East Overlook at Pea Ridge

The view from the East Overlook looking out over the battlefield to the west.

Photo by Virginia Patterson, NPS

Quick Facts

Location:

Garfield, AR

Amenities

4 listed

Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Wheelchair Accessible

About 150 yards down the path is the best view of the battlefield. Almost 50% of the park grounds can be seen from this viewpoint. This is one of the most beautiful places on the battlefield. The East Overlook is about 1,610 feet above sea level. On the morning of March 8, 1862, Gen. Samuel Curtis’s union artillery pounded the top of Big Mountain. When the artillery thundered across the landscape, Confederate soldiers tried to find shelter on the rocky slope of this overlook. The solid shot tore through the trees and shattered rock while explosive shell bursts overhead, throwing a deadly shower of lead, iron, wood, and stone into the defenders. Twenty-one guns belonging to six union army batteries created a loud sound that could be heard from miles away. The Confederates suffered many casualties, but there were only four known fatalities.