A21_MISC_(Attachment_2_-_EXHIBIT_B_100_Years_Ago_Great_Battle_Fought_at_Pea_Ridge).pdf

NORTHWtST ARKANSAS TIMES, Fayeltevlll*, ArkanMi, Friday, Marc* 9, T962

100 Years Ago Great Battle Fought At Pea Ridge Descendants Of Original Owners '

Give Elkhorn History Editor's Note: Material for this special edition was assembled and written by Maxinc Miracle Wassoii.

THE IATE MRS. FRANCES SCOTT

. . . last owner of Elkhorn Tavern before It wns purchased for R National Park.

"You could look (or years and not find a.place anywhere wilh a more inlcresling history than Elk-horn Tavern, localed on the fa-mous Pea Kidge Battlefield in Benton County, A r k a n s a s , " a tourist said.

Wha t is Ihe history of Elkhorn Tavern and its people from 1833 to when it.s last owner moved away in 1959?

Wallace Scott, Garfield, Arkan-sas, said, "My great grandfather .Jesse Cox came from Kansas and homestcaded part of Ihe land and bought part of it and bui l t the first tavcrr in 1833.

"The first tavern became Elk-horn Tavern because an elk was killed by a carpenter on his wa;

lo work on Ihe building one morn-ing. The elk was killed about a fourth of a mile away, and Ihe carpenter look (he horns and put them on Ihe roof of the building.

They decided the building should be called Elkhorn Tavern, and so it was.

Wallace Scott Recalls Childhood

Memories Of Historic Tavern Wallace Scott said, "My moth-er, Frances Cox Scott, was bom in 1865 at Elkhorn Tavern and had lived (here alt her life un t i l 1959.

She, of course, inherited her part of the place. Then my father, L.

D. Scott, bought Ihe other heirs out and he and my mother took over the management of Elkhorn Tavern.

"I have a lot of good memories : about Elkhorn, For instance, I •especially remember my moth-er's dining table loaded with good things to eat. There was always plenty of butter, honey, pork, botli wild and tame fruits, and all kinds of fresh garden vegetables in Ihe summer. I've seen my father kil l as high as 15 hogs lo feed trav-elers. My mother would fry lots of home-cured ham and just round it up on huge platters. She'd do eggs the same way. She'd make lots of hot blscuils and coffee lo serve with her fine meals, loo.

And what do you suppose she charged for such a meal? All of 25 ccnls. But if a traveler spent the night at Ihe tavern, had sup-per and breakfast both and had two horse.'; to feed, then he'd be charged lhc whopping sum of 75 cenls.

,"I can s t i l l sec those drum-mers, in my mind, who used to pull up for a night's slay with us.

They drove a two-horse hack.

There was a top over (he front part of the hack, but the back part wasn't covered. Il was filled wilh colorful samples of t h e i r mysterious products — mysteri-ous lo a boy anyway.

"I remember the s a w m i l l s would hardly saw lumber from trees around the tavern. You see, there was !ols of grapeshol in the trees, and this would knock out the teeth in their saws.

"When I was a boy I could walk over the fields and pick up buck-etfuls of battle relics — pieces of guns, bayonets, horseshoes a n d the like. I feel Ihere arc several batt le relics lo be found y e t at Elkhorn Tavern, around t h e fields and in the woods.

"In later years the Elkhorn Tavern was turned in to a Civil War museum. Mother was the proprietor. She always looked for-ward lo scing visitors and telling them the stories that her parents had told her concerning the bat-tle of Elkhorn Tavern. E v e n (hough sire was advanced in age, she kept on Idling the history of the battle o' Elkhom — Pea Ridge as many call it — u n t i l Ihe build-ing was bought for a national park. After this, she moved to Garfield, Arkansas. '

"There is an interesting slory about the horns. You see, during the bailie of Pea Ridge the Fed-erals took the horns as trophies of their victory. Later the horns ap-peared in a pawn shop — St. Lou-is, 1 believe — and the artist, Hunter P. Wilson, who was a close frienil of my Grandfather Joseph Cox, saw the horns. He saw that they were labeled 'Elkhorns from Pea Ridge Battlefield,' Mr. Wil-soi bought the horns and brought them to my Grandfather Cox, and again, they put them on the roof of Ihe lavern.

