Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West

Civil War America

by William L. Shea, Earl J. Hess

The 1862 battle of Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas was one of the largest Civil War engagements fought on the western frontier, and it dramatically altered the balance of power in the Trans-Mississippi. This study of the battle is based on research in archives from Connecticut to California and includes a pioneering study of the terrain of the sprawling battlefield, as well as an examination of soldiers' personal experiences, the use of Native American troops, and the role of Pea Ridge in regional folklore.

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War, Military History, American History, Nonfiction, War

417 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1992

About the author

William L. Shea is professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in Northwest Arkansas and have walked the Pea Ridge battlefield more than once. As a result perhaps I'm a bit biased. Then again a well written book about the battle in early 1862 at Pea Ridge should be recognized. Professor Shea's work is an easy, but not simple read. His ability to describe the movement of troops across the battlefield and cleanly separate the activities of each side without loosing temporal awareness of the battle is truly masterful. The insertion of pertinent statements from those that were a part of the conflagration immerses the reader in the battle. The Professor's background information of the battle and how it fit within the overall history of the American Civil War is well portrayed. This will be one of my favorite reads, one that I will return to often.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book published in 1992 is the first definitive study of the Civil War Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, March 6-8, 1862. And I think it should stand as the definitive study of the battle for the foreseeable future. The two authors did their research, especially going to all the archives possible. And they walked over and studied the terrain in the mountainous area of northwestern Arkansas, very little changed since the Civil War. AND something I appreciated greatly-- there are excellent maps included, making it possible to follow the movements of all the military units involved.
It's more than a study of the battle--it's a study of the overall campaign. It starts with Union forces under General Samuel Curtis moving into Arkansas, not so much to occupy that state but to block Confederate forces in Arkansas from invading Missouri and threatening the key city of St. Louis. It was a move that was part of the overall Union push to secure the Mississippi Valley, which also saw Gen. Grant leading an army into Tennessee and taking Forts Henry and Donelson. The Confederate forces in Arkansas were under the command of Gen. Earl Van Dorn. His army was actually a divided one, one division made up of Missourians under Gen. Sterling Price, who were eager to return to Missouri, and the other a division of Arkansans, Texans, and Louisianans under the Texan Gen. Benjamin McCulloch. This group also came to include Native Americans from the Indian Territory (Oklahoma) under Gen. Albert Pike. One problem for Van Dorn was that Price and McCulloch did not get along!
I'll make a comment here about the Civil War. The Union had more manpower than the Confederacy, as well as better finances and a superior industrial base. But all those factors did not mean Union victory was inevitable. We certainly can't say that, considering our experiences in Vietnam and also Iraq and Afghanistan. It's necessary to have a winning strategy and the capable leadership to carry it out. Pea Ridge was one of the early major battles of the war but, already, the Union showed it had the capable leadership needed to win the war. Gen. Samuel Curtis, an Iowan, may be one of the forgotten figures of the War, but he proved to be a capable leader who was able to win a battle-in which his Union troops were outnumbered by the Confederates. Curtis was able to keep control over his army throughout the battle and was well served by his subordinates for the most part. Van Dorn simply lost control over parts of his army. In fact, perhaps his best general, McCulloch, was foolhardy enough to get close enough to the enemy so that Union skirmishers were able to shoot him down. And then his second in command, Gen.James McIntosh, was also killed. All control was lost over the troops under them, Van Dorn not even aware for hours that both generals were dead.
In the end, Curtis was successful in forcing Van Dorn to retreat. He had succeeded in protecting Missouri and St. Louis, in particular, from a possible Confederate invasion. Van Dorn would get most of his men across the Mississippi after a grueling march in which men fell by the wayside from sheer exhaustion and near starvation. Van Dorn joined Gen. Beauregard's army -- too late to fight in the crucial Battle of Shiloh. It would have been better for the South if Van Dorn had taken at least a part of his army east to join in the fight against Grant rather than fight Curtis. It was vital for the Confederacy to defeat Grant, even at the cost of losing all of Arkansas to Curtis.
Curtis would become sidelined through most of the rest of the war, fighting one more battle, that of Westport in Missouri in 1864, in which he once again beat Sterling Price. Van Dorn was already dead by that time, killed by a jealous husband in Tennessee.

