July 12, 2021
Some years ago Joe and JJ visited my sister and her family and I was unable to join them. One of the places they visited and really enjoyed was the Pea Ridge battlefield and museum.
So, when we left home Monday morning to drive out to Pea Ridge - about 10 miles - I said, "Let's just check out the town" - since Joe had been to the battlefield and I have seen plenty of them over the years.
The town of 4,212 is one street with a couple of buildings and really didn't provide a very long walk - lol - so off we went to the battlefield and I am very glad we did!!!
Funny side note - our GPS took us to a Pea Ridge Battlefield Overlook - which was actually a home in the middle of a housing development but the guy did have a flag out front!
The road to the battleground was closed - so we followed a detour to a dirt/gravel 'sort of' road which was clearly under construction - only to find the visitor center was also closed. Oh well.....we took several pictures and were ready to leave when a friendly couple approached us and insisted we get a map from the wall and take the self-guided driving tour around the area. OMG - it was so informative and gorgeous - it is really hard to describe.
On March 7-8, 1862 over 23,000 soldiers fought at Pea Ridge to decide the fate of Missouri and it was a turning point of the war in the West - defeating the Confederate army. The 4300 acre battlefield honors those who fought and died on the grounds. Over 3,300 souls were lost during the battle and interesting to note - the injured from both sides were treated in a makeshift hospital at the Elkhorn Tavern. Pea Ridge was the most pivotal Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River and today is one of the most intact Civil War battlefields in the country. And it is simply breathtaking!
The tour is well done, free and we took 2 hours instead of the recommended 30 minutes - after we found the restrooms 1/2 way through!!! Coffee would have been a good add!
Nice day - oh, and thankfully we never saw any copperheads or rattlesnakes that we read about in the brochure - after we got home.
Gabi