"But wait. I'm gelling ahead of myself. Back lo Greal Grandfath-er Cox. W h e n Greal Grandfather Jesse saw trouble brewing be-tween Ihe North and South, he de-cided lo return lo Kansas.

"One day he called my Grand-father Joseph — his son — in and said, 'Joseph, I'm going back to Kansas. I aim to turn the tavern over to you.'

"Great Grandfather Jesse 1 e f I 'or Kansas, and my grandfather, Joseph Cox, look over Ihe man-agement of Elkhorn Tavern."

"Grandfather Cox was a great iiaiter. He'd rather hunl than do anything else. Wild animals of all ;inds were killed on the farm.

The,meat of hogs, bears and dcers vere eaten. I have a big sausage grinder handed down in the fam-ly which once was used in grind-ng bear sausages."

Mrs. Frances Cox died April 3, 1960, at Hie age of 95. She is buried in the Pratt Cemetery, only a few feet from the graves of her mother and (athcr, Lucinda and Joseph Cox and her husband L.

D. Scofl, who died January 3 1932.

armed, kept hives of bees, raised lieep for wool, raised wheat for •read and took it to mill. Besides his, he was kept busy with a blacksmith shop, tanning yard, nd bool shop. Whiskey barrels vere made from while oaks at Elkhorn. "Someone else made the vhiskey," Scott said, "but it was irought to Elkhorn and stored in he cellar lo age."

Elkhorn was also a stopping Jace for stage coaches, a voting ilace and trading posl.

"I suppose Grandpa J o s e p h

'ox was a real busy man with his hunting and farm," Scott said.

'But he had a good help mate, le married Lucinda Pratt, daugh-

Battlefield Duel Fought .•f While the battle was raging a 'Union man and a Rebel, b o t h separated from (heir commands, found each other climbing I h e same fence. The Rebel had one of (hose long knives made of a file, which the South so exten-sively paraded but so rarely used, and the Union man had one also, picked up from the battlefield. Tlie Rebel challenged his e n e m y lo

• fair, open combat with the knife.

The challenge was accepted. The two removed their coals, rolled up (heir sleeves and began.

The Rebel had more skill, but his opponent more strength. The

: latter could not strike his enemy ' while he received several cuts on ; the head and breast.

; The blood began trickling down j the, Unionist's face, and running : inlo.hAs eyes, almost blinding him

The Onion man became despe rate, for he saw the seccssionls vas unhurt. K- made a feinl; the

; Rebel leaned forward to a r r e s ' the blow, but emploving loo much : energy, could not recover him self at once. The Union man per ceivcd his advantage, and kne\ e couldn't lose it. In five sec-mtls more it would be loo late, ^nollier' feint ; another dodge on he Rebel's part, and (he blade if Ihe Unionist hurled through the ir, fell with [remendous force ipon the Rebel's neck. The blood purled from the ' throat , and Ihe head fell over, almosl entirely sev-ered from the iody. Ghastly sight;

loo ghastly even for the doer of the deed; He fainted at the speclacle weakened by (he loss of his own blood, and was soon afler butch-ered by an Indian, who saw him sink lo earth.

Soldier Avenges Brother's Death One of lhc Ninth Missouri was so enraged on the second day of the >atlle al seeing his brother, a member of the same regiment, horribly butchered and scalped hat he swore vengeance against he Indians fighting, and for the remainder of the day devoted his attention entirely to them. He went about hiding himself behind trees and fighting Indian-fashion. He would often creep along the ground to oblain a belter range, then woe lo the savage who exposed any party of his body, for the man oi the Ninlh Missouri was an excel-lent marksman.

