I apologize for posting twice last night.

Once again, Steve, I agree with most everything you say.

What I want people to understand is that you CANNOT dig an artifact up from a battlefield and SAY DEFINATELY that this was exactly where the artifact fell at the time of the battle. Therefore any information gleaned from the placement of that artifact is still only speculation.

You mention that the criminal relic hunter had found flint lock musket parts which you attribute to Price's Patriot Army of Missouri. By the time Pea Ridge rolled around Price's Army had replaced their inferior weapons with standard bore (.54, .58, & .69 caliber) percusion weapons.

These gun parts could have been associated with a camp previous to Pea Ridge or even a pre-War Dragoon camp.

We can't expect to expand our knowledge if we give "byes" to some researchers simply because they have degrees.