[carl theaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best telling of the tactics of a battle I’ve ever read. There’s plenty going on with optimistic strategies, multiple units, clashing personalities, the ebb and flow of victory, rugged terrain, and wintery weather, although the total number of troops is not large compared to the US Civil War battles in Virginia, the importance of the contest is just as high: the control of what was the Western US.

Given the complexities of the contest maps are essential as history fans know, and these authors deliver, great maps at the right places.

I purchased this book at the Pea Ridge National Military Park in Northwest Arkansas. It has a great visitor center and a fantastic road through the battlefield that you can drive/bike/walk/horseback. I was able to walk through the various battle sites lined with cannons on a brisk winter day. Not as bad as it was for the original troops, but I was glad I wasn’t spending the night out there. Definitely worth the visit should you ever find yourself in the area. I hope to return now that I've read this tale.

There is a chapter on the follow up of the contest, the effect on the region, the various personalities, many of whom returned to the site after the war and contributed histories and lore that the authors employed.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Events in Missouri and Arkansas were as much a part of the Civil War as events in Virginia or Georgia,” the authors of this book argue in their preface. “Northerners and Southerners fought as desperately in an Arkansas thicket as they did in a Pennsylvania wheatfield."

Nevertheless, events west of the Mississippi don’t get much attention in most Civil War histories. The March 1862 Battle of Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas, which the authors call “the turning point of Federal efforts to dominate the Trans-Mississippi," gets a whopping two paragraphs in James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom, for example, before he moves on to the much better-known Battle of Shiloh that took place a month later.

But here, Shea and Hess explain how it was Pea Ridge that paved the way for Shiloh and the string of Union victories in the region that followed. Their book tells the story of the battle, places it in the context of the Trans-Mississippi theater and the wider war, and makes the case for why it was important and deserves more attention.

I chose to read this book just after reading Wilson's Creek: The Second Battle of the Civil War and the Men Who Fought It, which covered events in Missouri prior to Pea Ridge and similarly aimed to elevate the historical reputation of that battle. I just didn’t think it did as good a job putting its story into a broader context, so I was left wondering what happened next. 

This book almost serves as a sequel, and goes on to complete the story. It begins by summarizing events after Wilson's Creek - defeated in their battle for control of southwestern Missouri, Confederate forces withdrew into Arkansas, and Union forces pursued them. 

The authors vividly describe the Valley Forge-like conditions that soldiers on both sides endured, during the late winter of 1862. From there, the book is somewhat slow going and it was a little tough to become engaged in the story, as the first half of the book largely focuses on the movements of the two armies and various minor skirmishes they engaged in along the way ahead of the bigger battle to come. 

As you might expect in a book about a battle, things pick up once the battle begins. The authors’ approach tends to be a little less storytelling and a lot more focus on troop movements, tactics, which division was placed where, which general should have done what, and so on, which could often get a little too dense and detailed for me as a lay reader. 

The best parts to me were the individual soldiers’ experiences, dramatic moments like the deaths of two Confederate generals that left their forces in disarray, as well as the numerous helpful maps and the authors' own present-day photos of specific locations on the battlefields, all of which are placed in the appropriate places in the narrative where they’re referenced. There are also interesting stories told along the way of the many German immigrants who fought for the Union, and the Cherokees who found for the Confederates - Pea Ridge was "the only major Civil War battle involving (Native Americans)," the authors note, which had some Union forces grumbling about the resulting contrasts between their more "civilized warfare" and mere "savagery."

My mind may have wandered a bit during what I thought were the duller parts, but the authors wrap up their book in a way that makes it all worthwhile. After the battle ends, they go on to consider the generals' sometimes conflicting, finger-pointing assessments of how things turned out. And their concluding chapter consists of a “military analysis,” in which they praise Union General Samuel Curtis for the victory, and for helping to prevent Missouri from slipping into the hands of the Confederacy, thus freeing up Union forces to begin larger-scale offensive operations east of the Mississippi. “Today, if Curtis is remembered at all, it is as a minor figure who participated in marginal activities somewhere in the West,” they note. “He deserves better." In contrast, "Confederate generalship at Pea Ridge was dismal," they observe. Due to a combination of a lack of preparation, disorganization and overzealousness, General Earl Van Dorn "bore the primary responsibility for the debacle."