When he shot an I n d i a n , he would shout with joy. "There goc.

another redskin to hades: Hurra!:

or the Stars and Stripes, bul down vith Indians!"

Though ever following Ihe wi|y oe, and though fired upon again and again, he received not a scratch; and on his return back .0 camp after nightfall bore with lim nine .scalps of the Indians all scalped with his own hand:

to avenge his brother's death.

EIKHPRN TAVERN, AS IT APPEARED BEFORE THE BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE

Joseph Cox, slave help, ter of Lewis Pratt, who lived a shorl ways from Elkhorn. Grand-mother Cox was a smart, indus- Irious woman — very business like."

"Grandmother Cox had lo be a good business woman to manage so many people and so many jobs," Mrs. Lotlie Dokes, sister of Wallace Scott, said. "I Ihink the slaves did mosl of the cooking for the tavern and other jobs, of course; but grandmother was the one who had to keep tab on every-thing. Besides the work of prepar-ing the food, there were candle making, soapmaking, churning an the like to oversee, not lo men-lion spinning, weaving, and sew-ing.

"I don't see how Grandmother Cox did so much work, for she wasn't any bigger than a bar of soap after a hard day's wash.

She only weighed 107 pounds. She had real dark hair, brown eyes, and they showed her goodness.

Even with so much work wilh her family — seven children In all —

Sunday Services To Commemorate Battle Three services Sunday afternoon will mark the Battle of Pea

Ridge, fought 100 years ago in Benton County.

Three markers will be dedicated at a program on the porch of

(he Town House in Bentonville. This is to start at 1:30 p.m., and 'will include prayers and a "Review of History" by J. R. Craig.

At 3 o'clock a memorial service is to be held at the Baptist Church in Pea Ridge, to be (ollowed by a service on (he battle-field.

The memorial address at Ilie church will be given by Dr. James R. Green, assistant lo the president of the University, and a for-mer brigadier general. The ceremony on the battlefield will in-clude laying of wreaths in which Gov. Orval E. Faubus of Arkan-sas will lake part.

The public is invited to all three services.

and managing the tavern she still found time to doctor Ihe slaves.

Back then, it seemed that the slave women had a lot of trouble with their babies' navels. Grand-mother thought this was caused from them leaving their babies with older children too soon af-ter they were born while they carried on their own duties around the household. So Grandmother saw lo it lhat Ihe slave women on her place look plenty time af-ter a baby was born before go-ing back lo work. She would go and doctor them and their chil-dren, as quickly as she would have her own family in time of sick-ness.

"They say a night was never too cold or dark for grandmoth-er to saddle up and ride for miles tc help out in sickness or death, or in childbirth. In (act, folks all over the countryside, far a n d near, depended on her to treat them regardless of their ail-ments."

"My grandmother Cox m a d e her own medicines with the many herbs growing at Elkhom," Mrs.

Dokes said.

A century and more ago mullein was considered a valuable plant and a sovereign remedy for vari-ous ills. Tile leaves were used in-stead of flannel for frictions, and dipped in hot water or medicated decoctions they were valuable for fomentations. They were also con-sidered useful in poultices ap-plied lo swellings.

A strong mullein tea was taken internally for agues, c r o u p , coughs, bleeding al the lungs; and externally in wash for scalds and burns. Mullein leaves were also cured and crumbled like tobacco and smoked in a pipe by asthma sufferers.

Trees were used in tonics. Per-haps the mosl popular trees, grow-ing at Elkhorn, used for medicinal purposes, were the sassafras, elm, oak, cedar, wild cherry, and dog-wood.

Poultices, salves, powrders, teas and tonics were also made with such plants as the bloodroot, blackberi-y, c a t n i p , dandelions, and |x>kewecd.

Like mullein the indigo plant, common at Elkhom was held in high esteem long ago for both in-ternal and external uses. Internal-ly, in .a weak decoclion, it was considered useful as an antisep-tic, in mortification and all putrid complaints. It was made into an ointment with lard or cream and used externally.

