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
WILLIAM L. SHEA is professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He is coauthor of several books, including Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West (UNC Press) and Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle for the Mississippi River.
"Pea Ridge is 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 "A model campaign history that merits recognition as a major contribution to the literature on Civil War military operations."--Journal of Military History "A noteworthy achievement. There has long been a need for a detailed study of this complex campaign and battle. At last it has been done in a wonderfully researched and dramatically presented account."--Alvin M. Josephy, Jr., author of The Civil War in the American West "A thoroughly researched and well-told account of an important but often neglected Civil War encounter."--Kirkus Reviews "An unusual and outstanding contribution to knowledge. . . . A prototype for writing and evaluating modern campaign and battle studies."--Western Historical Quarterly "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 "Shines welcome light on the war's largest battle west of the Mississippi."--USA Today "This book is assured of a place among the best of all studies that have been published on Civil War campaigns."--American Historical Review "With its exhaustive research and lively prose style, this military study is virtually a model work of its kind."--Publishers Weekly
