Pea Ridge National Military Park is a United States National Military Park located in northwest Arkansas near the Missouri border. The park protects the site of the Battle of Pea Ridge, fought March 7 and 8, 1862. The battle was a victory for the Union and helped it gain control of the crucial border state of Missouri.
Administrative history
thumb|upright=1.2|Pea Ridge area [[National Park Service map]]
The Pea Ridge National Military Park was created by an act of Congress in 1956 to preserve the battlefield of the 1862 Battle of Pea Ridge. It was dedicated as a national park during the American Civil War Centennial in 1963.
In 1956, the Arkansas congressional delegation proposed legislation to make Pea Ridge a national military park. This was a significant breakthrough in American Civil War battlefield preservation. At that time, under the National Park Service classification system, only should have been preserved, along with a monument. On July 20, 1956, Congress enacted legislation to accept a donation from the state of Arkansas. These monuments are still located within the park today.