The Union Army had approximately 10,250 Union soldiers and 50 artillery pieces. They were commanded by Union Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis and Union Brig. Gen. Franz Sigel (). General Curtis attended the public schools, and was appointed as a cadet in the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1827, and he graduated in July 1831, as brevet second lieutenant in the Seventh Infantry. General Curtis resigned in June 1832. He moved on to study law and was admitted to the bar. He then commenced practice in Zanesville, Ohio. He served in the war with Mexico as adjutant general of Ohio and colonel of the Third Regiment, Ohio Infantry; honorably discharged June 24, 1847 (“Samuel Ryan Curtis”). General Sigel was an immigrant, an officer in the…show more content… Immigrating to the United States in 1852, he lived first in New York City and then in St. Louis (“Sigel, Franz”).Union forces consisted primarily of soldiers from Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio. Over half of the Federal soldiers were German immigrants.
The Confederate Army totaled approximately 16,000 men, which included 800 Indian troops. They also had contingents from the Missouri State Guard and other Missouri units transferring to Confederate service, and a contingent of cavalry, infantry and artillery from Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri. They were commanded by Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn, Brig. Gen. Benjamin McCulloch, and Maj. Gen. Sterling Price. General Van Dorn made a career as a United States Army officer, fighting with distinction during the Mexican-American War and against several tribes of Native Americans. Known to be physically short,…show more content… This Battle was fought between the Union Army and Confederate Army. The Confederate Army’s plan was to march on Saint Louis, Missouri, but the Union Army had other plans. If the Confederate Army was to win the Battle of Pea Ridge, it would allow Confederates to take control of Saint Louis and its major industrial and commercial centers and the state of Missouri (Owens, Richard). “Missouri also meant a lot to the Union Army. Missouri protected the northwestern flank of the newly formed Confederate States of America” (Owens, Richard). The Mississippi River linked the eastern and western parts of the Confederacy together. The Union Army would win this Battle due to tactical defense by Brig. Gen. Curtis. Curtis was able to place his troops in such a way that they were able to use natural defenses of Little Sugar Creek and the Elkhorn mountains. This strategy along with the splitting of Confederate forces and exhaustion from the Confederates, due to being too far from their supplies, contributed to the outnumbered Union’s victory. The defeat of the confederates at Pea Ridge left the Union to control Missouri and the Confederate states west flank. This also left no major Confederate forces left in the area due to their scattered retreat. This victory did many things for the Union Army. It allowed them to be protected in Tennessee from Confederate forces, along with allowing them to keep control of Saint Louis and its
