Hey everyone, welcome to episode 104 of our Civil War podcast. My name is Rich.

I'm Tracy. Hello y'all. Thanks for tuning into the podcast. As y'all recall, when we left off last week, it was the

afternative March 7th, 1862. And although no one knew it quite yet, the federal said the battle of P-Ridge half

one. The Confederate force on the Lee-Tang portion of the battlefield had been defeated and was in retreat.

But as we mentioned last week, that fighting was only part of the battle of P-Ridge, because over

around Elkorn Tavern, the battle for control of the telegraph road raged all that day and much of the next.

Last week, we talked about how federal commander Samuel Curtis had dispatched Grenville Dodges first

brigade of the 4th Division, led by Eugene Carr, north to Elkorn Tavern to counter the rebel threat

to the army's rear. Carr intercepted the enemy force, led by Earl Van Dorn and Sterling Price,

as it was advancing through cross timber hollow, immediately north of the tavern.

If you want to picture a map of this part of the battlefield in your mind's eye, just picture the

telegraph road running north south. So you have the telegraph road running from the top of your map

to the bottom of your map. Then at Elkorn Tavern, another road, the Huntsville road, comes in from the

east and joins the telegraph road. Then just a bit south of the tavern, maybe 500 yards,

the 4th road comes in from the west and joins the telegraph road. And there really was a tavern

at Elkorn Tavern. It was a large white two-story building with a huge set of antlers fixed to

top its roof. The tavern and its outbuildings were located in a sizable clearing on the telegraph

road near those two important road junctions, with Huntsville road and 4th road.

South of Elkorn Tavern was the federal army's main position along the telegraph road

at Little Sugar Creek, where Samuel Curtis had anticipated meeting the confederate advance.

But Earl Van Dorn had used the Bentonville detour to circle around behind the fedels from the west.

Y'all recall that part of Van Dorn's army had split off and used the 4th road,

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