Leetown
Pea Ridge NMP Tour Stop #3
Directions:
The Leetown Tour Stop [ Waypoint = N36 26.480 W94 03.042 ] is located about 1.1 miles down the tour road.
After parking, you will want to walk down the path to the site of Leetown at the junction of the Wire Road and the Leetown Road [ Waypoint = N36 26.434 W94 03.142 ]. You may also want to walk north along the path that marks the location of the Leetown Road.
Description: During the fighting that would take place on March 7th in Oberson's Field, the Federals would set up field hospital facilities in Leetown to take care of the wounded. The interpretive sign at the parking area explains this:
“The quarter-mile-long trail you see ahead leads to the site of Leetown. Today the woods and meadows of the Pea Ridge battlefield appear to be an uninhabited wilderness. During the Civil War, this whole area was a patchwork quilt of working farms and woodlots. Leetown was made up of a dozen or so log-and-frame homes and outbuildings.”
“As intense fighting raged nearby in Oberson's cornfield and Morgan's Woods, stretcher bearers carried the wounded of both armies to Leetown, the closest place offering shelter from the winter weather. All the space in the houses was taken over by wounded and dying soldiers. Yellow flags guided the walking wounded to medical attention.”
About 100 yards from the parking area, you should turn right at the Leetown sign. You are now walking along the Wire Road. After you arrive at the Leetown clearing ahead, continue walking another 100 yards or so and you should see a path that follows the Leetown Road on the right. This was the route taken by Union Colonel Peter J. Osterhaus who Curtis had sent with a detachment of Federal troops to protect the Federal army's left flank. This was also the road used to move the wounded back into Leetown for medical care. It's just a short walk of a quarter mile if you decide to follow the Leetown Road north. You will cross the Park's Tour Road and end up at the corner of Morgan's Woods.
