. Federal gunners quickly silenced, destroyed, or forced Confederate batteries to retreat under the precise fire.

Confederate resistance crumbled as hungry, bullet-starved soldiers faced the full weight of the Union attack.

Van Dorn finally realized his supply trains were still miles away in Bentonville as his army faced complete destruction.

Seeing the battle was lost, he ordered an immediate retreat toward Huntsville, leaving the field to Union forces.

Missouri Stayed in Union Hands for the Rest of the War

Van Dorn’s beaten army scattered across the Arkansas countryside after the defeat, with starving soldiers wandering in search of food. Confederate losses reached about 2,000 men compared to 1,384 Union casualties.

Hundreds of Confederate stragglers never made it back to their units, lost while trying to find supplies in unfamiliar territory.

The Union victory secured Missouri for the next two years and left Arkansas with almost no protection.

Van Dorn received orders to take his remaining troops across the Mississippi River, essentially abandoning the entire Trans-Mississippi region to Union control.

Visiting Pea Ridge National Military Park

Pea Ridge National Military Park at 15930 National Park Drive in Garfield, Arkansas offers free admission to explore this pivotal Civil War battlefield.

You can take a seven-mile self-guided driving tour with 10 stops and interpretive markers, plus use cell phone audio tours at each location.

Watch the 28-minute “Thunder in the Ozarks” film at the visitor center and see the reconstructed Elkhorn Tavern where the heaviest fighting happened.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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