Re-enactment is Scheduled for 2004
Fort Davidson and the Battle of Pilot Knob
Re-enactment is Scheduled for 2004
(Portions of this information were obtained from Arcadia
Valley Chamber of Commerce and DNR websites.)
All eyes will be on Fort Davidson in Pilot Knob this fall as the
old Civil War fort hosts the 2004 Battle of Pilot Knob reenactment.
The last such event was held in September 2001.
The dates for this year's reenactment are tentatively set for
Sept. 25 and 26. The United States was split from 1861-1865 as
brothers and fathers from northern states battled their brothers
and fathers who lived in the south. The Civil War was a heart-wrenching
part of our history.
A full reenactment is performed every three years. During the
years when a reenactment is not scheduled, the Pilot Knob community
has a Heritage Day or living history events. They are held at
various times of the year.
Descendants of soldiers on both sides of the battle still live
in the area. They help keep the fort and the battle a living history
for future generations to see. According to a spokesman for the
Fort Davidson Historic Site, people living in northern Iron County
during the Civil War were Union-minded and fought for the North.
People living in southern Iron and Reynolds County were mainly
Southerners and fought for the Confederacy.
Southeast Missouri was right in the middle of the war. The state
was neutral, split between the North and the South. The United
States and Confederate States governments had vested interests
in our state. One of the largest battles fought in Missouri was
the Battle of Pilot Knob.
Fort Davidson was the staging area for this fierce battle. The
fort, which is a major tourist site in the Arcadia Valley of Iron
County, is made of earth, not wood. Visitors can gather a variety
of literature on the fort in the visitor's center, located on
V Highway. The site also has a park where an entire family can
spend the day. The spacious park has swings and other playground
equipment.
In the visitor's center, tourists will find paintings and pictures
of the battle and the way of life during the Civil War. Civil
War artifacts from both sides of the conflict are displayed in
a museum, located inside the visitor's center.
History lessons are shown in a fun way in a small theater inside
the museum. Missouri Department of Natural Resource employees
are available to answer questions as they show a film of the Battle
of Pilot Knob recreation.
Visitors love to run, play and walk their dogs on the lush, green
lawn outside the visitor's center. Historic information is available
on several markers in different places in and around the fort.
Two Civil War cannons have been placed on the lawn, just outside
the fort walls.
Fort Davidson itself contains a pond. None of the tents and army
equipment are left. The fort's interior is made of grass. Signs
around the fort ask visitors not to climb the earthen walls.
According to information from the Missouri State Parks website,
Confederate Major General Sterling Price led an attack on Fort
Davidson on the morning of Sept. 27, 1864. Price and his men were
on their way to St. Louis from Arkansas.
Fort Davidson, while considered weakly defended, proved to be
more than Price could handle. The fort was defended by 1,450 Union
soldiers under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman.
"The Confederates lost nearly 1,000 men in attacking the
small earthen fort and its 11 cannons," the website states.
Fort Davidson is not just the home of the reenactment of the Battle
of Pilot Knob. A new festival has become very popular in Arcadia
Valley. The Arcadia Valley Celtic Festival, originally held at
the old Arcadia Academy, is now held on the second weekend in
April at the fort.
The festival includes crafters and displays of the Celtic way
of life. The 2005 Celtic Festival has been scheduled for April
8-10.