County of site: Benton County
Location of site: Military Park Rd., stop #2, Pea Ridge Battlefield, Garfield
Site Map
"II B. General Curtis 1 Headquarters Site
"General Curtis, having taken command of the Federal Southwestern District of
Missouri in December, 1861, had pushed the pro-Confederate Missouri State
Guard into northern Arkansas by mid-February, 1862. The Southerners consolidated forces for a determined drive back to the north. General Van Dorn on
March 3 took command of a combined force of 16,000 Confederates, including three
regiments of Creek and Cherokee Indians. His first goal was to deal a strong
blow to General Curtis who, with some 10,000 Union troops, still lingered to the
north of him in the vicinity of Pea Ridge.
"The Elkhorn Tavern was located on the Telegraph Road and, on the morning of
March 7, 1862, was the midpoint between Curtis's headquarters to the south and,
the easternmost of Van Dorn's forces to the north. ... " ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"At this site stood Lewis Pratt's general store. Besides the store, it is believed that there were several other buildings on the site, possibly including a house, barn and a shed. It is unknown what purpose these foundation stones (pictured to the left) served.
"The store lay along the Telegraph Road to the east of Leetown and was about a mile and a half north of the Federal camps. General Curtis selected the store as his headquarters and erected his command tents nearby.
"On the morning of March 7, Curtis was conferring with his leaders when he was interrupted by a messenger stating that the Confederates were in force to the north of Leetown along the Ford Road. Curtis directed Colonel Peter Osterhaus to take his division to investigate the activity along the Ford Road. As Osterhaus left the tent, another messanger entered reporting that another force was marching south along the Telegraph Road directly towards Curtis's vulnerable supply trains at the Elkhorn Tavern. Curtis looked out of his tent and saw Colonel Grenville Dodge's brigade standing outside. Curtis directed Dodge's commander, Colonel Eugene Carr, to take the brigade north and intercept the second Confederate force.
"Carr confidently stated that he would clear the Confederates out in an hour." ~ National Park Service