The gunnery in Prairie Grove also showed this same high level of skill and accuracy. The other large Civil War battle in this area, Pea Ridge, was characterized by outstanding artillery work on the part of the Federals. This amateurishness did not extend to the Union artillery, fortunately. The Union General Herron's forces had to make one of the most grueling marches of the war, covering a fast hundred miles to join Blunt at Prairie Grove, even though this resulted in Herron's men being exhausted and scattered along the road when their vanguard reached the battlefield. Both forces were small, and the land area that needed to be covered by them was huge. This area of the country was extremely empty of any supplies that could be foraged for man or beast, and both armies suffered accordingly. General Hindman had essentially no command and no supplies when he entered the field, so he had to beat the bushes to raise troops, make his officers take classes to learn their business, and scrounge for even a basic level of guns and ammo. The Confederates were at a serious disadvantage going into the fight. Both Confederate and Union forces in this area of the country had an amusing, amateurish command structure best termed 'spontaneous.' Many commanders on both sides did what they wanted with little reference to their superiors, and what's more, their superiors didn't seem to care.
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