I am leading off this blog post with a photo of a placard with the word "March" in it, because this blog is being published in the month of March, in recognition that the Battle of Pea Ridge was fought in the month of March (March 7-8), with the year being 1862. And continuing with the "march" theme, the Bible verse I am trying to memorize in conjunction with these photos says, "O God, when You went out before Your people, When You MARCHED through the wilderness, the earth shook" Psalm 65:7.
The photo below shows the NPS logo, along with the official National Park Service date/location stamps that I always like to get whenever I visit a NPS location. Many people have purchased the NPS "Passport Stamp" book, where they keep an ongoing record of the parks they have visited, and the dates when they visited them. I wish I had started one of those official passport books years ago; however, I DID start collecting the stamps about thirty years ago, when my husband and I were on cross-country motorcycle trips. Since the space I had to place everything I needed for two weeks consisted of one saddlebag, I had to learn to pack light! Therefore, I would just get the stamp on a piece of paper, and transfer it later to the travel journal I kept about our motorcycle adventures. I continue that same practice, but now I just cut out the stamped paper, and affix it to my daily Gratitude Journal. My Gratitude Journal, (and my heart!) abound with thanksgiving for the national parks we have in the United States of America!
The photo below shows me standing beside a Civil War canon that is on display at the Pea Ridge National Military Park's Visitor Center, in Garfield, Arkansas. For those who are not familiar with that city name, it is located in northwest Arkansas, near the Missouri border.
I am writing these blog comments in early March of 2019, and the temperature this morning was a very chilly ten degrees Fahrenheit! Since it is not unusual for it to be that cold in early March, in northern Arkansas, it is easy to understand why a soldier in this battle would need to be very "bundled up" to protect themselves from the cold. The mannequin on display at the Visitor Center had a hand-knitted scarf around their neck, probably made by a loved one back home, and given to the young soldier, as he marched off to war. It reminded me of how my son (who was visiting from California) was wearing a cap that his wife had knitted him.
The photo below shows one of the many stops along the driving tour. Since it was very early on a November weekday morning, we pretty much had the park to ourselves, and there was not problem finding a parking space at any of the stops. I mention this because in the last year, I visited several national parks where finding a parking space was a consideration that determined where one might be able to stop and enjoy a certain aspect of that particular national park.
Most of the deciduous trees in the park had lost their leaves by the time this photo was taken, but I did manage to find one colorful maple tree that was a "hold-out", just waiting for me to come along and take its photo, before it dropped its leaves in preparation for the upcoming winter temperatures.
The photo below shows my son striking out on one of the many hiking trails throughout the park.
The hiking trails throughout the park are well marked, as indicated by this sign I am leaning on, and there are also hiking trail maps available in the Visitor Center. I would encourage everyone to take advantage of the "Hiking Through History" opportunities at Pea Ridge National Military Battlefield Park!
I am very thankful that my son has developed an interest in Civil War history, after he became an adult. His ancestors fought in the Civil War, and there are records about their service at the Visitor Center of the Vicksburg National Military Park (See September 26, 2014, blog I published on that Vicksburg park, in the archives).
The Battle of Pea Ridge was a victory for the Union and was one of the most pivotal battles of the Civil War. The Pea Ridge Battlefield is the most intact Civil War battlefield in the country and acknowledged as one of the best preserved Civil War Battlefields. In addition to the Visitor Center, Museum, driving tour, restored battlefields, and hiking trails, it also has a portion of the old Telegraph/Wire Road. In addition, there is a 2.5 mile section of the Trail of Tears within the park.
One reason the park is so well preserved is because a 1956 Congressional delegation proposed legislation to make Pea Ridge a National Military Park, which was a major breakthrough in American Civil War Battlefield preservation. That is because at that time under National Park Service classification systems, only one acre would have been preserved, along with a monument. But in 1956, Congress enacted legislation to accept a 5,000 acre donation from the state of Arkansas.
The federal government purchased, or used eminent domain, to acquire dozens of farms and residences in the Garfield area. All of those structures were demolished or removed, except the Elkhorn Tavern. The photo below shows my son walking to a covered overlook that sits on a knoll above the sprawling fields below.
Interpretive placards on the semicircular structure, explain how the battle played out in the areas the visitor is viewing, as depicted in the photo above.
Hikers and mountaineers can enjoy exploring the limestone cliffs found around the edge of the park, as shown in the photo above.
Many reunions were held here before it was a park, with the first being in 1887, 25 years after the battle. The reunion promoted remembrance and healing. The veterans decorated monuments to both the union and confederate dead. These monuments are still located within the park.
The Elkhorn Tavern is the only structure from the battlefield area that was not removed when the area became a National Park. One reason it remains is because it was the epicenter of much of the battle.
The photo above shows the elk horns mounted on the roof of the old tavern, and explain it being named the "Elkhorn Tavern".
At the time my son and I visited, the tavern was not open to go inside, although it does open up for various special functions.
The photo above of one of the monuments illustrates the post-war goal of a "A Reunited Soldiery" , and the desire for unity and healing of all those who had been at war. This was especially true for this particular area of the USA because Arkansas was a part of the Southern Army, and its border state of Missouri ended up being included with the Northern Army. This is one of the reasons you hear it said that the Civil War had many instances of "brother against brother" fighting. Many of the personal diaries and letters of the soldiers, as well as online tours, are available on the official website,
www.nps.gov/peri/index.htm Getting to tour this historic location with my son gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!
