Fighting Hawkeyes

4th Iowa Infantry Regiment Unit History

Prepared by Dwight D. Belles

Route 4 Box 30

Beloit, Kansas 67420

 

Dawn came early o March 8, with a reddish sun in a pale blue sky. Because there had been no wind to drive away the previous day's battle smoke, it still hung in folds over woods and fields. On both sides of the battlefield artillerymen were making last-minute changes in positions. They unlimbered their guns, led horses fifty paces to the rear, and awaited orders.

Most of the Confederate batteries were in open woods along the base of the ridge, the Federals facing them from a crest of high ground below Elkhorn Tavern. About 7 o'clock a cannon blast from the Confederates opened the second day of fighting. Sigel, who was commanding Curtis's left wing, accepted the challenge with alacrity, and soon had forty guns in action. "A brisk cannonade was kept up for upward of two hours," reported the New York Herald correspondent. "The sharp booming of the six-, twelve- and eighteen-pounders followed each other in rapid succession." This was probably the most concentrated artillery duel ever fought west of the Mississippi River; the muffled roar of guns was heard for forty miles across the Ozark hill country.

Sigel's well-placed guns scored hits on the Confederate batteries, and quickly scattered Stand Watie's Cherokees along Pea Ridge. When he was confident that he had his enemy off balance, Sigel ordered the 12th Missouri and the 25th and 44th Illinois to throw forward a strong force of skirmishers. With drums beating and flags waving, the Federal infantry regiments moved out in perfect alignment. "The rattling of musketry," Sigel later wrote, "the volleys, the hurrahs, did prove very soon that our troops were well at work in the woods, and that they were gaining ground rapidly."

Meanwhile Curtis's right wing had fallen back before the Confederate artillery fire, but as soon as Sigel's regiments began advancing, Curtis ordered Carr and Davis to attack with extended lines, maneuvering so as to get on Van Dorn's left flank. At the same time additional regiments from Osterhaus' and Asboth's divisions joined in the general attack upon the ridge. Curtis noted:

"The upward movement of the gallant 36th Illinois, with its dark-blue line of men and its gleaming bayonets, steadily rose from base to summit, when it dashed forward into the forest, driving and scattering the rebels from these commanding heights. The 12th Missouri, far in advance of the others, rushed into the enemy's lines, bearing off a flag and two pieces of artillery."

It was a classical pincers movement, and in a matter of minutes the Confederates were caught in a concentrated crossfire.

By 10 o'clock Van Dorn knew that he was beaten. All morning he had been waiting for ammunition wagons from his temporary base camp near Sugar Creek; they had been delayed because of a mix-up in orders and were still a mile from the battle ground when the Federals opened their flanking attacks. Confederate gunners used stones in their cannons when their shot gave out; infantrymen threw away their useless rifles and fired short-range shotguns at advancing Yankees.

Van Dorn started his ambulances moving eastward from Elkhorn Tavern down a side road that led to Huntsville, and for the next half hour the Confederates were fighting to cover a general withdrawal. Colonel Henry Little who was in the midst of this engagement said:

"The enemy advanced. On, on they came, in overwhelming numbers, line after line, but they were met with the same determined courage which this protracted contest had taught them to appreciate. Their intention of turning our flanks...being now clearly evident, we slowly fell back from our advanced position, disputing every inch of ground which we relinquished."

In this last fighting Confederate losses mounted sharply, and included many of the South's most promising young officers. Among them was 19-year-old Churchill Clark, a battery commander, grandson of William Clark the famous Western explorer. While covering the withdrawal, young Clark was decapitated by a round shot.

A soldier of the 36th Illinois who was among the first to reach the top of the ridge described the scene:

"The mangled trunks of men lay thickly scattered around, and so close as to equire the utmost care to avoid stepping on their cold remains. From each tree or heltering nook the groans of the wounded arose, while muskets, saddles, horses, blankets, hats and clothes hung in shreds from every bush or in gory masses clutered the ground...Federal soldiers shared the contents of their canteens with thirsty wounded Confederates. The fierce passions which animated them an hour before, while panting for each other's blood, had subsided, and pity for the maimed supplanted the feelings of hate and fury."

By noon all artillery fire had ceased. In the mistaken belief that they were close on the heels of Van Dorn's army, Sigel's infantrymen poured northward up Telegraph Road in pursuit of fleeing Confederates. The main army, however, had slipped away southeastward on the road to Huntsville, with Shelby's cavalry covering the rear.

The following are several accounts of the fighting, written by men who were on the front:

