NPS Photo This Elkhorn Tavern was reconstructed based on photos of the Cox's tavern from the 1880s. The south fireplace and the foundations are from the original building. The reconstructed Elkhorn Tavern is listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. The original Elkhorn Tavern was built around 1833 by William Reddick and his son-in-law, Samuel Burks. In 1858, Burks, sold the house and the 313 acres to Jesse & Polly Cox for $3600. Cox made several improvements to the tavern, including adding white-painted weatherboarding (siding) to the exterior and a set of stairs leading to the upper porch. The stairs allowed members of the Benton County Baptist Society, to meet at the house without having to go through a "public house". Another addition was a set of elk horns that Cox placed on the ridgepole, which gave the tavern its name. 
NPS Photo Prior to the Civil War, the house was used for many purposes, although it was well-known locally as a stop for the Overland Stage. Although the Butterfield Stage passed by on the Telegraph Road, the Elkhorn Tavern was not an official stop on the Butterfield line. During this period, the Tavern was described as a place "of abundant good cheer". 
NPS Photo In February 1862, the fields surrounding the tavern, were transformed into the Federal army's main supply camp. During the battle, the tavern served as a field hospital, and, for a brief time, as Van Dorn's headquarters. Polly Cox, her son Joseph, his wife Lucinda, and the two youngest children, Elias and Franklin, stayed in the tavern's cellar during the battle. Although it was hit many times, once by a cannonball that hit the upper floor, the Tavern survived the battle intact. After the battle, the Federals used the tavern as a headquarters and military telegraph station, until it was burned around January, 1863 by Confederate guerrillas. Joseph Cox rebuilt the structure on the original foundations soon after the war's end. As hundreds of veterans and their families returned to the battlefield, Cox ran a small museum with battle artifacts hung on the walls. The structure went through a number of modifications and changes until it was transferred to the National Park Service on March 7, 1960. The structure has since been restored to its approximate wartime appearance. 
NPS Photo Two monuments sit on the Elkhorn Tavern grounds. These are the only monuments on the battlefield. The first monument placed on the battlefield (to the left in the photograph), in memory of the Confederate generals who were killed here - Benjamin McCulloch, James McIntosh & William Y. Slack, of the Missouri State Guard , was paid for by the people of Benton County, Arkansas and was dedicated in 1887. The Reunited Soldiery Monument (in the background of the photo to the right) was placed here by Confederate and Union veterans in 1889. It is one of the first Civil War monuments dedicated to the soldiers of both sides to be placed on any battlefield. Fighting at Elkhorn Tavern-Day 1Carr arrived at the tavern just ahead of Price’s Missourians. He deployed his men in a thin line about 400 yards north of the building. He placed his artillery in a clearing across the Telegraph Road. At 12:30, his second brigade arrived with additional artillery. The two lines collided in the deep and rocky hollows north of the tavern. Price brought up his artillery and began pounding the Federal position. The smoke hung thickly in the cold, March air making it impossible to see the enemy’s lines or aim at anything other than the muzzle flashes as the guns fired. Although outnumbered 3 to 1 in men, and 7 to 1 in artillery, Carr held the high ground and repulsed each attack throughout most of the day. At 4:30, after 6 hours of hard fighting, the Missourians broke the Federal left.The Federal right, under Colonel Grenville Dodge, continued to hold on though. Dodge's brigade constructed breastworks of logs and fencerails, and dug in along the edge of the Clemmon's field about a half-mile east of the Elkhorn Tavern. Price brought up three batteries and blasted the Federal breastworks. One of the Missouri State Guard divisions, about 500 men, charged the line. When they were only 20 paces from the breastworks, the Federals rose and fired, and stopped the attack cold. The two lines exchanged volleys for several minutes before the Missourians fell back. After an hour of fighting, Price ordered a coordinated attack on the entire the Federal line. Dodge's men, nearly out of ammunition, retreated down the Telegraph Road. Carr reformed his division on the south woodline of the Ruddick field. Price made several attempts to force the Federals from their new position, but the Missourians were exhausted and each charge was beaten back. Price pulled his men back to a line on the north edge of the field to rest them, confident of an easy victory in the morning. "The way shell canister and round shot whistled over our heads while we were lying there, was a caution to all sinners." Private Daniel Tyrrell
Company F 9th Iowa Infantry |
Last updated: January 4, 2025