Pea Ridge:
Civil War Campaigning
in the West

Book Review

reviewed by George Arnold

by William L. Shea and Earl J. Hess
University of North Carolina Press

The Battle of Pea Ridge, fought in March 1862 in the northwest corner of Arkansas, never has won the widespread attention of Civil War historians. Other battles and campaigns have more thoroughly captured the popular imagination, leaving Pea Ridge to get by with scant historical notice. Few histories have dealt with the battle in any detail, even though it is considered a watershed event of the war's early years. The Battle of Pea Ridge guaranteed Missouri would be dominated by the Union rather than the Confederacy. The battle also broke the back of Confederate resistance to Union incursions into Arkansas, although it would take additional campaigns for Union forces to effectively claim to have conquered the state.

The gap in historical literature about the Battle of Pea Ridge has, however, been substantially closed with the publication of "Pea Ridge, Civil War Campaign in the West," by William L. Shea and Earl J. Hess. Shea is professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Hess is assistant professor of history at Lincoln Memorial University.

Together, these two historians have put together the definitive account of the battle. The book is a delight, particularly for those interested in well-documented, carefully researched and deftly written Civil War history. "Pea Ridge" compares favorably to any of the vast number of works on the war, but stands especially tall in bringing the campaign into focus as the subject of a book-length work. Not only is this the first time such has been done, but it's unlikely the effort by Shea and Hess will be surpassed. They have pegged their subject in thorough, readable fashion.

The book chronicles the strategic thinking that led up to the Pea Ridge campaign, the events of the campaign and the aftermath. But the book also looks at the personalities of the key figures involved, as well as at the emotions and reactions of the common soldiers, many of whom in that supposedly less-educated age left moving written accounts of their experiences in the battle.

Wargamers and Civil War buffs will appreciate the careful recitation of the movements of the various units before, during and after the battle. Pea Ridge was, for example, the only major battle of the war in which American Indian units fought. Their performance as Confederate allies is fully discussed. The book also includes complete orders of battle of the various units involved and a series of clear, well-executed maps that make the confusing battle altogether understandable.

Anyone with an interest in the Civil War will find this book to be a gem. It appears destined for classic status, having managed to break new ground in a heavily saturated subject area.

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© Copyright 1993 The American Civil War Society

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