Finally, an appendix traces efforts to memorialize the battle and preserve the battlefield. Pea Ridge has been called one of the best-preserved of all Civil War battlefields, though the authors still gently critique the features that the present-day version doesn't quite get right.

Then, as now, "better-publicized events in the East all too often eclipsed more significant events in the West,” the authors conclude. It’s “a state of affairs that still hampers our understanding of the Civil War." But their book about an important but overlooked battle that I knew little about before now, goes a long way toward rectifying that. 

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in the middle of a private project where I study in chronological order all the major campaigns of American Civil War. In September last year, as I finished Cozzens’ excellent “The Darkest Days of the War”, I realized that I ‘skipped past’ the Ozark campaign of 1862 and Battle of Pea Ridge. Trying to remedy this oversight, I found out that there really is only a single volume dedicated to this particular campaign and readily available for purchase – “Pea Ridge – Civil War Campaign in the West” by William Shea and Earl Hess.

Now that I’ve read it, I can safely say that another book about this battle may not be needed. The authors have done an absolutely marvelous job here and deliver into hands of the reader a meticulously researched, detailed and “living” account of this overlooked, but nonetheless very important early Civil War campaign. As narrative military history volume, “Pea Ridge” holds the same high standard as works of Foote, Sears and Cozzens.

If any criticism is to be given, then maybe, it should be directed toward author’s evaluation of the opposite commanders. I don’t think any sane person will be taken aback by their scathing criticism of Van Dorn (after all, we are talking about Van Dorn!). I am however not entirely convinced that the authors are correct in their quite unreserved praise of Samuel Curtis. If Grant deserves critique for being surprised at Shiloh and Lee for not being aware of Hooker’s flanking maneuver before Chancellorsville, then surely Curtis being completely unaware of an entire Confederate army getting behind his defensive position must also cast a serious doubt over his competence. And yet, the authors overlook his initial (and potentially fatal) blunder and choose to concentrate on his admittedly remarkable recovery. In my personal opinion, a bit more balanced evaluation of Union commander would have made this already excellent study even better.

[Josh Liller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that's been on my To Read list for a long time. I finally got around to reading it when I found a copy at a used book store. It has a reputation as a modern classic and I found it lives up to the hype.

Pea Ridge was fought in northwestern Arkansas - one of the largest battles fought during the American Civil War west of the Mississippi, definitely the bloodiest, and arguably the most important. The story begins with Samuel Curtis launching a rare winter campaign to drive the Confederates out of southwestern Missouri in early 1862. The brash Earl Van Dorn takes over command of Confederate forces and launches a poorly-planned, overly-aggressive counteroffensive. Van Dorn succeeds in pushing back Curtis and threatening to cut him off from supplies and safety, but in the process drives his army to exhaustion and near-starvation. The resulting clash covers one and half days of main fighting, with the first day effectively split between two locations (Leetown and Elkhorn Tavern) before both sides successfully concentrate their forces for the closing action.

The offensive and counter-offensive occupy the first four chapters (about a quarter of the book). The day of fighting at Leetown is covered its entirety first followed by the fighting at Elkhorn which started later and carried on later, but occurred in part simultaneous to the fighting at Leetown. The first day's fighting covers a little over 100 pages, about equally split. Another 50 or so pages covers overnight movements and the second day of fighting, which wrapped upon around midday. The last 50 pages of main text wrap up the post-battle movements and recovery, followed by both armies essentially departing the theater - Van Dorn for Mississippi and Curtis making an abortive move against Little Rock before launching a "March To the Mississippi" ending at Helena which the authors describe as a precursor to later operations by Grant and Sherman. The book wraps up with a conclusion evaluating the military performance of both sides of the battle and an appendix looking at the battle in memory and how it came to be preserved as a national park. This last part is an aspect of a campaign/battle I rarely see covered in such studies, although it is drawing increased interest as a standalone book subject for larger battles.

