The Battle of Prairie Grove
Arkansas
December 7, 1862
A Guide for Teachers
Thank you for choosing Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park for your class field trip. This information will help
you prepare your class and staff for your visit. If you need to change your reservation or have any problems,
please contact us as soon as possible at 479-846-2990.
The remainder of this guide includes tips for your field trip, a history of the Battle of Prairie Grove including a
map, and a list of items and prices that we sell in the park gift shop. Feel free to copy any of these materials for
other teachers who are coming.
We also have a nice gift shop with educational items ranging in price from .25 to larger amounts for books. If
you would like a update copy of gift items can be send you by e-mail.
http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/prairiegrovebattlefield
http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/prairiegrovebattlefield/park-brochures/
http://pg.cast.uark.edu/
Thanks again for choosing Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park.
Planning Your Trip to the Park
School groups visit Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park to learn about the battle and the effects of the
Civil War on the people of northwest Arkansas. Reservations for the educational programs are required in order
to allow as many classes as possible to attend. You can call the park at: 479-846-2990 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
seven days a week. Please call if you need to cancel or reschedule.
Students will participate in three different programs which last 25 minutes each with 5 minutes to travel
from site to site, so expect to spend at least an hour and a half with the park staff and the program. Starting time
is 9:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. or after 2 p.m. during April and May, although the park will try to work with you if
you need a different start time. A maximum of three classes can participate at one time. You need to be ready
to start on time or your program may have to be shortened. The cost for each student is $3.00 with no charge for
teachers, bus drivers, or adult helpers.
A class participating in the entire program will have one on a Military subject, one on civilians and the
Civil War, as well as visit Hindman Hall museum and see the park video. The age of the students will determine
the program in each subject area. All students will get to see and hear a Civil War rifled musket being fired
during their visit too (unless the weather will not permit it).
In addition to the school programs, the park has several historic buildings, a one-mile self-guided
walking trail with brochures available at the museum, a five mile driving tour with a brochure & audio CD, a
playground, and a picnic area. The covered shelters are available at no charge to scheduled school groups, but
you must make a reservation in advance of your visit. Restrooms are located near the playground, and inside
Hindman Hall museum.
Upon arrival, you can stop at Hindman Hall museum to talk with the staff. Buses can be parked at the
picnic area or in front of the Latta Barn. In case of bad weather, programs can be held in the Latta Barn
(although a musket firing might not be possible). Remember to get to the park early enough to divide into
groups and be ready to start at the scheduled time.
We encourage teachers to visit the following website for a Prairie Grove lesson plan:
www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/ and click on lesson plans to find Prairie Grove as well as other historic sites across the
nation. You might also want to visit the Arkansas State Park website at
http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/prairiegrovebattlefield
for special event schedules, things for kids, and other
interesting information. Finally, you can download a complete Civil War Curriculum Guide at
http://www.arkansasheritage.com/in_the_classroom/lesson_plans/civilwar/default.asp written by the Department of
Arkansas Heritage, Pea Ridge National Military Park, and Prairie Grove Battlefield Historic State Park. You
will need Adobe Reader to view the guide.
Thanks again for choosing Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park.
The Battle of Prairie Grove -December 7, 1862
The Battle of Prairie Grove was the last time two armies of almost equal strength faced each other for
control of northwest Arkansas. When the Confederate Army of the Trans-Mississippi withdrew from the bloody
ground on the night of December 7th, it was clear Missouri and northwest Arkansas would remain under Federal
protection.
Major General Thomas C. Hindman’s Confederate Army of the Trans-Mississippi attacked the Union
Army of the Frontier under the command of Brigadier Generals James G. Blunt and Francis J. Herron on
December 7, 1862. There were about 12,000 soldiers from Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, and the Cherokee and
Creek Nations in the Southern Army. The Federal troops had about 10,000 soldiers from Arkansas, the
Cherokee and Creek Nations, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Wisconsin. The battle took place
near the Illinois River on a ridge and valley called Prairie Grove named after the small log church which sat
upon the high ground and for which the battle received its name.
The battle began at dawn with the defeat of Union cavalry by Confederate horse soldiers a few miles
south of the ridge. The Federals retreated towards Fayetteville with the Southern cavalry in pursuit. The
panicked Union soldiers stopped running when General Herron shot a soldier from his horse. The Confederate
cavalry skirmished with Herron’s force before falling back to the Prairie Grove ridge where General Hindman’s
Confederate infantry and artillery had set up a line of battle in the woods.
After crossing the Illinois River under fire, Herron’s Union artillery exchanged fire with the Confederate
cannons near the home of Archibald Borden. The superior range and number of Union cannons silenced the
Southern guns, allowing the Union infantry to prepare to attack the ridge.
The Union Army made two charges up the ridge near the Borden House, but was forced to retreat back to
their cannons in the valley. The Confederates counterattacked only to be driven back by the accurate fire of the
Union artillery firing canister shot. While the Southerners prepared for another attack into the valley, General
James G. Blunt’s Union troops arrived and attacked the Confederates on the western side of the ridge.
Blunt’s Federals were at Cane Hill that morning expecting to be attacked by the Confederates under
Hindman. When the Union soldiers heard the roar of battle at Prairie Grove, they marched to the battlefield,
arriving in time to save Herron’s soldiers. The fighting on the western end of the ridge raged near the Morton
House where four families huddled in the cellar. Nightfall brought an end to the savage fighting with neither
side gaining an advantage, although the Confederates retreated that night due to a lack of ammunition and food.
