Date:
- December 28, 1861–July 12, 1862
Location:
- Southwest Missouri, Northwest Arkansas
Timeline of the Pea Ridge Campaign
These are the main battles and events of the Pea Ridge Campaign in order.
- December 28, 1862: Union Brigadier General Samuel R. Curtis launched the Pea Ridge Campaign by dispatching a cavalry expedition toward Brigadier General Sterling Price’s headquarters at Springfield, Missouri.
- February 12, 1862: Skirmish at Pearson’s Creek
- February 13, 1862: Brigadier General Samuel R. Curtis’ Army of the Southwest occupied Springfield, Missouri
- February 17, 1862: Battle Of Dunagin’s Farm (Aka Action At Sugar Creek, Action At Little Sugar Creek)
- February 19, 1862: Rebels abandon Cross Hollows
- March 6–8, 1862: Battle Of Pea Ridge
- April 1862: Rebels abandon Arkansas
- May 2, 1862: Action At Batesville
- May 19, 1862: Battle Of Whitney’s Lane
- July 7, 1862: Action At Hill’s Plantation (Aka Battle Of Cotton Plant)
- July 12, 1862: Curtis occupied Helena, Arkansas ending the Pea Ridge Campaign
Principal Union commanders:
- Brigadier General Samuel R. Curtis
- Brigadier General Franz Sigel
Principal Confederate commanders:
- Major General Earl Van Dorn
- Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch
- Brigadier General Sterling Price
- Major General Thomas C. Hindman
Union forces engaged:
- Army of the Southwest
Confederate forces engaged:
Number of Union soldiers engaged:
- Roughly 10,500
Number of Confederate soldiers engaged:
- Roughly 16,000
Estimated Union casualties:
- 1,400+ casualties (killed, wounded, and missing/captured)
Estimated Confederate casualties:
- 2,000+ (killed, wounded, and missing/captured)
Result:
- Union victory
Impact of the Pea Ridge Campaign:
- The Pea Ridge Campaign cemented Union control of Missouri after 1862.
- The Union’s victorious Pea Ridge Campaign contributed to the fall of Vicksburg and cemented Union control of the Mississippi River in 1863.
- The Union’s victorious Pea Ridge Campaign enabled federal forces to erect Fort Curtis, which served as an important staging area for the Vicksburg Campaign, a training ground for United States Colored Troops, and a safe haven for escaped slaves in Arkansas.