I’ll own up to being pretty hard to freak out. I’m not scared of ghosts or monsters or horror movies or graveyards. I’m not easy to scare. I can remember twice in my life that I’ve actually had spine-chilling experiences. Once was far away and long ago, when I was a teen visiting a concentration camp in Europe. The other was closer to home, when I found myself looking over a Civil War battlefield. I must have let my imagination get the best of me, because I could have sworn I heard echoes of gunfire and felt the ghosts of men and boys all around. I just let my imagination go too far, right? Or maybe I was only experiencing a sensitivity similar to what many other people have experienced at Pea Ridge National Military Park.

(You’ll find directions to the park here.)

When the Union and Confederate armies met there, 26,800 men stood on the battlefield.
Flickr/MRHSFan
The confederates outnumbered the unionists by a staggering 6,000 men.
The confederates were advancing north, hoping to capture St. Louis, Missouri.
Flickr/MRHSFan
The confederate force wasn’t just local boys. Among the force of 16,400 souls, 8,000 were Texicans and 7,000 were from Missouri.

The Union troops accounted for around 10,400 men. The Union commander was considered to be more a politician than a war-tested general.
The battle lasted two days in 1862, March 6th through March 8th.
Flickr/MRHSFan
The Confederate force was tired.They’d marched through snow and over mountains, they were running low on food and ammunition, and their early losses at Pea Ridge further hampered their spirits.

Meanwhile, the Union army rallied around a hot breakfast, proud of themselves for the success of their first day of battle, glad they’d faced down an army that significantly outnumbered them.
Soon, Union victory was assured. At 10:30 a.m. on the morning of March 8th, 1862, the Confederate army began its retreat.
Flickr/MRHSFan

Related Stories

These 10 Haunted Cemeteries In Arkansas Are Not For the Faint of Heart

These 10 Haunted Cemeteries In Arkansas Are Not For the Faint of Heart

 Stay Away From Arkansas’ Most Haunted Street After Dark Or You May Be Sorry

Stay Away From Arkansas’ Most Haunted Street After Dark Or You May Be Sorry

 The Arkansas Ghost Story That Will Leave You Absolutely Baffled

The Arkansas Ghost Story That Will Leave You Absolutely Baffled
When the smoke cleared and the morning rose on Pea Ridge, nearly 3,400 men and boys were already dead, their bodies littering the expanse of field that had held the fierce battle.
Flickr/NPS CulturalLandscapes
Visitors to the battlefield report hearing cannon fire in the night . . .
Flickr/Jason St Peter
. . . the feeling of strange presences following them around the battlefield . . .
Flickr/Daniel Weber
. . . the shouts of boys who died on that bloody ground.
Flickr/David Harshman
Perhaps the next time you visit Pea Ridge National Military Park you won’t find it odd that the field is so creepy. After all, thousands of men lost their lives there.
Wikipedia/Kurz and Allison

To find other spooky places, check out this list. If you’re interested in finding the Most Haunted Hotel in America, click here.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Related Articles

Explore Arkansas