A second appendix includes the Order of Battle for both sides. The book has Endnotes, an extensive Bibliography, and an Index. Good maps are placed appropriately throughout. Also spread through the book are portrait photos of significant individuals, some historic illustrations of the battle, and the authors' modern photos of the battlefield. This last part proves a bit disappointing as many of the photos are not big enough and not printed clearly enough to add much, although they probably help a battlefield visitor.

An odd quirk I noticed is that many nouns, like "yankee" or "rebel" that would usually be capitalized in a Civil War history are not. I think Federal and Confederate are the only synonyms to be capitalized. (Not a complaint; just an observation.)

I don't really have any complaints. The book is well-written and the content is excellent. It might be touched up with addition modern sources, but everything holds up pretty well nearly 30 years after it was published. I look forward to reading Shea's sequel about Prairie Grove.

A must-read for Civil War buffs.

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent account of one of the pivotal Union victories of the war. It was also an odd battle. The Union was out-numbered, the Rebels attacked from the north, and Franz Sigel actually did well in the fighting. Maps were also solid. I loved the tactical analysis of the battle and the discussion of the battlefield park.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic account of one of the most decisive battles of the war, a battle that was so decisive that it ended Confederate hopes in the state of Missouri for more than two years and provided the Union with the ability to invade the heart of the South because of Curtis' skill in holding off superior Confederate forces through considerable and hitherto unsuspected tactical skills.  Samuel Ryan Curtis has always been among the military heroes of the Civil War I have had the highest respect for, and the fact that his battles were all in the Trans-Mississippi region has not in any way diminished my own respect for him.  The authors do a wonderful job here at discussing not only the battle in unit-by-unit detail, which is impressive in itself, but also in putting the battle in the context of the campaign that it was a part of, starting with the contest between the Union and Confederacy over Missouri in 1861 and then moving on to the Helena campaign that followed Curtis' success at Pea Ridge and that allowed the Union to invade and take over Arkansas for much of the war.

This book is almost 350 pages long and it is divided into fifteen chapters.  The authors begin with a preface that comments upon the obscure nature of the battle and its commanders.  After that there is a discussion about the winter campaign that led Curtis' army to find itself in rural northern Arkansas having chased Price out of Missouri in December and January (1).  Price's running stand to unify with McCullough's army in northern Arkansas (2) and then turn on Curtis with superior numbers (3) is told.  Van Dorn's rash rush to glory in attacking Curtis' rear (4) and the following combat around Leetown take up a few more chapters that focus on the disorganized charges and countercharges that made up the first part of the engagement (5-8).  After that the authors' attention switches to the battle at Elkhorn Tavern where Carr was able to hold on and gradually retreat despite facing very superior numbers (9-10), after which Curtis was able to unify his command, conduct a deadly artillery barrage (11, 12), and then drive the starving and ammo-less rebels from the field (13).  The author then discusses the aftermath of the battle in burying the dead and advancing and retreating (14) as well as the march through Arkansas that brought the Union more territory (15).  The authors conduct a thoughtful military analysis of the battle in the conclusion and two appendices discuss the legacy of the battle (i) as well as the order of battle (ii), after which there are notes, a bibliography, and an index.

One thing that makes this book particularly excellent is the way that it manages to combine a look at the tactics of Curtis and others in the battle itself in a very detailed and vivid fashion, but also puts those tactics within larger concerns, pointing out the staff work of each leading general, the divisions that existed in both armies between different components of the army and how the generals in charge on both sides (Curtis and Van Dorn, respectively) were able to finesse these concerns, as well as the important matter of logistics, in which the Union was superior to the Confederacy, even if neither side had a particularly luxurious time of it.  The author even points out that Curtis' experience in the march from Pea Ridge to Helena was the first example of an army cutting itself loose from its supply line and living off the land in a successful fashion, but that no one was paying attention to it until Grant copied the example a year later during the Vicksburg campaign.  If you have an interest in Pea Ridge as a campaign as well as a battle, this is a fantastic book that will tell you what you need to know to make a trip to the battlefield or an understanding of the battle a thoughtful and successful one.

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It occurred in the northwest corner of Arkansas (I’ve volksmarched the battlefield park) in the largely unknown Trans-Mississippi theater early in the second year of The Late Unpleasantness, even before the battle of Shiloh; yet authors William L. Shea and Earl J. Hess can write 330 pages on it and write them well. This is a play-by-play of the battle, also covering the movements leading to it and following it.