"On the morning of the 7th of March, it was known that the enemy was advancing and attacking our army in the rear, when the regiment, in pursuance of orders from Colonel Dodge, marched about two miles from camp, and took position near the Elkhorn Tavern, on the right of the brigade, and to the right of the Springfield road going north, near the southern outlet of the Ozark Pass. Two companies were deployed as skirmishers to the front, and soon became desperately engaged with the enemy, who poured shot, shell and minie balls into their ranks incessantly, for two hours, but owing to the dense timber, our loss at this point was not very great. The left wing of the division, and also the left of Colonel Dodge's brigade, was now desperately engaged. Colonel Dodge ordered his lines to be closed, and awaited the attack, in the meantime keeping his skirmishers, and one section of the First Iowa Battery at work until about 2 o'clock, when the enemy ceased firing and drew back. Colonel Dodge changed front to the right, which left the regiment on the extreme right of the brigade, as well as of the whole army. The line being formed and our skirmishers drawn in and in their places in line of battle, the regiment in common with others awaited the concentrated attack of the enemy, who we saw preparing for it. We did not wait long. The attack was made with apparently ten times our number, accompanied with the most terrific cannonading with grape, canister, solid shot and shell. For full three hours the regiment stood under this terrible fire, which dealt death to its ranks. The regiment being flanked on the right by a greatly superior force of the enemy, and their artillery being in a position to completely enfilade its lines, and the left wing of the division having fallen back to the open fields, leaving the left exposed, which was also flanked, it was compelled to fall back obliquely to the right, which it did in good order, fighting its way out, hard pressed by the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, to the open fields, where it was met by General Curtis who ordered it to fix bayonets, and charge back upon the enemy, which it did gallantly, eliciting from the General in his official report this highest meed of praise. ‘This regiment won immortal honors.’ It being now dark, and the enemy having ceased firing, the regiment, after having lost in killed and wounded almost one-half of those actually engaged, marched back to camp, partook of a scanty repast, and immediately commenced preparations for the deadly conflict impending for the succeeding day, filling their cartridge boxes, and cleaning their guns, which had become very foul. This being done, the regiment was marched back, and bivouacked on the field until daylight, soon after which the fight was resumed by artillery. The regiment took its place again to the extreme right, marching forward in line of battle, pursuing the enemy, who commenced retreating early. It pursued the enemy until it had orders to halt. Soon after this orders were given to march back to the battle ground of the previous day and go into camp. The mention of individual acts of bravery could not be made without being invidious."

The report from which the above extract is made was written by J.A. Williamson. Colonel Dodge, in his official report as commander of the First Brigade, says:

"The list of killed and wounded in the brigade shows that it fought against fearful odds, and disputed the field with great stubbornness. Every field officer in the brigade was Disabled, and had to leave the field, and only two Lieutenants were left in the battery. Lieutenant Colonel Galligan rendered efficient service in holding the Fourth Iowa firm, no part of which gave an inch, until the whole was compelled to fall back. I wish to mention especially the bravery and valor of Capt. H.H. Griffith (acting Major) and of Lieut. J.A. Williamson, Brigade Adjutant; also of private, J.W. Bell, Adjutant's clerk, Fourth Iowa, who fell mortally wounded while nobly doing his duty. The conduct of the above named officers came under my personal observation. All did well and fought nobly, in winning a great battle. Capt. W. H. Kinsman with Company B, Fourth Iowa, and two companies of the Twenty-Fourth Missouri, were detached from the brigade an deployed as skirmishers on the extreme left of the division, holding the high ridge on our left flank, which he did efficiently, and with great good judgment, against a greatly superior force of the enemy."

After the fighting ended, and Colonel Carr was moving his division out to find forage for his horses, he stopped briefly at Elkhorn Tavern. Polly Cox, her son, and daughter-in-law had already departed; twenty-one hours under fire had been enough of war for them. Carr glanced at the ridgepole of the abandoned, shell-torn tavern, then ordered the huge elk horns brought down as a souvenir of the battle. Years later the horns were returned and are now in a museum at Garfield, Arkansas.

Carr's division had suffered more casualties than the other three Federal divisions combined. Total for the Union forces was 1,384. The Confederates lost about the same number, but they lost three good generals and too many line officers who could never be replaced, and they had lost the crucial battle for control of the Missouri border. Missouri was now secure for the Union, and Arkansas was open for eventual Federal occupation.

For some reason the fortunes of the Civil War did not favor the leaders who fought at Pea Ridge. Both Curtis and Sigel became major generals, but Curtis fell into disfavor in Missouri and was shunted off to Kansas; Sigel went to Virginia and was twice relieved from command for poor generalship. Carr and Dodge had to wait until after the war to establish their reputations on the Western frontier--Carr as an Indian fighter, Dodge as a railroad builder. Van Dorn returned to Mississippi, was defeated at Corinth and charged with dereliction of duty; although exonerated, he was soon afterward shot to death off the battlefield by a jealous husband. Price also invaded Missouri in 1864, was defeated at Westport, and would have been brought before a Confederate court of inquiry had the war not ended.

As for the two private soldiers who achieved the fame of being mentioned in dispatches, Thomas Welch who brought the warning of a Confederate attack in the rear, and Peter Pelican who killed General McCulloch, a few months after the battle both men took leave without permission and never returned to their companies.

On the other hand, there was Curtis's chief quartermaster, who had gone north the day before the battle to collect grain and rations for the Federal troops. Philip H. Sheridan would become very famous towards the wars end.

The victory having been won, the army remained in camp within a short distance of the battlefield for nearly a month. Whilst the regiment was here encamped, Colonel Dodge was promoted a brigadier-general. Lieutenant-Colonel Galligan here resigned, and Adjutant James A. Williamson was promoted to his place, and within a month was promoted to colonel. When Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson received his promotion, Captain Barton, of Company D, was made Lieutenant-Colonel. These last promotions were made while the regiment was on the march, the commissions not being received untill some months afterwards. It moved from the camp near Pea Ridge, on the 5th of April, and proceeding in a direction north of west, kept in that course for nearly a hundred miles, when it turned to the right, and entering Arkansas, marched on Batesville. This town is on the left bank of the White River, and somewhat east of north, about one hundred miles from Little Rock, being on the old road from that capital to St. Louis. It was General Curtis' intention to move from Batesville directly on Little Rock. With this view, he halted some days at Batesville, awaiting supplies.

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