Progressing into the past

In just over two weeks, the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Pea Ridge will be celebrated at Pea Ridge National Military Park.

(That’s 150 years after the original event.)

The battle, which is reported to have saved Missouri for the Union was fought March 6-8, 1862. The land was home to many farmers and many of the descendants of those people still live here within sight of that land.

The 4,300-acre park was established July 20, 1956.

In 2006, it was declared by Fran Mainella, then director of the National Park Service, to be one of the most “pristine parks in the nation.”

The remembrance of the battle is neither an endorsement nor condemnation of the reasons for the battle or the War Between the States. It is a remembrance of Americans, on both sides, who fought passionately for their beliefs. It is a time to learn from battles and the events that led to the clashes.

“Whether I think it (the war) was right or wrong is irrelevant. They thoughtit was right,” said John C.

Scott, superintendent of Pea Ridge National Military Park.

“What can we learn from the greatest conflict of our country?”

Scott said that the centennial in 1962 was during a time of conflict in our nation for civil rights and it was still too painful to truly reflect upon the causes and lessons of the war.

“I think as we’re coming into the 150th, there’s a younger generation who can consider what there is to learn,” Scott said.

“Everything you need to know, you can learn on a battlefield. Despite technology and all the advances, there’s one thingthat hasn’t changed - the common thread that is as strong today as it was 150 years ago - is the human element.”

More than half a century ago, the strong-willed Pea Ridge residents fought to form the Pea Ridge National Military Park.

Over the years, through thoughtful insight, the land has been restored to its 1862 appearance.

It’s a beautiful park, but it’s more than that. It’s a memorial to those who fought and died for their beliefs. And, to those who lived through the battle and continued to maintain their homesteads and lives after the soldiers went home.