During The Battle of Elkhorn Tavern/Pea Ridge
When the fighting around the tavern began, Joseph and Lucinda Cox, along with Joseph’s mother, Polly, did not leave their home, but retreated to the building’s cellar. They grabbed only a few necessities for survival. The family remained in the cellar for three days and nights, March 7–9, 1862, as the battle waged above them. The upper floors of the tavern served as a makeshift hospital for wounded troops, many undergoing surgery and amputations with no anesthetic, and for a short time served as Confederate General Earl Van Dorn's headquarters. The tavern was hit many times by ammunition during the battle, including a cannonball that tore through the second floor, but remained standing.
When the fighting finally subsided on March 9, 1862, the scene around the tavern was one of devastation, with the bodies of men and horses scattered across the battlefield and even the trees surrounding the property broken and scarred by the fighting.
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