Pea Ridge Today
by Supt. John Scott
OUR SPEAKER this month will be Pea Ridge NMP superintendent John Scott.
He has reported to us before about the status of the battlefield, and will bring
us up to date Tuesday night.
FROM THE NPS WEBSITE
Pea Ridge National Military Park is a 4,300 acre Civil War Battlefield that
preserves the site of the March 1862 battle that saved Missouri for the Union.
On March 7 & 8, nearly 26,000 soldiers fought to determine whether Missouri
would remain under Union control, and whether or not Federal armies could
continue their offensive south through the Mississippi River Valley. Major
General Earl Van Dorn led 16,000 Confederates against 10,250 Union soldiers,
under the command of Brigadier General Samuel R. Curtis. Van Dorn's command
consisted of regular Confederate troops commanded by Brigadier General Benjamin
McCulloch, and Missouri State Guard Forces commanded by Major General Sterling
Price. The Confederate force also included some 800 Cherokees fighting for the
Confederacy. The Union army consisted of soldiers from Iowa, Indiana, Illinois,
Missouri and Ohio. Half of the Federals were German immigrants. The park also
includes a two and one half mile segment of the Trail of Tears. The Elkhorn
Tavern, site of bitter fighting on both days, is a NPS reconstruction on the
site of the original. The park is one of the most well preserved battlefields in
the United States.
DESIGNATIONS
National Military Park - July 20, 1956
National Register of Historic Places - October 15, 1969
THANKS TO GEORGE DAVIS for his presentation on the 6th Arkansas
Infantry, CSA last month. It?s refreshing to hear presentations on
little-known, but just as important, sacrifices during The War.
PROGRAMS TO COME:
May 27, 2003--Cal Collier, Towson, Md., The Great Beefsteak Raid.
June 24, 2003--Randy Philhours, Paragould, ?The Marmaduke-Walker Duel.?
July 22, 2003--Rob McGregor, Little Rock, ?Jefferson Davis, Before & After
the Civil War.?
August 26, 2003--Dr. Brian Steel Wills, UVA- Wisc, ?Forrest in the Summer
of ?64.?
September 23, 2003--Dr. Dan Sutherland, The Uni-versity of Arkansas,
?Guerilla Warfare.?
October 28, 2003--Landon Smith, Jackson, Miss, ?Prai-rie d'Ane.?
RIVER MARKET BOOKS & GIFTS, the used book and gift shop operated by
the Friends of Central Arkansas Libraries, located on the first floor of the Cox
Creative Center, 120 Commerce St., Little Rock, will host a book talk and
signing by Professor Tom DeBlack on May 1. DeBlack?s book, With Fire and
Sword: Arkansas, 1864-1874, was published this month by University of Arkansas
Press. The event will be from noon until 1:00 p.m. in the meeting room
(3rd floor) of the Cox Building. Guests are asked to bring their lunch and
call 501-918-3032 to make a reservation. Drinks and desserts will be
provided. Seating is limited. The event is free and open to the
public.
This book is the fourth volume in the Histories of Arkansas Series.
River Market Books & Gifts will also have the other three books in the Histories
of Arkansas Series written by Charles Bolton, Carl Moneyhon, and Ben F. Johnson.
Proceeds from the book sales will go to the Friends of the Library.
DeBlack's book signing will celebrate River Market Books & Gifts initial
order of UA Press bestsellers and recent publications. Offering these
books to the public will be a new feature of the Friends of the Library's store.
For more information contact Susan Schallhorn at 501-918-3033 or Mary Ann
Crawford, store manager, at 501-918-3093.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
The MacArthur Military Museum (Arkansas Military Heritage Foundation) is
undertaking a project to restore and repair the Capital Guards Monument on the
grounds of the Arsenal building. The monument was placed by the UDC and
dedicted in 1911 during the Confederate Veterans reunion. It has had
little or no maintenance in the past 90+ years and it has considerable damage
from the formation of black patina caused by exhaust fumes, acid rain and other
pollutants. Also, it has been vandalized (bayonet broken twice). Our
foundation board has gotten estimates of repair and restoration work and they
range from $15,000 to $30,000.
The restoration work will remove the black patina which, according to
conservation experts, is very damaging to the bronze figure?s base metal and
will destroy it if left untreated over time. The green patina will not be
removed since, as I understand it, it is protective of the base metal.
Also, the bayonet will be replaced. Currently, we have received $6,500 in
contributions toward this project. I suggested to the Board that the Round
Tables, at least those in the central Arkansas area, be contacted to request
contributions from individual members as well as from the Round Tables as a
group. I am sure that you will look at this as a worthy project and
request your help in passing the request on to the individual Round Tables that
you feel are appropriate. Thank you for your help. Please let me
have any questions. Steven McAteer will also be available to speak at any
of the RTs that would like a brief five minute talk about this project.
--David Gruenewald
According to the Civil War Mailing list, the National Archives is now
engaging in a review policy to determine what records are worth keeping (or
should be discarded.)
The opportunity for comment is at this web page:
<http://www.archives.gov/about_for_comment/draft_appraisal_policy.html>.
As I review the proposed policy, I THINK it mainly applies to which new
records should be added to the collection. Nevertheless, there is no
categorical statement in the policy that 19th Century records, including Civil
War related materials, which are now in the NARA collection should be retained.
I think this is something that might be worth sharing with your mailing
list. --Brian
It is slmost time for the annual Southern Memorial Day at the Confederate
Cemetery in Fayetteville. This will be our 130th memorial service.
The ladies of the Southern Memorial Association invite you to help us make this
a worthy memorial service.
All Confederate re-enactors, SCV, UDC, OCR, and other people who love our
Southern heritage are encouraged to attend. Please pass the word.
There will also be a BBQ at the Prairie Grove Battlefield Park; each person
paying his own meal. The Young Branson Couple plans to play Bluegrass for
us again at the BBQ.
If you have any ideas concerning the service or how you might be of help,
please contact SMA President Kim Pearson <pearsonk@pgtc.com> or SMA
Secretary Donna Shwieder <southron@pgtc.com>.
Visit our website by checking the LINKS page at www.civilwarbuff.org
See You Tuesday Night for John Scott and Pea Ridge Today.
We Who Study Must Also Strive To Save!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
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