Telegraph Road - Pea Ridge National Military Park - Garfield, AR
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 36° 27.070 W 094° 01.128
15S E 408702 N 4034473
Telegraph road (called Ole Wire Road during 1860s), actually runs from Springfield Missouri through this battlefield all the way to Fayetteville, AR. It also cuts through Wilson's Creek Battlefield in Missouri.
Waymark Code: WM10DBH
Location: Arkansas, United States
Date Posted: 04/18/2019
Views: 1
County of site: Benton County
Location of site: Park Military Rd., stop 3, Pea Ridge National Battlefield
Marker erected by: National Park Service
"IV A. Old Telegraph, or "Wire" Road
"Several historic roads used in the course of the battle are still visible in
the Park. The Ford road runs east and west along the southern base of Pea Ridge
and connects at its eastern terminus with the Telegraph Road. ...
The Telegraph Road traverses
the Park on a geneally [sic] north-south line, passing to the east of Pea Ridge and
directly in front of the Elkhorn Tavern. In 1862 a telegraph line, inoperative
during the battle, was strung between poles and trees along the Telegraph Road;
all traces of the telegraph line are gone today. Entering the Park at Cross
Timber Hollow, north of the Elkhorn Tavern, the Telegraph Road is a narrow, rocky, two-rut road trace until just before it reaches the Tavern, where it
widens noticeably. South of the Tavern the road is paved over almost entirely,
as it forms part of the Park's tour road. South of the boundary of the main
area of the Park, the road reappears as a dirt tract; it is used infrequently
as a means of access to the detached area of the Park.
" ... On the morning of March 7, 1862, Van Dorn
organized a two-pronged attack, with part of his force moving southward down
the Telegraph Road from a point just east of Pea Ridge, and the other half striking toward the village of Leetown, starting from the western end of Pea Ridge
Heavy fighting all day resulted in a Union victory at Leetown, where two
Confederate generals were killed, and a Confederate victory in the eastern area,
where the fighting centered around the Elkhorn Tavern. ...
" ... The Telegraph Road, a major avenue
for traffic between Missouri and Arkansas, was used by both Union and Confederate
troops for transporting men and supplies before and during the battle. It was
crucial to Van Dorn's strategy, and was the scene of actual fighting on both
days of the battle.
"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