Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Pea Ridge

PEA RIDGE, a post village in Benton co., Ark.; about 8 miles E. of Bentonville. Here, on March 6, 7, and 8, 1862, occurred one of the most desperate battles of the Civil War. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, in command of about 11,000 Union troops, with 49 pieces of artillery, was attacked by a superior force of Confederates (said to number 20,000) under Gen. Earl Van Dorn, and a series of obstinate and sanguinary conflicts ensued; which, lasting through three days, finally ended with the withdrawal of Van Dorn. The total Union loss was 1,351; that of the Confederates, though never officially reported, is supposed to have been more severe.