The authors cover troop movements. There are eighteen good maps (uncredited) to help one follow the action. It was a small battle, involving some 27,000 soldiers, yet its impact on the war in that part of the country was decisive in that it kept Missouri in the unit.

Interesting for me was the solid performance of Samuel Curtis, whose career is overshadowed by other generals east of the Mississippi. He thoroughly outgeneraled his opposite number, Earl van Dorn. Curtis’s underappreciated quartermaster, one Captain Phil Sheridan, gets a mention. Even Halleck, comfortably ensconced in St. Louis, comes out well. Other stars, some of whom will go to more glory (and two to their graves) are Ben McCullough, Jame McIntosh (CSA), Grenville Dodge, Peter J. Osterhaus, and Jefferson C. Davis (USA).

The battle from the soldiers’ viewpoints is also presented and we get an unflattering glimpse in logistics and medical care in late winter.

Overall, a splendid book. Supposing the two authors combined to write a tome on Gettysburg?

[Eric Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Civil War history book, It's a one volume history of a small, but decisive, campaign in Missouri and Arkansas. The writing is effective and it moves along briskly, but most importantly the history is presented in depth. This is not a high level summary, this is a ground-breaking history of a long neglected, but important, campaign. Highly recommended.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a recent trip to visit three Civil War battlefields in Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas I stopped at the Pea Ridge gift shop and bought three books which cover different battles in what was known as Trans-Mississippi Theater. I suggest that the three be read as a three volume set. They are "Wilson's Creek" by William Garrett Piston & Richard W. Hatcher III, covering the 1861 campaign and battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri, "Pea Ridge" by William L. Shea & Earl J. Hess covering the 1862 Campaign and Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, and "October 25th and the Battle of Mine Creek" covering the raid of Confederates under Sterling Price into Missouri and Kansas in 1864 and the final battle at Mine Creek, Kansas.

If you plan to visit the three battlefields (Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge and Mine Creek, though in separate states, are not located far apart and Fort Scott, Kansas, is also well worth a stop.

"Wilson's Creek" began with a detailed account of where the troops who fought in the battle came from, their reasons for becoming involved, the atmosphere of the towns they came from, the support they had from home and the training (of lack of same) they had. Wilson's Creek is just south of Springfield, Missouri, and was fought for control of that town and southwest Missouri. The troops were raw, the weapons were whatever each soldier could bring to the fight and the fighting was really brother against brother as the people involved were from the same towns just fighting in different units on opposing sides. Confederate General Ben McColloch and the Missouri State Militia (Confederate) was camped just south of Springfield while the forces under Union Commander Nathaniel Lyon were camped in the town itself. Both generals were spoiling for a fight but Lyon attacked first. Violating a basic rule of war to never split a force in the presence of the enemy,Lyon allowed one of his subordinates, Franz Sigel, to take part of the army and attack the Confederates from a different direction. The move was too complicated for untrained men in 1861, Sigel was far from a competent commander, disaster resulted, Lyon paid the price and lost the battle (and his life).

After the Wilson's Creek, the Confederates settled in at Springfield while the Yankees retreated to Rolla, Missouri. This is where the book "Pea Ridge" takes up the story. In 1862, Union troops under General Samuel Curtis drove the Confederate forces under Confederate Earl Van Dorn out of southwest Missouri and into northern Arkansas. The Confederates were somewhat taken by surprise as it was still winter, it was freezing cold and the Confederates thought that no one in their right mind would begin a campaign in conditions like that. Van Dorn made his stand at Pea Ridge and Curtis attacked him there. Inexplicably, Curtis made the same mistake as Lyon and allowed Sigel to take a large part of Curtis' force to attack the Confederates from a different direction. As before, it ended in disaster for Sigel but Curtis' force fought hard and drove the Confederates from the field. The retreat for the Confederates was a disaster as Van Dorn left a lot of his troops behind to fend for themselves in a kind of every man for himself situation. "Pea Ridge" details all that occurred excellently.

