The Union forces under Gen Samuel R. Curtis had marched southward from Springfield, MO along the main "highway" known as the Telegraph Road. Expecting the CSA attack from the south (Van Dorn's Army had marched northward from Fayetteville) Curtis entrenched his forces along Sugar Creek, facing southward.
To quote from the Park's summary of the battle:
"...Van Dorn knew that a frontal assault against Curtis's troops would be suicidal, so he swung north to come in behind them. He planned to strike at dawn on March 7, but his troops, hungry, cold and weary from a difficult three-day march, arrived hours behind schedule. McCulloch's troops fell so far behind that Van Dorn decided to temporarily divide his army. He ordered McCulloch around the west end of Elkhorn Mountain, then to turn east along Ford Road to rejoin Price's troops near Elkhorn Tavern. These delays gave Curtis time to face about and prepare for the attack.
"As McCulloch's troops, including two regiments of Cherokee Indians under Brig. Gen Albert Pike, were engaged in this maneuver, they ran into intensive fire near Leetown that killed McCulloch and Brig.Gen. James McIntosh and led to the capture of their ranking colonel..." (this would have been Louis Hebert of the Louisiana Brigade)..."With their command structure practically destroyed, McCulloch's men scattered from the field.
"Attacking east of Elkhorn Mountain, Van Dorn and Price fared better. Price's Missourians slowly but steadily pushed the Federals back until, at nightfall, they held Elkhorn Tavern and the crucial Telegraph and Huntsville roads. During the night the survivors of McCulloch's Leetown fight joined them.
"On the morning of March 8, Curtis counter-attacked in the tavern area. A two hour artillery barrage crippled the Confederate line and a concerted infantry attack broke their defenses. Realizing that his ammunition was running low, Van Dorn ordered his troops to withdraw. The battle of Pea Ridge was over and most of the Union and Confederate troops moved east of the Mississippi to fight in other campaigns....."
To help visualize the ground....Elkhorn Mountain is at the north end of the field..it is actually an east-west ridge roughly a mile long at its highest and probably less than 100' above the surrounding terrain. However, it was enough to block line-of-sight, disturb and distort the sounds of battle and isolate McCulloch's and Prices two wings from each other.
Stops on the "loop road" that circles the battlefield significant for those interested in McCulloch's Division are:
Stop 3: "Leetown: This small village stood a short distance southwest of the parking lot. During the battle the wounded of both sides were brought here, where buildings and tents served as hospitals. All visible evidence of the village is gone."
Stop 4: Leetown Battlefield: The Confederate attack through the woods north of this field and across the tour road to the east failed to defeat the Federals deployed along the south fence line. Two Confederate generals, Ben McCulloch and James McIntosh, were killed near the north boundaries of this field."
Stop 5: "Armies Collide: Pea Ridge was the only major Civil War battle in which Indian troops participated. Two regiments of Cherokees, about 1,000 men, fought for the Confederate Army and routed two companies of Union Cavalry. Union cannon fire eventually forced them to take cover in the woods. The Cherokee regiments were held in reserve throughout the remainder of the battle."
The Texas (and Arkansas and Louisiana) units were primarily engaged on the northwest and west sides of the park on the first day (March 7, 1862) with survivors regrouped on the second day (March 8th) and serving on the northeast side of the field, near the (reconstructed) Elkhorn Tavern.
I'm hoping to pickup some other accounts of the battle by other authors at some time in the future and compare the accounts.