$Log1 <FONT=HelpText,C,20,20,20> March 7th, 1862
Northwest Arkansas, Benton County, 
south of Elkhorn Tavern along Telegraph Road
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,20,20,20>        
    The Confederate counteroffensive to liberate Missouri began on March 4 when Van Dorn led his command out of the Boston Mountains. The 16,000 men and 65 cannons of the Army of the West constituted the largest and best-equipped Confederate military force ever assembled west of the Mississippi River. The Confederates had a three-to-two advantage in manpower and a four-to-three advantage in artillery over Curtis's Army of the Southwest. It was a historic moment: no other Confederate army ever marched off to battle with a greater numerical superiority. 
    Van Dorn's army reached Fayetteville undetected. The next day Curtis learned of the Confederate advance and his forces began falling back to the north side of Little Sugar Creek. Van Dorn narrowly failed to cut Sigel off at Bentonville and after a running fight, Sigel reached Little Sugar Creek safely. Having successfully concentrated his army, Curtis now waited for Van Dorn to make his next move. 
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$VanDorn <FONT=MsgFont,L,20,20,20>Headquarters (Van Dorn)<FONT=MsgFont,R,20,20,20>Northwest Arkansas
8:00 a.m., March 7th, 1862
<FONT=MsgFont,L,20,20,20>General Van Dorn
      General McCulloch has arrived and now our full army is formed and ready to meet the enemy.
 
<FONT=MsgFont,R,20,20,20>
Major General Sterling Price
Commanding Price's Division 
Army of the West
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$Price2 <FONT=MsgFont,L,20,20,20>Headquarters (Van Dorn)<FONT=MsgFont,R,20,20,20>Northwest Arkansas
2:00 p.m., March 7th, 1862
<FONT=MsgFont,L,20,20,20>General Price
      Elkhorn Tavern and the ridgeline is ours, congratulations sir.  Scouts report enemy reinforcements arriving to the south on Telegraph Road, proceed to that arena and continue our victory.
 
<FONT=MsgFont,R,20,20,20>
Major General Earl Van Dorn
Commanding Officer 
Army of the West
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$EndMajorFail <FONT=EndFont,L,0,0,0>In northwestern ARKANSAS, near the MISSOURI border, our forces met the enemy in battle and suffered a major defeat.  Reports are just arriving by telegram to this office, but an anonymous source was quoted as saying, "An inquiry will be forthcoming, as certain officers should be removed from command immediately."  The flower of our youth has died on the field of battle.  A retreat is probable.  We must be prepared for the worst.  Heavy casualty lists are to follow...
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$EndMinorFail <FONT=EndFont,L,0,0,0>In northwestern ARKANSAS, near the MISSOURI border, our forces met the enemy in battle and suffered a minor defeat.  Reports are just arriving by telegram to this office as the fight continues.  A retreat is possible.  We must be prepared for the worst.  Casualty lists are to follow...
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$EndDraw <FONT=EndFont,L,0,0,0>A battle in the West was fought in northwestern ARKANSAS today.  Reports are just arriving by telegram to this office as the fight continues, but victory or defeat is still unknown.  We wish good fortune to the troops on that faraway field, and as always we must be prepared for the worst.  Casualty lists are to follow...
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$EndMinorSuccess <FONT=EndFont,L,0,0,0>In northwestern ARKANSAS, near the MISSOURI border, our forces met the enemy in battle and achieved a minor victory.  Reports are just arriving by telegram to this office as the fight continues, but there is a long road to march before we see the end to this struggle.  Casualty lists are to follow...
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$EndMajorSuccess <FONT=EndFont,L,0,0,0>In northwestern ARKANSAS, near the MISSOURI border, our forces met the enemy in battle and achieved a major victory.  Reports are just arriving by telegram to this office as the fight continues, but there is a long road to march before we see the end to this struggle.  Casualty lists are to follow...
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$EndKilled <FONT=EndFont,L,0,0,0>Today our side lost another valiant officer at the Battle of Pea Ridge, in ARKANSAS - 
Major General Earl Van Dorn
(1820-1862)
One of the Confederacy's most promising general officers early in the Civil War, Mississippian West Pointer (1842).
   Posted to the infantry, he had won two brevets in the Mexican War, being wounded at the City of Mexico. Transferring to the cavalry in 1855, he was wounded in Indian fighting in 1858 near wichita Village, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).  Resigning as a major in the 2nd Cavalry on January 31, 1861, he offered his services to his native state. His assignments included: brigadier general, Mississippi State Troops (ca. January 1861); major general, Mississippi State Troops (ca. February 1861); colonel, Cavalry (March 16, 1861); commanding Department of Texas (April 21 - September 4, 1861); brigadier general, CSA (June 5, 1861); major general, CSA (September 19, 1861); commanding division, lst Corps, Army of the Potomac (October 4-22, 1861); commanding Ist Division, Potomac District, Department of Northern Virginia (October 22, 1861 - January 10, 1862); commanding Trans-Mississippi District, Department #2 (March 4 - June 20, 1862); commanding Department of Southern Mississippi and East Louisiana (June 20 - July 2, 1862); commanding District of the Mississippi, Department #2 (July 2 - October 1, 1862); commanding Army of West Tennessee, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (October 1862); commanding lst Corps, Army of the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (December 1862); commanding cavalry division, Army of the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (January 13 - 20, 1863); commanding Cavalry Corps, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (January 20 - February 1863); and commanding cavalry division, Army of Tennessee (February 25 - May 7, 1863). Early in the war he commanded in Texas where he seized U.S. property and received the surrender of regular army detachments. Promoted rapidly to brigadier and major general, he was ordered to Virginia where he led a division near Manassas.
            Early in 1862 he was sent to command in Arkansas in order to get Ben McCulloch and Sterling Price to cooperate.

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$BattleInfo <FONT=EndFont,L,0,0,0>March 7, 1862
 
The first battle of the Civil War on Arkansas soil was fought near Elkhorn Tavern, along Little Sugar Creek, in Benton county, near the point on the Arkansas-Missouri boundary, where the Telegraph road crossed that line.  The Confederates had in the vicinity the army under Brigadier General Ben McCulloch and such forces as General Earl Van Dorn had succeeded in organizing at his camp at Pocahontas.  Besides these, there was the army of Missourians, under the command of General Sterling Price.  The Confederates had a combined army of about 16,000.  The Federals, commanded by General Samuel R. Curtis, numbered about 10,000.  Not all of the troops on either side actually participated in the battle, which was brought on by an attack upon the Federal position by that part of the Confederate army commanded by General McCulloch.  The engagement last for seven hours, until it was halted by darkness.  During the night of the seventh, the Federals retired to a stronger position.  The next day, General Van Dorn, who by right of rank was chief of the Confederate command, moved southward in the direction of Fayetteville, and went into camp on the north side of the Boston mountains, about 15 miles from the battlefield.  The loss of the Confederates was given as 185 killed, 525 wounded and 300 missing.  General Curtis reported 402 killed, 800 wounded and 300 captured.  General McCulloch, who, though commanding a division at the time, had not yet been promoted to the rank of major general, was among the dead.  Colonel McIntosh, in command of a brigade, though not yet promoted to the rank of brigadier general, was killed also.
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