Pea Ridge Campaign

Capitalizing on their successes against the Confederates in Missouri in late 1861, the Federal army sought to end secession hopes in the border state. Federal General Samuel Curtis, commanding the Army of the Southwest, pursued the Confederates under General Earl Van Dorn, who had replaced General Sterling Price, south into Arkansas. Union and Confederate forces met near Elkhorn Tavern on the Pea Ridge plateau on March 7 and 8. After two days of fighting, and running low on supplies, Van Dorn retreated. Within weeks, the remains of Van Dorn's army were transferred across the Mississippi River to bolster the Confederate Army of Tennessee, leaving Arkansas virtually defenseless. The Union controlled Missouri for the next two years.