When Nationl Park Service Historian John Bond began his research on Elkhorn Tavern in 1960, the task must have seemed daunting. The historian's worst nightmare, shortage of source material, was all too apparent.

Limited First Edition Hardback - 100This publication is a must for any Arkansas family history researcher or history buff! Over three years and 1,000's of hours of research have gone into this book. It contains a complete transcription of the 1860 census of Mount Vernon & Sugar Creek townships near the battlefield at Elkhorn Tavern, a significant conflict and early turning point in the Civil War west of the Mississippi River. Each of the 172 households has been carefully researched with name transcriptions with accepted surname spellings. Also included, when known, are the maiden names of wives, former wives, former married names of spouses for widowed or remarried women, explanation of relationships in single & multiple family households and family locations in the 1850 census. This work is more than a census transcription, Elkhorn Tavern, 1860 is also a storybook of the families who lived and received their mail at Pea Ridge, Arkansas that summer before the Civil War began. Families hailed from the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Mississippi to name a few. The contents of this book are the product of careful records examination, adhering to practiced genealogical methodologies. Gleaned from all available historical records and public and private documents, it is a rich look at the lives of those who were about to experience war at their back door. Research aides included but were not limited to available Arkansas and other state and federal Civil War era microfilm records, subsequent and previous Federal Census Images (1840-1920), marriage records, land records, published indexes, diaries, newspaper articles, pension applications, obituaries, reunion photographs, maps and family histories. *** BONUS *** Benton County, AR - 1859 Tax ListIncluded in the Appendix is a complete name transcription of the 1859 Benton County, AR Tax List, some 1470 individuals.

“Elkhorn Tavern has the beauty of Shane and the elegiac dignity of Red River without the false glamour or sentimentality of those classic Western films... Mr. Jones is at home among the ridges and hardwoods of a frontier valley... He holds us still and compels us to notice what we live in.”—The New York Times Book Review From Douglas C. Jones, an author the Los Angeles Times called "a superb storyteller and authentic chronicler of the American West," comes a classic Civil War novel, long out of print but considered one of the great titles of the genre. With her husband gone east to fight for the Confederate Army, Ora Hasford is left alone to tend to her Arkansas farm and protect her two teenage children, Calpurnia and Roman. But only a short distance away, in the shadow of Pea Ridge, a storm is gathering. In a clash to decide control over the western front, two opposing armies prepare for a brutal, inevitable battle. Beset by soldiers, bushwhackers, and jayhawkers, the Hasfords' home stands unprotected in what will soon be one of the worst battlegrounds in the West.

The Battle of Elkhorn tavern has been called the "Battle that saved Missouri for the Union", I prefer to know it as the "Battle that doomed Missouri to the Union". In these pages I have culled the reports made by the Confederate commanders that were collected by the U.S. War Department from the records captured after the fall of Richmond in 1865. These records were published in the massive 128 volume The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. These reports are excerpted from Series 1, Volume VIII, pages 281-330. A map and list of units composing General Van Dorn's Trans-Mississippi Army and enumeration of losses from Volume 1 of Battles and Leaders of the Civil War have also been attached. I have also added short biographical footnotes of some of the lesser known commanders, as well as photographs of many of the writers. These first hand accounts, most written within a few weeks of the Battle, offer a first hand look at not only the actions of the participants on the days of the Battle, but also at their after action thoughts on the Battle, and sometimes their own justifications and excuses for decisions made in the literal heat of combat.

The 1862 battle of Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas was one of the largest Civil War engagements fought on the western frontier, and it dramatically altered the balance of power in the Trans-Mississippi. This study of the battle is based on research in archives from Connecticut to California and includes a pioneering study of the terrain of the sprawling battlefield, as well as an examination of soldiers' personal experiences, the use of Native American troops, and the role of Pea Ridge in regional folklore. "A model campaign history that merits recognition as a major contribution to the literature on Civil War military operations.--Journal of Military History "Shines welcome light on the war's largest battle west of the Mississippi.--USA Today "With its exhaustive research and lively prose style, this military study is virtually a model work of its kind.--Publishers Weekly "A thoroughly researched and well-told account of an important but often neglected Civil War encounter.--Kirkus Reviews "Offers the rich tactical detail, maps, and order of battle that military scholars love but retains a very readable style combined with liberal use of recollections of the troops and leaders involved.--Library Journal "This book is assured of a place among the best of all studies that have been published on Civil War campaigns.--American Historical Review "Destined to become a Civil War classic and a model for writing military history.--Civil War History "A campaign study of a caliber that all should strive for and few will equal.--Journal of American History "An excellent and detailed book in all accounts, scholarly and readable, with both clear writing and excellent analysis. . . . Utterly essential . . . for any serious student of the Civil War.--Civil War News