$Intro <FONT=HelpHeader,C,8,12,24>PR05-March 8-Battle of Elkhorn Tavern (C-Corps)
   
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Length of Play:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> 90 minutes
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>CarryOver from:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> PR03-March 7-Price at Elkhorn Tavern (C-Div)
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Command:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> Brig Major General Earl Van Dorn
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Date:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> 8 March 1862
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Time Span:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> 8:00 A.M. to late morning (game-clock: 8:00 - 9:30) 
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Location:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> Northwest Arkansas, Benton County
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Weather:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> Partly cloudy and cold
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Situation:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24>    
       Though Union Gen. Samuel R. Curtis' men had been badly beaten during the fighting on March 7, they still hold a strong position south of Elkhorn Tavern.  The Rebel commander, General Van Dorn, also holds a strong position across Telegraph Road blocking the Federal support and communications lines.  However, Van Dorn's supply line is also cut off and his army is tired, hungry, and low on ammunition.  Van Dorn is still confident and is ready to wait out Curtis by just maintaining his position until munitions arrive, then giving opportunity toward an offensive.                     
       After some minor artillery exchanges suddenly more Union batteries appear on the morning horizon, within minutes a thunderous cannonade engulfs the Ozark countryside...obviously a prelude to what Van Dorn fears most, a Union offensive before he can rest and supply his troops.
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Mission:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> 
Hold all objectives and drive the enemy from the field
  
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Victory Conditions:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24>
  5000 = Major Victory
  4500 = Minor Victory   
  3500 = Draw   
  3000 = Minor Defeat
  2500 = Major Defeat

 
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Forces Available: <FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> Army of the West, 16,660 troops 

 
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Opposing Forces: <FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> Army of the Southwest, 10,825 troops 
 
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Scenario Author:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> Randy Keen "RebBugler"
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,195,4,39>Author's Notes: <FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24>
- Alternative events are necessitated here for competitive gameplay, as historically the Rebels had meager supplies and munitions, with no means to procure more, and, they were beyond exhaustion.  So after the two hour artillery bombardment that scattered and shattered the main Confederate line, the Federal line began to move forward.  In response Van Dorn ordered a full retreat to the east.  He never acknowledged defeat, vehemently stating "but only failed in my intentions".
- Due to the 'What If' nature of this scenario, plus the fact that they probably survived to 'carryover', the key Rebel commanders that fell or were captured March 7th are replaced only in the Union versions of this scenario, representing historical commanders for March 8th.  By including these original commanders, the 'what if' is perpetuated to showing the importance of them being there, demonstrating that the Rebels could have indeed been able to win a Major Victory that cold day in the Ozarks, the fate of Arkansas hanging on the outcome.
- To learn more about the troop positions and movements on the Pea Ridge battlefield check out the included folder: Battle Map Extras.
 
 
EARL VAN DORN
(1820-1863)
 
            One of the Confederacy's most promising general officers early in the Civil War, Mississippian West Pointer (1842) Earl Van Dorn proved to be a disappointment and died, not at the hands of the enemy but at those of a jealous husband.
            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.
            Launching an attack at Pea Ridge, he was repulsed after two days of fighting. Ordered east of the Mississippi, he arrived too late to take part in the fighting at Shiloh but participated in the unsuccessful defense of Corinth, Mississippi.
            In the summer of 1862 he successfully defended Vicksburg but failed in his designs on Baton Rouge when the attack under John C. Breckinridge failed.
            Another failure occurred when he attempted to retake Corinth in October 1862. By this time many Southerners were disenchanted with him, and he was placed in charge of the mounted troops under Pemberton. His raid on Holly Springs, Mississippi, was a major factor in ending Grant's campaign in central Mississippi.
            Moving his division into middle Tennessee, he was killed on May 7, 1863, by Dr. George B. Peters for attentions paid by the general upon the physician's wife in Spring Hill. (Hartje, Robert G., Van Dorn, The Life and Times of a Confederate General)
    Source: "Who Was Who In The Civil War" by Stewart Sifakis