The Confederates did not mount another large scale military action in the Trans-Mississippi until 1864 when Earl Van Dorn, in the command of a large force invaded Missouri in an attempt to seize St. Louis. He failed in that attempt and his force was harried by Union forces the entire campaign. Finally, he was trying to get his force across Mine Creek in Kansas when a large pursuing force under his Pea Ridge nemesis Samuel Curtis caught him there. As the Confederates desperately formed lines at the approach of the Yankees, a force of Union cavalry under Alfred Pleasanton caught them there. It was the largest cavalry charge of the Civil War and the Confederates were routed. Van Dorn retreated as he had before, leaving his men to their own devices and the Confederate efforts in the Trans-Mississippi were over. In addition to a great account of the raid, its several battles and the final Battle at Mine Creek, "October 25th and the Battle of Mine Creek" also covers the partisan fighting and atrocities committed by the two sides against each other in the Kansas-Missouri border areas from which people living in those areas still hold grudges today.

The three books are an excellent primer on the Civil War in the west, an area which generally gets neglected (I didn't even know there was a battlefield in Kansas). Each book is a great read alone but even better when read together.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West, authored by William Shea and Earl Hess, is a well done work describing one of the most important battles in the Trans-Mississippi theater. This Union victory ensured that Missouri would be Union territory; it also provided a spearhead for attacks further South (e.g., Arkansas). Compared with the Eastern Theater and the Western Theater, the Trans-Mississippi experienced fewer major battles; after Pea Ridge, the Confederacy lost a lot of "steam" in that district.

The battle itself resulted from a campaign headed by Union General Benjamin Curtis and Confederate General Earl Van Dorn, colorful but not the most competent Army general in the Confederacy. Other generals in the engagement were, on the Confederate side, Sterling Price, Ben McCulloch, and Albert Pike, and, for the Union, Franz Sigel (with one of his very few halfway competent campaigns of the Civil War), Alexander Asboth, and Peter Osterhaus. The Confederate side was burdened with more questionable leadership.

Van Dorn was able to maneuver his army behind the Union defensive position at Pea Ridge (or Elkhorn Tavern). In the battle that followed, Curtis was able to turn his army around, with the rear becoming the front. It was a stunning display of generalship under pressure. The Confederate attack was designed to be two pronged. On the right, initial advances were successful. Then, a leadership crisis. The charismatic Confederate general, Ben McCulloch, was cut down early and died, and chaos set in on his side of the battle. On the other front, advancing up the Telegraph Road from the North, Van Dorn attacked Curtis' position and made some headway. However, as the situation on the Confederate right (and Union left) stabilized, Curtis was able to release more troops to defend against Van Dorn's assault.

By the next morning, the Confederates were fought out. And, in a display of stupefying incompetence, the Confederate Army had not brought up the supply trains and, thus, was low on food and ammunition. The Union attack the next morning, featuring competent generalship from Sigel (well worth mentioning, given the paucity of such days in the war for him), led to a general defeat of the southerners.

The resulting retreat back to Arkansas was disheartening to Van Dorn's army. The end result: the Union solidified its hold on Missouri, turned back a major assault by a large force, and reduced the ability of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi forces to mount a major attack for some time. It is too much to say that this was the Gettysburg of the Trans-Mississippi, but it was a major Union victory. This battle is not as well known as others, but it warrants attention by those interested in the Civil War.

[Aaron Shipman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had little knowledge of the battle before reading this book. I knew that the Confederates lost, but outside of that there was nothing else. I enjoyed reading about the different strategies that motivated the Union and Confederate commanders. I did not realize how important Missouri was in the strategic scheme of the war. If Van Dorn could have made significant inroads into the state, Vicksburg would have been delayed and Grant could have possibly been dispatched to that theater, my own personal observation.

The book as a whole a valuable resource to someone wanting an in depth look at the campaign. The authors take the reader step by step from when Van Dorn takes command to the end of the enterprise. I enjoyed learning how Curtis wanted to make a quick winter attack to throw the Confederates off guard, but then began to over reach his supply lines and had to stop. Then reading about how Van Dorn drove his army mercilessly to get around the Curtis and try and cut his supply. The battle is well covered in this book. The authors follow each side of the conflict chronologically, which I found a little irritating but understand their reasoning. So the reader learns all about what happened at Leetown from beginning to end, before the fighting at Elk Horn Tavern begins. I also like how the authors followed the commanders through the end of the campaign instead of ending the book with Van Dorn's retreat. I also believe that the authors give a fair review of all the commanders of both sides and that this is an unbiased book. I would recommend this book to someone interested in the battle.

