Wilson’s Creek, Pea Ridge, and Prarie Grove: A Battlefield Guide with a Section on Wire Road
Review by Larry S. Sterett Contributing Editor
WILSON’S CREEK, PEA RIDGE & PRAIRIE GROOVE, by Earl J. Hess, Richard W. Hatcher III, William Garrett Piston and William L. Shea.
©2006. Published by the University of Nebraska Press, 1111 Lincoln Mall, St. 400, Dept. TGM, Lincoln, NE 68588. Price: $19.95, plus shipping. Available through most bookstores, or phone: 402-472-3581 Every year the city of Keokuk, IA, plays host to a re-enactment of the March 7-8, 1862, Battle of Pea Ridge. It’s a well organized and presented event, and usually, depending on the spring weather, we’ll attend. It’s not a re-enactment on the site of the original battle, or even near; “it’s the thought that counts.” (Keokuk is located in the southeastern tip of Iowa, just north of the Missouri border. Pea Ridge is located in northwestern Arkansas, just south of the Missouri border.) Pea Ridge, along with Wilson’s Creek, (which is in southwestern Missouri, south of Springfield), and Prairie Grove, (south of Pea Ridge in Arkansas), were three of the most significant engagements of the Civil War, west of the Mississippi River.
(All three were located on or near the Wire or Telegraph Road which ran between Fort Smith, Arkansas, on the Arkansas River, and Springfield, Missouri, and then onward to Jefferson City on the Missouri River.) Considered a guide to each of the three battlefields, plus the Wire Road, this 304-page softbound volume is a valuable resource for even those who have not visited the area. Following an explanatory introduction on how to use the guide, each of the four areas is covered separately beginning with Wilson’s Creek and moving south.
Coverage of each of the battlefields is provided in the same manner, and well prepared maps for each of the stops pinpoint the locations of the opposing forces during the battles. Directions are given on how to arrive at the battle scenes, followed by “orientation” on what you are to be looking for and where, and completed by a description of what happened during the battles. An analysis or vignette, or both is also provided for some of the stops. Overall coverage of the various phases of each battle is excellent. (The number of stops varies, from 14 to 23, depending on the battlefield.) The driving tour of the Springfield to Fort Smith section of the Wire Road is presented in much the same manner. (With an excellent overview and well prepared descriptions, a great amount of information is conveyed without the necessity of the actual drive.) Consider this an extra plus. The road is drivable, but is not asphalt or concrete for the entire distance.
In addition to the many maps, illustrations in this tome consist of black and white photographs, etchings, and sketches. (Many of the original buildings in the battlefield areas have been destroyed, but a number have been restored or reconstructed to as close to the original designs as possible.) Other features in this compilation include an appendix with an ‘Order of Battle’ listing for both Confederate and Union forces involved, endnotes for the four areas, sources for the various stops, and a suggested reading list.
Civil War buffs, and those interested in learning more about what took place west of the Mississippi River during that period of time, will find this an interesting and useful volume. It provides an excellent look at often overlooked battles, the outcome of which influenced the balance of the conflict. The four authors did their job well.
