the Battle of Pea Ridge

"I am going forward, not backward." --General Sameul Curtis

By February 1862, a small Federal army under General Sameul Curtis expelled rebel forces from Missouri and pressed south into Arkansas. Eager to check this advance, the colorful Earl Van Dorn concentrated 15,000 troops to counter-attack. Despite the poor winter weather and a lack of supplies, Van Dorn plotted an aggressive flank maneuver to swing around Big Mountain and position his army behind the Federals. On March 7, 1862 the Battle of Pea Ridge would decide the fate of Missouri. 

Earl Van Dorn (left) and Sameul Curtis (right)

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