Refuge Found In Cellar

Tavern Rebuilt On Old Site Elkhom Tavern was rebuilt in

1865. The foundation and chimney, built by slaves, still stood after the first tavern burned, and Ihcse were used in the new tavern. The lumber for t h e building was hauled by oxcarts from Ihe Van Winkle Mills at War Eagle.

Joseph and Lucinda Cox went home again to Elkhorn Tavern and continued to operate it until their deaths. Mrs. Cox_died July 14, 1902. Mr. Cox died November 13, 1903. Both are buried in Ihe Pratt Cemetery, just a short dis-tance from Elkhorn Tavern.

rible it was cringing from the[ cannon's thunder, hearing I h e screams of (he wounded and dy-ing, and trying to dodge the blood seeping through the crevices of the upstairs rooms. T h e s e rooms were being used as a hos-pital by both armies. Men were undergoing surgery without bene-fit of an anesthetic. , "Grandmother s a i d (he dying men begged for water. After the springs were cut off by the Fed-

Humor, Pathos And Patriotism

. . . Found In Wartime Letters The following are portions of .a t tent ion lhal dress demands is letters written during Ihe War Be-tween the Slates:

A LOVER'S LETTER

"I say agen deer Melindy wcer filin fur our liburti.s lo dew gcst the consideration, "Will il be a necessaries is very different and far from complicated. The condi-piecc of economy lo purchase this lions of our currency has brought or lhat?" And daily we hear the , about many curious results; for remark, 'I w'anl homespun dresses 'instance, I have just procured they arc best for us now.' ! leather, for our negro-shoes. I ex- "Instead of finding our women;changed tallow for them, of which

Jeffdavise is a gentleman, And Lincon is a fule."

GIT:

"An Arkansas colonel has the following order for mounting his as we pleas, and we will file fur al Ihe piano, or on the fashionable'wc had a Quantity from some fine! FIRST ORDER: Prepare fur them so long as goddlemily gives,promenade, we find them busy at us brelh." '(heir looms, busy making soldier's

I uniforms, bandages, and the like."

- AN AFFECTIONATE HORSE

"I had halted to rest. Had dozed BATTLEFIELD RABBIT beeves, fattened and killed upon! lu r gcl onl° y°ur eriltcrs.

the place.

"I am now bargaining with a faclory up Ihe country to exchange

Ipork and lard, with them, forff i r irnrl. ,L , ' I n O'lu lal \ l , W I L H IjIVIi l , IV I off when Ijvas awakened by the' When _Ihe cannons^ roared, a blocks of yarn (0 weaye ncgro

/frantic pawing of my horse. Fa-j frightened rabbit ran here, there, Migued by my long ride, I didn't everywhere. It would stop, raise arouse easily. So the horse placed itself as high as possible on its clothes; and not only negro-cloth-ing I have woven, I am now dye-arouse easily, tx, we norse placed usen as nign as possible on its ing tl)read ,0 ' nomcsmln for

•5iis mouth close to my ear and hind legs and look around for some! myse|f and daughlcrs j am ravel.

•gave a loud snort to warn me of; Place of possible relreal. Il found 1™, un „, havino M«»II.H .11 «h« Tu'' '."•. T- "l'"'?Y,':,\ lhc approaching enemy. I sprang I a soldier flat on (he ground, gol -° P' - "g raVC"ed' -a" the- lhlng that ls uscful-

SECOND ORDER: GIT!':

REALLY?

"I haven't shaved my upper lip since yesterday aflernoon. Tomor-row will be the third day. I mean to grow a mustache that will be an object of admiration and envy.