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors do an excellent job of telling the stories of the common soldiers. They had to have dug through mountains of newspapers and journals to come up with all of this information but the results are well worth their efforts. Quote after quote tells the reader of the miserable conditions, the incessant marching, the hunger, and the fear. A large number of maps and portraits are a great help as the reader tries to picture what is going on. Many authors of this kind of detailed study of a battle end up giving the reader headaches with minute details about troop movements, but Shea and Hess manage to get the information across without becoming dull at all.

The portrait painted of this campaign is quite clear. Untimely deaths of commanders on the battlefield played a large part in the Confederate defeat, but mostly it was their inept General. With the exception of General Sigel, the Union commanders seem to have been an excellent group of officers who led brave men and led them well. Often overlooked is the bravery and fortitude of the common soldiers of both sides. These authors do not make that mistake. Shea and Hess do call it like they see it though and Freemasons beware, Albert Pike is not well treated.

[Avis Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pea Ridge is everyone's contender for the most feebly-named battle of the Civil War. General Curtis's staff groaned in pain when he suggested it. But the Confederate name, Elkhorn Tavern, isn't any better. Even though Pea Ridge was something of a side engagement, many historians consider this to be the best battle book of the Civil War.

William Watson, a British citizen who wrote a book called Life in the Confederate Army, said he pretty much understood every Civil War battle except Pea Ridge, which he could never get the hang of, even though he fought in it. During the course of the fighting the battle spun on its axis 180 degrees, and the Confederates were in a state of chaos almost the whole time, having lost two top commanders very early in the fight. Pea Ridge is a very interesting battle to study, and the book is quite good.

[Brian Miracle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent account of one of the largest battles in the Trans Mississippi Theater of the Civil War. The maps are good. The book spends 4 chapters on the campaign leading up to the battle, 9 chapters on the battle, and 2 chapters on subsequent events. Shea covers the two Pea Ridge fights (Leetown and Elkhorn Tavern) in great detail. I especially enjoyed the concluding analysis of the battle. I already had Shea’s Prairie Grove book in my reading list. Based upon the quality of this book, I’m also considering adding his Vicksburg book to my list.

An excellent account of a battle that too few Americans know about.

[Michael Ryzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West" remains the standard overview of the early 1862 campaign and resulting battle at Pea Ridge. Its concise and deftly presented style blends the events, personalities, and analysis into an extremely accessible format. While reviewing the text for a recent visit to the battlefield, I was reminded of the vibrant publishing scene of the early 1990's in Civil War battlefield micro-histories from authors such as William Shea, Peter Cozzens and Wiley Sword to name a few. The arrival of "Pea Ridge" played a key inspiration for the explosion of detailed campaign and battle studies that would follow for years to come.

[Straw · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read Civil War books as a youth it was all ANV. I had a vague idea of campaigns in the West due to the notorious Sherman; however, I never really knew of the Trans Mississippi action. This is a great summary of a part of those campaigns and how they influenced the later movements of the Army of Tennessee. I'm a little tired of big battle books so I think I'll be heading back to the memoir route for awhile.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Trans-Mississippi campaign during the Civil War was something that neither side was able to commit many resources to. The author does a great job of describing what he refers to as "more like a 6 hour thrashing in the fog than like a military action." Something like that. Pea Ridge was representative of the debacles that occurred in Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. If you like reading about the Civil War this is a good addition to your reading list.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best campaign histories I've read. Shea does a nice job of presenting the strategic background, introducing key leaders, providing a clear narrative of the battle, and explaining the battle's impact. Shea has a nice clean, writing style - a joy to read and very well researched. There is also a nice mix of first hand experiences to give a sense of the battle.

[Jordan Crump · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging account of a little-known campaign and the personalities commanding both armies. Made me feel like I was right in the middle of the fight with the soldiers on both sides.

