$Intro <FONT=HelpHeader,C,8,12,24>PR02-March 7-Osterhaus at Leetown (U-Corps)
   
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Length of Play:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> 60 minutes
 

<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Command:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> Colonel Peter J. Osterhaus
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Date:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> 7 March 1862
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Time Span:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> 12:00 Noon to 4:00 P.M. (game-clock: 12:00 - 1:00) 
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Location:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> Northwest Arkansas, Leetown, Benton County
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Weather:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> Partly cloudy and cold, just above freezing 
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Situation:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> Around midmorning on March 7, General Samuel R. Curtis directed Colonel Peter J. Osterhaus to withdraw one brigade of his division from the Little Sugar Creek fortifications and head toward the Confederate force reported to be near Twelve Corner Church. A steady and reliable officer, Osterhaus, 39, was a good choice for such an independent assignment. Osterhaus unknowingly was seeking McCulloch's column, which had turned off Bentonville Detour at Twelve Corner Church and was moving around the west side of Big Mountain on Ford Road. Osterhaus rode ahead of his infantry in order to familiarize himself with the countryside atop Pea Ridge. He was accompanied by Colonel Cyrus Bussey and a small cavalry force. Bussey's command consisted of detachments from the 1st, 4th, and 5th Missouri Cavalry and the 3rd Iowa Cavalry—perhaps six hundred men—and three guns from the 1st Missouri Flying Artillery.
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Mission:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> 
Hold all objectives along with the standing order: "the destruction of the Rebel force"
  
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Victory Conditions:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24>
  5000 = Major Victory
  4000 = Minor Victory
  3500 = Draw   (Minimum Score for CarryOver)       
  3000 = Minor Defeat
  2500 = Major Defeat

 
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Forces Available: <FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24>3610
 
Colonel Peter J Osterhaus, 1st Division	   
 
Colonel Nicholas Greusel	   
36th Illinois Infantry Regiment 	   
12th Missouri Infantry Regiment 	   
 
Colonel Cyrus Bussey 	   
3rd Iowa Cavalry Regiment 	   
5th Missouri Cavalry Regiment 	   
1st Missouri Cavalry (2cos)	   
Fremont's Hussars (2cos) 	   
 
Captain Martin Welfley	   
Welfley's Indep. Battery, Missouri Light Artillery (3 guns) 
Captain Louis Hoffmann
4th Indep. Battery, Ohio Light Artillery (6 guns) 
Captain G M Elbert	   
1st Missouri Flying Battery (3 guns)
    
Colonel Jefferson Columbus Davis, 3rd Division	   
 
Colonel Thomas Pattison	   
18th Indiana Infantry Regiment 	   
22nd Indiana Infantry Regiment 	   
 
Colonel Julius White	   
37th Illinois Infantry Regiment 	   
59th Illinois Infantry Regiment 	   
 
Captain P Davidson	   
Battery A, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery (Peoria Battery) (6 guns) 
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Opposing Forces: <FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24>McCulloch's Division, 7958 troops
 
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Scenario Author:<FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24> Randy Keen "RebBugler"
 
<FONT=HelpText,L,25,25,112>Author's Notes: <FONT=HelpText,L,8,12,24>
- The Foster House objective deactivates after 15 minutes, Hoffmann after 30.
- To learn more about the troop positions and movements on the Pea Ridge battlefield check out the included folder: Battle Map Extras.
- The 'Pea Ridge.doc' included in the OOBs folder is John Bonin's research and notes pertaining to the CSA OOB, and is what this OOB is based on.
 
 
Colonel Peter Joseph Osterhaus
 
Osterhaus was born in Koblenz, Prussia in 1823 and was educated at a Berlin military academy. Like his friend Sigel, he left Germany after participating in the 1848-49 revolutions. He settled in Illinois where he established himself as a merchant and postmaster. He was also active in politics, where he became a supporter of the Republican Party and became acquainted with Abraham Lincoln.

In 1860, he and his family moved to Saint Louis where he established himself as a merchant and bookkeeper. He became active in the German-American community and helped train pro-Union "Homeguard" companies. When war broke out, he was promoted to Major and led a battalion of infantry at Wilson's Creek. At the battle, he distinguished himself as a brave and able commander. For his actions, he was promoted to Colonel and given command of the German-American 12th Missouri Infantry. When Curtis organized the Army of the Southwest along ethnic lines, Osterhaus was given command of the largely-German 1st Division.

After Pea Ridge, he was promoted to Brigadier General and was transferred, along with many of his German troops, to General Grant’s Army of the Mississippi. He was instrumental in the capture of Fort Hindman at the Battle of Arkansas Post and skillfully led his division throughout the Vicksburg campaign (where he was wounded) and in the operations to break the siege of Chattanooga. In 1864, he was promoted to Major General and given command of the XV Corps, which he led throughout the rest of the war.

When the war ended, Osterhaus was appointed as the U.S. Consol at Lyon, France. He served in this capacity for the next 13 years. In 1880, he returned to Germany, and established himself in business in Mainheim and was later appointed U.S. Consol in Mainheim. He remained in Germany after his retirement in 1900. He was the last surviving Major General to have served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He died in 1916.

