[thenotch]

Here are some pictures I took and a link to ALL of the pictures I took this past weekend at Fort Davidson in Pilot Knob MO.

In September 1864, a Confederate army under Maj. Gen. Sterling Price crossed into Missouri with the goal of capturing St. Louis. Union Brig. Gen. Thomas Ewing (who was William Tecumseh Sherman's brother-in-law and son of his adoptive father Thomas Ewing) moved with reinforcements down the railroad to Ironton to retard Price’s advance.

On the morning of September 27, the Confederates attacked, driving the Federals back into their defenses anchored by Fort Davidson. In the late afternoon, Price unsuccessfully assaulted the fort repeatedly, suffering heavy casualties. Price, considering the possible time involved, had dismissed the possibility of mounting guns on the high ground to compel the fort to surrender or to shell the garrison into submission.

During the night, the Federals evacuated the fort. Price had paid a high price in lives and gave Union forces the necessary time to concentrate and oppose his raid.

Its a very cool site... the mound is still there were the fort stood, including the moat that surrounded it (you can see this in the shoots of the Union troops firing from inside the moat as they did since the fort was too small to garrison all of them).

Many don't know the numbers when it comes to these conflicts, and it's something to put into perspective even today. This was a one day battle and the Confederates lost over 1500 men to the Unions almost 200. 1700 men in ONE day.









I have a little over 50 photos located here: http://www.uscivilwa...e...album&id=11

I also have some small video that I am still editing and will post a YouTube link when I get them done one of the final rebel attack on the fort and the other of Union troops climbing out of the moat area.

Here are the video links:

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hehe that first one would have been better if you had kicked that nutjob with the bandana out of your way hehe

[dsenette]

hehe that first one would have been better if you had kicked that nutjob with the bandana out of your way hehe

[sari]

thenotch,

The casualty figures in the Civil War are indeed staggering. At Antietam, the number killed in one day is estimated at 3,650. If you take the total casualties (dead, wounded, missing/captured), the number is a mind-boggling 22,720. I can't even picture that.

[thenotch]

thenotch,

The casualty figures in the Civil War are indeed staggering. At Antietam, the number killed in one day is estimated at 3,650. If you take the total casualties (dead, wounded, missing/captured), the number is a mind-boggling 22,720. I can't even picture that.

Exactly, but what I was eluding to is that you take a battle like Antietam... major battle and everyone has heard of it and the numbers... then you take a battle like Pilot Knob... I can bet you outside of people who are very much into Civil War history or into Missouri history has never heard of this battle. In fact, behind Virginia and Tennessee, Missouri had the most battles take place within it's borders.

So here you have a battle no one has heard of and almost 2000 people died that day. In one day, in a small, out of the way area in the Ozarks of SE Missouri.

It's pretty mind staggering... I love using the Civil War on people who say "we have lost over 3000 soldiers in Iraq so far..."... yeah... we have... in 4 years... and like you said Antietam surpassed that in one day. Little Pilot Knob MO had half the numbers in one day as well.. it's just mind numbing...

And yeah monkeyman... he was getting on a lot of peoples nerves... my mother went with me (she is into Civil War history as well and this was her first reenactment) and put homeboy in his place when he said something about a thousand people died there that day and my mom quoted off the exact numbers... it was so cool... he just walked away...

[coachwife6]

My husband is teaching the Civil War in history class. I will show him this link. Thanks for sharing.