Near Garfield in Benton County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Remembrance and Reunion
Pea Ridge National Military Park
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
The two stone monuments you see here reflect the long-lasting grief - and the hopes - of the generation of Americans who survived the Civil War. After the war, young men whose lives had been forever changed by this battle began returning to these bullet-shattered forests and blood-soaked fields. They mourned comrades lost and reflected on the meaning of their trial by fire. In 1914 veterans began the call to preserve this battlefield as sacred ground. Their descendants again strove for national recognition in 1924, 1928, 1936, and 1939. In 1956 President Eisenhower finally signed the law to create and protect this legacy as Pea Ridge National Military Park.
Confederate veterans raised the older memorial just 25 years after the fight, one of the first in the nation to mark a Civil War battlefield. This stark 1887 obelisk mourned the well-known southern generals lost here: McCulloch, McIntosh, and Slack.
The 1889 Pea Ridge reunion was the first to include veterans from both armies. Their marble monument to "A United Soldiery" honored both "the untarnished Blue" and "the unsullied Grey."
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil . In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #34 Dwight D. Eisenhower series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1914.
Location. 36° 27.186′ N, 94° 1′ W. Marker is near Garfield, Arkansas, in Benton County. Marker is on Military Park Road (County Road 65), on the right when traveling south. Located at stop eight, Elkhorn Tavern, 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. Pea Ridge Confederate Monument (a few steps from this marker); A Reunited Soldiery Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Pea Ridge and the Trail of Tears (within shouting distance of this marker); Lifeline for Two Armies (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Vulnerable in Victory (about 400 feet away); Disastrous Retreat (about 400 feet away); Elkhorn Tavern Taken (about 500 feet away); The Butterfield Overland Mail Route (about 500 feet 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. Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern). American Battlefield Trust website entry (Submitted on May 8, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
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 1,218 times since then and 33 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, 5. submitted on September 12, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.