War in the West: Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove

Civil War Campaigns and Commanders Series

by William L. Shea, Grady McWhiney (Editor)

Early 1862. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis drive Confederate forces led by Brig. Gen. Sterling Price out of Missouri and into Arkansas. The Confederates, now representing combined forces under Gen. Earl Van Dorn, Commander of the Trans-Mississippi District, counter-attack and strike Curtis's isolated Union army at Pea Ridge in March 1862. Despite being outnumbered and almost surrounded, the Union army wins a stunning victory. Nine months later, a new Confederate army under Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman tries again. At Prairie Grove in early December, a furious and bitter battle results in another Confederate defeat. The matter of Missouri is decided on two cold, rocky battlefields atop the Ozark Plateau in Northwestern Arkansas. Never again would the Confederates make a serious effort to recover Missouri; never again would they make a serious effort to stop the conquest of Arkansas. The story of dramatic campaigns, ferocious battles, and grim heroism that decided the outcome of the Civil War west of the Mississippi.

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

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

Reviews

[Beth Cato · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is about a hundred page-long book describes two major western battles in Arkansas, Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove. The text is quite dry and the nature of the flow doesn't always make clear who is fighting on what side. There are massive footnote biographies of the major players that would have been better placed in their own sections rather than occupy 2/3 of some pages. The maps are simple in 1990s style but effective. There are a few other black and white illustrations and photographs from the war. There are some blatant typos, including an officer who time travels to the 1950s.

I bought this at a library used book sale. It was evident then that a chunk of pages was coming loose. Unfortunately, as I read, the majority of the pages broke free of the binding. I suppose it's just as well that I was underwhelmed by the book's content, as it is now very difficult to read and is fated for the recycling bin.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet summary of the Battle of Pea Ridge and Battle of Prairie Grove. Helpful appendix and maps.

[Josh Liller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short, quick overview of the Civil War in Arkansas in 1862 and the two main battles there (Pea Ridge in February and Prairie Grove in December). A useful appendix gives the order of battle for both sides in both battles. Not counting the appendix, the book is barely over 100 pages long with wide outer margins. Maps are provided and they are simple but good.

Short biographies are included for principle commanders and two Union Medal of Honor winners, but they are placed as massive footnotes that severely disrupt the flow of reading. They would've been better served as another appendix and either written as complete sentences or bullet point lists rather than large blocks of text broken up by semi-colons.

I also noticed a couple typos.