At the Battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas on December 7, 1862, Adams's regiment was ordered forward after the battle had started, to fill a gap in the Confederate line. They headed directly for the sound of the firing, lost their way and ended up in a deep ravine from which they had to be extracted to take their place in the line. Adams kept his men in place for a short time in order to steady them. Soon, they unleashed a volley on the flank of an advancing Union regiment, the 26th Regiment Indiana Infantry, sending that regiment into retreat. As the Confederates advanced in close ranks, the 37th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment made a stand in an orchard, from which they brought Adams's regiment under heavy fire. Most of the men, except for some veterans of the Battle of Wilson's Creek in the two veteran companies, then fled the field. Adams was nonetheless praised for his own leadership and performance. Adams and his remaining men fell in with Colonel Emmett MacDonald's Brigade of Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke's Division. The flight of most of the men of Adams's regiment had little effect on the outcome of the battle. Adams's regiment was disbanded on December 16, 1862.