The two armies lost about 2,700 soldiers who were wounded, killed, or missing in action. The battle was
a tactical draw, but a strategic Union victory as the Federals would maintain control of Missouri and northwest
Arkansas for the remainder of the war. Unfortunately, there would be plenty of guerrilla warfare in the region
with bushwhackers (Southern supporters) and jayhawkers (Union supporters) destroying the countryside and
forcing many families to become refugees from the conflict. It would take many years for the people to recover
from the effects of the Civil War.
Maps of the Battle of Prairie Grove
Helpful Websites for Arkansas History & Civil War
AHSI Arkansas History Summer Institute - www.uark.edu/depts/arkhist/home/AHSI/
Arkansas - History & Museums- www.externalharddrive.com/history/usa/arkansas-history.html
Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission - www.arkansascivilwar150.com/links/
Arkansas Archeological Survey – www.uark.edu/campus-resources/archinfo/
Arkansas Department of Education – arkansased.org/
Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism - www.arkansasstateparks.com – http://arkansas.com/
Arkansas Farm Bureau - www.arfb.com/programs_activities/ Arkansas Game & Fish Commission - www.agfc.com/
Arkansas Historic Preservation Program – www.arkansaspreservation.org/
Arkansas Historical Association - www.uark.edu/depts/arkhist/home -Arkansas History Commission - www.ark-ives.com - photographs & other research materials; collects the
state records, & promote historical & genealogical research.
Arkansas Home Page - www.state.ar.us - Official Arkansas website Home Page
Arkansas Mailing Lists - www.rootsweb.com/~jfuller/gen_mail_states-ar.html.
Arkansas Municipal League - www.arml.org
Arkansas Native Plant Society - www.anps.org/
Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission - www.naturalheritage.org/
Arkansas News Stories - www.town-usa.com/arkansas/arnews.html
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - www.ardemgaz.com
Arkansas Post National Memorial – www.nps.gov/arpo
Arkansas River Historical Society - www.tulsaweb.com/port/ - River links
Arkansas Secretary of State Office - www.sos.arkansas.gov/education.html - Arkansas Facts as will as
lesson plans & other information.
Arkansas State Symbols -www.50states.com/arkansas.htm - resource to state homepage, symbols, flags,
maps, constitutions, representatives, songs, birds, flowers, & trees.
Arkansas Stories Song Project - www.arkansasstories.com - Arkansas Studies Curriculum
Civil War Art - www.andythomas.com - Andy Thomas presents 2 Battle of Prairie Grove Prints & 11 Pea
Ridge Prints and other Civil War art mostly from the Trans-Mississippi battles
Central Arkansas Library System & Butler Center's - www.cals.lib.ar.us/butlercenter/lesson_plans/
Civil War in Arkansas – www.civilwarbuff.org –a lot of information and resource& a message board
Department of Arkansas Heritage - www.arkansasheritage.com/ - offers numerous lesson plans.
Harper's Weekly Newspapers - www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/the-civil-war.htm - copies original newspaper
Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock - www.arkansashistory.com/
Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Committee of Arkansas - www.lapurchase.org/
National Gardening Association - www.kidsgardening.com/
Old State House Museum of Arkansas - www.oldstatehouse.com -Multimedia Arkansas history, people, &
culture supplies information about its programs, exhibits, & educational programs.
Persistence of the spirit - African-American Experience in Arkansas – http://www2.aristotle.net/persistence/
Rock art in Arkansas - http://arkarcheology.uark.edu/rockart/index.html
Rockhounding in Arkansas- http://www.rockhoundingar.com/contents.html
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History - http://www.springdaleark.org/shiloh/
U of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service - www.uaex.edu - www.aragriculture.org/
United States Department of Agriculture http://www.agclassroom.org/
University of Arkansas Libraries - http://libinfo.uark.edu/
US Army Corps of Engineers - Little Rock www.swl.usace.army.mil
State Unit Study - http://homeschooling.about.com/library/weekly/aa121499.htm
Things to Do In Arkansas - Arkansas State Symbols - http://www2.thingstodo.com/states/AR/symbols.htm
TEAMS Distance Learning - teams.lacoe.edu/ - information & lesson plan has a good Civil War section
Teacher Recourses - www.archaeolink.com/arkansas_lesson_plans.htm - A links page for lesson plans.
Sites for Teachers- www.sitesforteachers.com/perl/rankem.pcgi?id=admin
Creative Teaching Associates - www.mastercta.com
Discovery channel for teachers - http://school.discovery.com/teachers/
Home Education Magazine- www.home-ed-magazine.com - eWorldAg.com - www.eworldag.com/
EE-Link - eelink.net -Education Place - www.eduplace.com/ - Education Planet - www.educationplant.com
Education World ® - www.education-world.com – Edulinks - www.edulinks.co.uk/index.html
AIMS - "Activities Integrating Mathematics and Science” http://www.aimsedu.org/
ABCTEACH - http://abcteach.com/ - LessonPlansPage.com - http://www.lessonplanspage.com/
Project Food, Land & People (FLP) - http://www.foodlandpeople.org/index.html
Project Learning Tree (PLT) - www.plt.org
Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) - http://www.projectwet.org/