Fort Davidson State Historic Site

THE BATTLE OF PILOT KNOB!!

In the fall of 1864 Confederate armies east of the Mississippi River under command of Maj. Gen. Sterling Price, one of Missouri's most famous Confederate, to lead the raid. Price's goals were to divert Union troops from east of the Mississippi River, gather Confederate recruits, capture and destroy Union war materials and, of at all possible, capture St. Louis or Jefferson City. Price entered Missouri on September 19, 1864, with an army of 12,000 men heading for St. Louis. This was the largest Confederate calvary raid of the war. While en route to the St. Louis area, Price decided to attack the weakly defended post of Fort Davidson at Pilot Knob. Fort Davidson was a small hexagonal earthwork fort defended by Gen. Thomas Ewing Jr. and his 1,450 Union soldiers. It would be one of Price's most fatal mistakes.At the end of the battle the Confederates paid a heavy price during the Battle of Pilot Knob. As many as 1,000 troops were killed or wounded, and more importantly, Gen. Price no longer posed a threat to St. Louis. The Union force suffered 200 casualties, with 28 killed. Price continued his advance into Missouri following the battle. Eventually, he encountered two Union armies at the battle of Westport, near Kansas City. It was there, in the largest battle fought west of the Mississippi River, where he was defeated and forced to return to Confederate Arkansas.
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