PGBP

A trail tour for the Battlefield Park in Prairie Grove

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PGBP

Prairie Grove, Arkansas 72753, United States

Created By: Prairie Grove Battlefield Park

Tour Information

Authentic, expansive, and well-preserved, Prairie Grove is known as one of America’s most intact Civil War battlefields. With more than 900 acres, this park commemorates the site of the Battle of Prairie Grove, where on December 7, 1862, Confederate and Union forces clashed in a fierce day of fighting that resulted in 2,700 casualties. This battle marked the last major Civil War engagement in Northwest Arkansas. The park offers walking and driving tours, programs, and weekend events. At the Hindman Hall Museum, artifacts recovered from the battle are displayed. Admission to the museum is free. Arkansas’ largest Civil War battle re-enactment takes place here biennially (even-numbered years) the first weekend in December.


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What You'll See on the Tour

The Battle of Prairie Grove ended in a tactical draw-the costs of which were 2,700 killed, wounded, or missing men. On Sunday, December 7, 1862, General Thomas C. Hindman's Confederate Army arrived at Prairie Grove with one goal in mind: De... Read more
Fifteen men of the 34th Infantry were killed during the Battle of Prairie Grove and sixety-nine were wounded, all of whom were within walking distance of their homes. This heavily wooded area is where Confederate General James F. Fagan's in... Read more
Look down at the ground you are standing on: For six mortal hours, Hawthorn's Confederate regiment risked their lives in defensive of this soil. The posistioning of Hawthorn's men was obscured by thick brush. From the regiment's vantage poi... Read more
The horror of war can lead men to commit senseless and vengeful acts of brutality. As the Confederate Army deployed onto the ridge, Captain William Blocher's four artillery guns moved into this position west of the Borden house. This positi... Read more
"It was as brave a fight as men ever made, but here it did not avail. They performed deeds of valor almost incredible, and shed their blood in torrents, but it was all useless." The apple orchard to your right is where some of the heaviest ... Read more
"Down to meet them like an avalanche our own infantry swept. They met, the shock was terrible, but, broken and rent, our boys drove them back and followed at the charge. Again and again they returned to the right, and again and again were t... Read more
From this spot, the postions of all four artillery batteries under the command of Brigadier Francis Herron can be seen. Initially arriving at the ford of the Illinois river at 10 a.m., the Federals could not cross due to the threat of ten C... Read more
The first Federal assault on the ridge was a disaster. Half of the men who charged up the hill failed to come back down. Those who were left fled for their lives, and the Confederates were quick to take advantage of the situation. "Like a n... Read more
With 22,000 men on the field of battle, imagine how many acts of courage have been lost to history. As the Confederates clambered back up the hillside, Herron believed a second assault would finish them off. He ordered two more regiments up... Read more
As exhaustion set in and with the battle seemingly over, a new force reignited the fight. Herron's second assault was a, "heroic, terrific, desperate charge, with few equals and no superiours," yet it ultimately ended just like the first, i... Read more
"Our turn now came. We had been spectators of the discomfiture which befell our comrades on the left, and perhaps a feeling akin to revenge sprung up in our breasts as we witnessed their decimated ranks fall back broken and apperently dishe... Read more

 

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