Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
True story of the Battle of Prairie Grove goes far beyond history book
The Battle of Prairie Grove was one of the larger battles of the Civil War fought in Arkansas. The battle occurred on December 7, 1862, between the Union Army of the Frontier — under the command of James Blunt and Francis Herron — and the Confederate Army of the Trans-Mississippi under Thomas Hindman.
Hindman moved his 11,000 troops north from Fort Smith to confront Blunt’s forces, which had just won the battle of Cane Hill. Blunt, hearing of the attack and knowing he would be outnumbered, called for reinforcements from General Herron.
Herron marched his men nearly more than 100 miles in three days, a remarkable feat of endurance, in order to assist Blunt. Caught between two armies, Blunt took position on the high points around the town of Prairie Grove.
The battle raged throughout the day, with both sides suffering huge numbers of casualities, 1,251 for the north and 1,317 for the south. Low on ammunition, the Confederate army withdrew in secret from the field and left Prairie Grove a desolate wasteland.
That is the major storyline and just involves battalions, troop movement and numbers. The true history is the story of the men and women caught up in the clash between the two armies.
The story of civilians caught in the battle is horrendous, especially the stories of two young girls, 14-year old Julia Pyeatt and 9-year old Caldonia Brandenbury. Both discussed the horrors of battle, hiding in cellars while cannons thundered outside, then eventually the house filled with the wounded and dying.
Emerging from the cellar that night, one described the effort required to push open the cellar door only to discover it was jammed shut by the bodies of the dead. Emerging, they could hear the shouts for help from men dying on the battlefield. Life would never be the same for those traumatized by war.
One of the more interesting stories of the battle involved Colonel A.W. Slayback, a dashing and gallant officer under the command of General Marmaduke. Slayback, perhaps too often exposed to the tales of heroism written by Sir Walter Scott, saw war as a heroic adventure. Facing the opposing Union army, he rode forth from his line and challenged any one man to single combat. Immediately, Captain Wilhite, a union man from Arkansas, accepted the challenge.
Firing from 20 paces, Slayback’s second shot struck Wilhite in the leg. Two other men dashed out to take his place and Major Robert Smith and Lieutenant James Walton joined Slayback. Similar to the shootout at the O.K. Corral, bullets flew thick and fast until another federal fell and they retreated from the field. As chivalrous as the fight might seem, it did nothing to prevent the ensuing battle.
In another unlikely story, Colonel (later General) Jo Shelby’s cavalry routed federal troops of the 6th and 7th Missouri Cavalry and chased them back toward Fayetteville. In hot pursuit, Shelby and a few of his men became separated from the main body of his unit. Union Major Hubbard and his federal troops surrounded Shelby. Pressing a revolver to Shelby’s head, Hubbard shouted, “Surrender I say, surrender or I fire.” Hearing horses approaching nearby, Shelby coolly remarked, “You are sadly mistaken. It is you who must surrender.”
Sure enough, up trotted his men under the command of Major Shanks. Within the group that rescued him was several of Quantrill’s Partisan Rangers including Frank and Jesse James, as well as the Younger brothers.
Forever loyal, Jo Shelby spoke in defense of Frank James at his trial in 1883. James was acquitted. Shelby, known as the General who never surrendered, was inspiration for the movie “The Undefeated” starring John Wayne. It was written about his exploits.
The true story goes far beyond those few lines that are contained in the history book. It is the story of those who succeeded, those who failed and those who suffered, bled and died in those few moments of our collective past.
Curtis Varnell, Ph.D., is a longtime teacher in the area, the author of several books on local history, a regular columnist on that topic and the science and social studies coordinator for the Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative at Branch. Email him at curtis.varnell@wscstarfish.com.