Muslachios are absolutely neces-sary , lo the achievement of any-gloves."

up and saw Ihem coming. Thcincxl lo him for proleclion. When horse turned forme lo.mount, and I ' h e regiment moved foreward il

' then the fai thful beasl bore me hopped along tame as a kitten." * .away wilh the speed of the wind I JEFF DAVIS HELD ;.to safety. Thai noble critter saved FROM TUB WIFE OF A CON- ESTEEM old scraps of f ine worsteds and.

dark silks lo spin t h r e a d for LOVE LETTER IN VERSE

Mrs. Lotlie Dokes said, "When my Grandmother a n d Grandfath-

| er Cox knew the battle was real-ly coming they refused to leave home. Instead t h e y grabbed a few necessities and went to t h e cellar. Grandmolher had her knit-ting needles with her, and in the cellar she found a gourd with grease in it, so she rigged up a lamp. She took a piece of clolh and put in the grease and propped Ihe clolh up with her knitting nee-dles. By this sort of light, while (he bloody battle raged, she wrote a poem called "The 'Battle of Elk-horn Tavern." This poem de-scribes the awfulness of the bat-tle: the wounded crying for help, offering prayers and asking that God protect and care f o r Iheir loved ones, and some were even begging to die.

"My grandparents stayed in Ihe cellai three dreadful days and'each othei before the battle, nighls. Grandmolher told how hbr-i "When the terrible batlle ended

Clear around the piled arms, legs, and my grandparents came from the cellar a ghastly scene lay all around them, tavern were hands, and feet. While the battlt raged, there was nolhing else Uw doctors could do but toss the am-putations out the windows. There were bodies of men and horses scattered all over — guns and sabers and the like, too. Even the tree;- were scarred and disfigured.

erals, Southern troops were with- j Tops were broken out of old oak out water as well as withoul food and shoes How could the Confed-erates have possibly won u n d e r such horrible conditions?

"Gen. Sterling P r i c e was wounded in the battle and my Grandmother Cox tore a s t r i p from her apron and bandaged his wound. She did this in the cellar.

General Price was a f r i c nd of Grandfather's. Th c y had known trees and part of the walnut tree, standing in the yard, was shot away.

"Of course, my grandparents were sickened at such a horrible sight and stench, and they knew it would be impossible for Ihem to live at Elkhorn Tavern until the place was cleaned up. So they moved, nol far away, to wait un-til this was done. But in the meantime, t h e bushwhackers came and burned (he lavern."

The Following Fayetteville Business Firms

Join In This Tribute In The Observance Of The

100th Anniversary of the

BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE

SUNDAY, MARCH 11

The Pec Ridge Memorial Association presents

1:30 p.m.-'The Eagle Hotel Marker for Dedication."

On Porch of Town House, BentonviHe, Ark.

3:00 p.m.—'"The Memorial Program" Part I—Baptist Church, Pea Ridge Part II—Ceremony, National Military Park.

•'me from caplivity and possible FEDERATE OFFICER " dealh." j. "There are many l i l l le things in

" Tis hard for youens lo sleep in camp;

IN HIGH "Tis hard you youens to fight;

'Tis hard for youens through

"I will be for Jeffdavise till Ihe snow to tramp;

tenisee river freezes over, a n d

•which our daily life has changed, j then be for him, and scratch on J NOBLE SOUTHERN WOMEN Many luxuries are cut off f r o m ' l h c ice:

"What shall, r wear?" is now the table which, we-have forgotten a quesfion seldom asked. The only, to miss. Our mode of procuring

Jeffdavise rides a white horse, Lincoln rides a mule, In snow to sleep at night;

Bul 'harder for weans from youens lo part, Since youens have s t o 1 e n j weans hearts." ' I

Arkansas Western Gas Co.

Helping Build North and West Arkansas

Fayetfeville Building & Loan Association 19 East Center

First National Bank the Friendly Bank

Ozarks Electric Cooperative Corporation

Live Better, Farm Better Electrically

Swiff's Jewelry 27 North Block

Campbell Soup Co.

Spring t, West Streets

Southwestern Electric Power Co.

live Better Electrically