Pea Ridge 1862: See It, Hear It, Experience It

Jill Rohrbach, travel writer
Arkansas Tourism

“We aren’t trying to glorify either side, just show people this is something that should never be repeated on our soil again.” Steve Bailey, quartermaster with Huckabee’s Division of the Trans-Mississippi Brigade.

A pivotal point in our nation’s history comes to life Sept. 24-27 during the re-enactment of the Battle of Pea Ridge on a seventh-generation farmstead located in the greenbelt surrounding the 4,300-acre Pea Ridge National Military Park.

“There are ethical, environmental, and archeological reasons that don’t allow the re-enactment to take place on the actual battlefield,” Steve Bailey, a re-enactor with the Trans-Mississippi Brigade, explained. However, the adjacent farmstead is a picturesque and pristine 340 acres owned by the Kent Webb family. First settled in the 1700s, the land has been owned by the Webbs for five generations. “They are very enthusiastic historians,” Bailey explained.

Taken from the pages of history, four battles will be fought over three days. Welfley’s Knoll, the fight for the Elkhorn Tavern, and other vignettes will portray the largest and most significant battle of the Civil War fought west of the Mississippi River.

In the spring of 1862, the War Between the States had been in full swing for almost a year. As the Union worked to shore up control of Missouri, forces clashed just over its border in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, on March 6, 1862, for an epic fight lasting two days.

The Union Army of the Southwest led by Brigadier General Samuel Curtis drove south from central Missouri to push the Confederate Army of the West, led by Major General Earl Van Dorn, out of Missouri.

The high level of preservation of the park by the federal government and the surrounding greenbelt by multi-generations of farmers lets visitors see the same country soldiers saw 150 years ago. It gives a very real impression of this specific battlefield and what it was like.

“The Webb farm is about 340 acres and we’re going to use about 180 of it,” Bailey said. As part of the re-enactment there will be horses, cannons, sutlers selling 19 century wares, photographers, tin smiths, blacksmiths, cavalry, artillery, infantry, supply wagons, and more.

“We’re going to have flying artillery, where artillery is horse drawn and can move around the field,” he added. “We have several of those on the way. It’s probably one of the most riveting things you’ll ever see on a re-enactment. A full battery takes 44 riders and drivers of the wagon.”

This is a rare opportunity to view a re-enactment of this size and caliber. Bailey said it is not like the Battle of Prairie Grove re-enactment that nearby Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park puts on every other year, but is similar to a national re-enactment.

“It will be controlled chaos,” Bailey added. “I doubt we’ll ever get to do this again in this area. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.”

Bailey suggests visitors come early and stay late because there are many activities, including a Saturday night dance. The civilian camp will have 35 to 45 tents and the military tents will number in the hundreds. All are open to the public, before and after the battles. “People can walk through and talk to soldiers,” he explained. “We encourage it.”

On Sept. 24 beginning at 8 a.m., the Webb Farm opens to the public. On Sept. 25, re-enactors camping overnight on Welfley’s Knoll on Ford Road at Pea Ridge National Park will march 7.4 miles from the campsite to the re-enactment site. Camps and vendors open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A battle re-enactment of the action at Leetown, where Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch and his successor James McIntosh were killed, takes place from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Camps open to the public again from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 26. A dance with music by The Campfollowers Band will be from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. A battle of the action at Elk Horn Tavern takes place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

On Sept. 27, camps are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Another re-enactment of the battle at Elk Horn Tavern takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Tickets for spectators are $10 a day or $22 for a three-day pass; children under 16 are free. Bailey said they especially want youth to “come out and taste history. We’re trying to show folks that a house divided can’t stand and we can’t have another Civil War.”

The Webb Farm is located at 17398 Patterson Road, four miles north of downtown Pea Ridge. Watch for signage directing traffic to the event and parking area. For more information, call 479-685-7777.

The event sponsor is the Arkansas Reenactor Educational Association, Inc. (AREA), a 501(c)3 not-for-profit tax-deductible public charity corporation designed to raise funds for historical preservation, such as the Pea Ridge National Military Park Foundation. This Civil War re-enactment is endorsed by the Sons of the American Revolution Daniel McKissic Chapter of Bella Vista.

For more than 20 years, Trans-Mississippi Brigade has been honoring the nation’s collective history by recreating some of the most important battles and scenarios of the American Civil War. As the latter years of the 150th anniversary of the war are reached, the brigade strives to educate the public on the period and help people experience the triumphs and hardships of the common soldier in an effort to make history fun and relevant.