Near Garfield in Benton County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Slaughter in the Rocks

March 8, 1862 - Morning

— Pea Ridge National Military Park —

Slaughter in the Rocks Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, August 30, 2010

1. Slaughter in the Rocks Marker

Inscription.
Below you here stand 30-foot-tall columns of stone. Bone-tired Confederates of the 2nd Missouri Brigade took shelter amid these rocky dens after the first day's hard marching and fighting. What at first seemed like a good natural defense became a deathtrap.

As the second day's fighting began, 21 Union cannon in Cox's field below fired a punishing barrage toward this mountainside. A hurricane of artillery projectiles, rock fragments, and timber splinters tore through the infantrymen posted near here. After 30 minutes of slaughter, General Earl Van Dorn ordered a withdrawal back toward Elkhorn Tavern.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.

Location. 36° 27.251′ N, 94° 1.377′ W. Marker is near Garfield, Arkansas, in Benton County. Marker can be reached from Military Park Road (County Road 65), on the right when traveling south. Located at a gazebo a short walk from stop seven, the East Overlook, on the driving tour of Pea Ridge National Military Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Garfield AR 72732, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. It was the Grandest Thing I Ever Saw... (here, next to this marker); Hard Fighting Near Leetown

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(here, next to this marker); Night Moves (here, next to this marker); Fiery Finale on Ruddick's Field (here, next to this marker); A Perfect Storm of Shot and Shell (approx. 0.3 miles away); Confederate Sunset (approx. 0.3 miles away); A Reunited Soldiery Monument (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pea Ridge Confederate Monument (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Garfield.

Also see . . .
1. Pea Ridge National Military Park. National Park Service website entry (Submitted on September 12, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

2. The Battle of Pea Ridge. American Battlefield Trust website entry (Submitted on September 12, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 21, 2023

2. Slaughter in the Rocks Marker

Gazebo at the Overlook image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain

3. Gazebo at the Overlook

Rock Outcroppings on the Mountain image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, August 30, 2010

4. Rock Outcroppings on the Mountain

Credits. This page was last revised on June 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 12, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,224 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on September 12, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2. submitted on June 4, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3, 4. submitted on September 12, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.