User:ACoaley/Battle of Pea Ridge

Battle of Pea Ridge
Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn had launched a Confederate counteroffensive, hoping to recapture northern Arkansas and Missouri. The Confederate forces that met at Bentonville and became the most substantial Rebel force, by way of guns and men, to assemble in the Trans-Mississippi. Against odds Curtis held off the Confederate attack on the first day and drove Van Dorn's force off the battlefield on the second. By defeating the Confederates, the Union forces established Federal control of most of Missouri and northern Arkansas.

Background
Price and his troops pulled back into Arkansas along Wire Road at a rapid pace with Curtis not far behind. There were a couple of skirmishes, between Federal and Confederate troops, at Potts Hill and Little Sugar Creek as McCullochs troops reached Price to combine forces against Curtis. The combined Rebel force kept continuing farther into Arkansas thinning Curtis's supply line. Due to the length of Curtis's supply lines and a lack of the reinforcements needed for a further advance, Curtis decided to remain in position. He fortified an excellent defensive line on the north side of the creek, placing artillery for an expected Confederate assault from the south. While Curtis kept position along Little Sugar Creek, Price and McCulloch went into Fayetteville excavating the city and setting up camp in the Boston Mountains.

Action at Bentonville
When the 3rd Texas Cavalry charged, they ran smack into Sigel's main line. The Confederates lost 10 men while 20 or more were wounded by Federal artillery and rifle fire and the Union position held.

Leetown
A little further west, two companies of the 3rd Iowa ran into Pike's Cherokee and were similarly routed.The Iowa unit's unusual killed-to-wounded ratio, 24 killed and 17 wounded, suggests that the Native American warriors killed a number of wounded Northerners. This incident tarnished Pike's image and reputation for the duration of his life giving evidence that the Native Americans laid finishing blows on the wounded as well as scalped and mutilated some in the surprised Union troop.

Aftermath
Van Dorn ignored logistics and failed to control his army. When McCulloch was killed, his division fell apart while Van Dorn absorbed himself in the tactical details of Price's fight. His staff lost contact with his wagon train at a critical moment and committed many other errors. After the battle, "Nobody was whipped at the Battle of Pea Ridge, but Van Dorn" became a common saying among soldiers. Of all the Southern officers, Henry Little showed the most ability, becoming the "de facto commander of Price's division" at the end of the battle.