Also so glad to learn about Gen. Samuel Curtis and his role in the Union operations—I now have a great respect for him and what he accomplished.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Battle of Pea Ridge, a key clash in the Trans-Mississippi early in the Civil War, is given sterling treatment by Hess and Shea. The western theater too often is neglected by the war's historians and readers; this helps right the balance a little.

[Iain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well presented look at the West's most important battle as well as the campaign both before and after it.

[David Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

When battles are fought, the difficulty of understanding just where the opposing forces are and what they're up to is often referred to as the "fog of war". Things are difficult to see and understand. Any reporting of combat that manages to disperse the fog and relate, to the greatest degree possible, who was where and doing what, is a "good thing".

This book is a "good thing". Combat is ugly and making sense of it is difficult. Explaining events - telling the story - in a clear manner can be quite difficult. The authors, I think, do a superb job of telling us who the major characters were and what they did (and why). We also get a number of little anecdotes from the rank and file so that we can get a sense of what it was like to be there.

Their good job at telling the story of Pea Ridge is made somewhat easier by the fact that, as major Civil War battles go, this one was on a somewhat smaller scale - more at the brigade and battalion level than the army and corps. Also, the authors don't skimp on the maps, which are simple and easy to read.

In addition to the many maps, the book includes many photos of the officers, end notes, an index, and a robust bibliography.

[Francis X DuFour · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written book about an often ignored theater of the Civil war. The federal campaign in the Ozarks was an early attempt to secure Missouri for the Union. The outnumbered US forces prevailed against a rookie CSA army under incompetent leadership. Both armies struggled to provide logistics in a sparsely settled rugged terrain, with the Confederate army repeatedly on the brink of total starvation. The skill of USA General Curtis is an often overlooked fact though his opponent, CSA General Van Dorn, has been portrayed throughout the war as a brash incompetent commander. This book was a pleasure to read, especially due to the numerous detailed maps, a rarity in Civil War literature.

[Brian Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paperback. Well detailed and cited. Historical photos, as well as those from the author's collection, are included. Numerous maps to clarify the various battles and movement of troops. A small, yet significant battle in the westernmost areas of the Civil War.

[Bob R Bogle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book at the Pea Ridge battlefield visitor center during my first visit there several years ago, but I only now got around to reading it all the way through, although I'd been picking along through it here and there all along. This is truly an exceptional Civil War book, covering Curtis' campaign from Rolla, down the wire road to Pea Ridge, the battle there, and then the epic march of the Army of the Southwest all the way to Helena.

It's often been said that this campaign was important for securing Missouri for the Union and severely depleting the trans-Mississippi as a potent theater in the war. These things are true. Less often pointed out, and of most immediate importance, is that by tying up rebel troops in northwest Arkansas, Curtis' Pea Ridge campaign made it possible for Grant to advance on Forts Henry and Donelson, leading a short time afterward to Shiloh, and all that happened afterward.

It's also impressive to me how many Union officers who later played such important roles in the war got their start here: Osterhaus, Davis, Dodge, Vandever, Herron and Sheridan. Not so much on the Confederate side, except for Hébert. It's striking too how much success the confederates had despite the miserable generalship of Earl Van Dorn. It's difficult to say whether in the end Curtis won the battle for the Union or Van Dorn's incompetence lost it for the South.

Shea and Hess had a certain amount of criticism for the Park Service's stewardship of the battlefield in this 20 year old book. Pea Ridge continues to be treated as an out-of-the-way, ugly stepchild of the greater Civil War story, denied resources it merits. On the other hand, there's something to be said for remaining a faraway footnote. Maybe the Pea Ridge military park doesn't need as many markers and monuments as other Civil War battlefields, nor more faithful reconstructions of wartime fence lines to tell its tale. Besides simply being a terrific read, familiarity with this book (and with 2006's Hess, Hatcher, Piston and Shea book, Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and Prairie Grove: a Battlefield Guide, with a Section on Wire Road) will make anyone's visit to Pea Ridge a more richly rewarding experience.

[Rudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dry after my recent foray into fiction.....but taught me quite a bit about this battle that I didn't know. Probably the best book on the topic!

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book on a long-overlooked Trans-Mississippi campaign. Tons of detail, with plenty of maps so that readers can easily follow the course of the battle.

[Cropredy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent addition to the set of well-written single Civil War battle book narratives . Good maps.