Pea Ridge National Military Park
For all Civil War history buffs a must stop in Arkansas
Check out the slide shows, pictures, videos, and information below.
The Battle of Pea Ridge, also known as Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, was one of the most important Civil War battles west of the Mississippi River. Fought on March 7-8, 1862, the Union troops won a decisive battle that helped keep the Upper Mississippi Valley in their hands and was important to the later controlling of the Mississippi River in 1863 by the Union forces. This park has one of the most intact Civil War battlefields in the United States.
If you need accommodations while visiting the national park, check out Bentonville, Arkansas, for motels. If you like to camp, you can stay at Withrow Springs State Park, which is nearby and has full hookups.
The following are links about Pea Ridge Battle:
Battle of Pea Ridge or Elkhorn Tavern
Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
Below are pictures showing the entrance to the National Park and the visitor center. There is a fee for touring the battlefield for daily or annual, but much can be learned by just visiting the Visitor Center. The battlefield tour around the park will let you see some of the canons that were used in the fight here, view points with signs to explain the battle, and the reconstructed Elkhorn Tavern.
Besides the canons and vast fields where the battle was fought, this building, Elkhorn Tavern, is a focal point at the park. This place served as a hospital for both the Union and Confederate troops at different times. You will find actors in period customs at this building telling about the history of this important battle of the Civil War.
Clash of the armies
Dick reading about the Battle
There is a driving tour around the battlefield with parking areas so you can get out and read about the battle at Pea Ridge. These are a few of the signs you will find around the battlefied.
This 2 1/2 minute video done by 40/29 NEWS gives you an idea of what you might see at the Pea Ridge National Military Park in northwest Arkansas. This battle during the Civil War March 7-8, 1862, saved Missouri for the Union. There is a small fee for touring the battlefield, but it is well worth it to see one of the most intact battlefields in the country.
Below is a 4 minute video done by Mike Hall of the September 2015 re-enactment of Pea Ridge Battle.