Sign Up  /  Login

Price's Invasion of 1864: Pilot Knob LbNA #16631

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jun 24, 2005
Location:
City:Pilot Knob
County:Iron
State:Missouri
Boxes:1
Planted by:WyldBlueberries
Found by: Martini Man
Last found:May 26, 2009
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Jun 24, 2005
Price’s Invasion of 1864
In 1864, the former governor of Missouri and Confed. Major General Sterling Price led a force of 12,000 men on an invasion of Missouri. He planned to capture St. Louis and Jefferson City and put in place a Confederate governor.

His grand invasion covered three months and more that 1500 miles. But instead of glory, Price’s men found disaster and despair. The campaign etched into Civil War history the names of Pilot Knob, Westport, Mine Creek, as well as the commanders such as Shelby, Marmaduke, Ewing, Blunt, and Pleasanton. When the invasion limped to its bloody end, the Civil War was finished in Missouri.

This series of boxes traces the route of Price’s lost cause across Missouri (mostly) and Kansas (briefly).

Battle of Pilot Knob – Sep 26-27, 1864
Early in the invasion, Price decided to delay his advance on St. Louis, and deal with the Union stronghold at Pilot Knob. On Sep 26 the Confederates fought their way through shut-in gap and nearly to the Iron County courthouse in Ironton, before being pushed back (the courthouse still bears the mark of a cannon ball from that fight).

On the next Morning, Price’s men pushed through the Ironton gap and took places on Shepherd’s Mountain and Pilot Knob overlooking the earthen Fort Davidson. Inside the fort were 1500 Union troops led by Brig. Gen Thomas Ewing, of the infamous “Order No. 11”.

Price’s men, led by Gen. Marmaduke and Fagan, made numerous bloody charges at the earthen fort, and suffered mightily from the cannons, small arms, and even grenades of the entrenched Union forces. The day ended mercifully with around 1,000 of Price’s best troops dead or wounded.

Ewing’s men escaped under the light of darkness, leaving nothing but an empty fort and a massive hole in the ground where the gunpowder stores had been. For Price it was a costly defeat and embarrassing escape that his force would never recover from.

After this debacle, a gun-shy Price declined to attack both St. Louis and Jefferson City, which had been the primary goals of the expedition. Instead the force drifted rudderless across Missouri toward further disaster at Westport, MO and Mine Creek, KS.

Pilot Knob, Iron County, MO

Compass required: yes
Chigger spray required: absolutely! (at least in summer)

Directions to Ft. Davidson Historic Site:
http://www.mostateparks.com/ftdavidson/map.htm#loc
From St. Louis
Take I-55 south out of St. Louis to U.S. Hwy. 67, just south of the Festus (Route A) exit. Turn right (Exit 174) onto southbound U.S. Hwy. 67 and drive past Bonne Terre, Park Hills, Leadington and into Farmington. On the south side of Farmington is the Route W overpass. Exit onto Route W. Travel on Route W for nine miles to Route V; turn left. Travel nine miles on Route V to the town of Pilot Knob. Cross under a railroad bridge at the entrance to town. The historic site is on the left. The trip is about one and one half hours long.

From Jefferson City
Take U.S. Hwy. 50 east out of Jefferson City to U.S. Hwy. 63. Turn right onto U.S. Hwy. 63 and travel to Vichy. At the junction of U.S. Hwy. 63 and Hwy. 68, turn left onto Hwy. 68. Stay on Hwy. 68 through St. James. South of St. James at the junction of Hwy. 68 and Hwy. 8, stay to the left. You will be on Hwy. 8. Travel on Hwy. 8 to Potosi. As you leave Potosi, turn right onto Hwy. 21. Stay on Hwy. 21, passing Elephant Rocks State Park. At the junction of Hwy. 21 and Route W, turn right onto Route W. Travel two and one half miles to Route V; turn left. At the stop sign, turn right. The historic site is on the right. The trip is about 2 hours 40 minutes long.

From Springfield/Joplin
Take I-44 out of Springfield toward St. Louis. Exit at the St. James Overpass (Exit 195) and turn right onto Hwy. 8/68. Stay on Hwy. 68 through St. James. South of St. James at the junction of Hwy. 68 and Hwy. 8, stay to the left. You will be on Hwy. 8. As you leave Potosi, turn right onto Hwy. 21. Stay on Hwy. 21, passing Elephant Rocks State Park. At the junction of Hwy. 21 and Route W, turn right onto Route W. Travel two and one half miles to Route V; turn left. At the stop sign, turn right. The historic site is on the right. The trip is about 4 hours 15 minutes long.

Directions to Trailhead:

The box is hidden on a trail cleared by the local Boy Scout troop. It’s around two miles from Ft. Davidson on Shepherd’s Mountain, where Brig. Gen Marmaduke’s division was deployed during the battle.

- From Ft. Davidson historic site, turn left on Highway V toward Hwy 21
- Go straight across Hwy 21 to the road across the highway. As you enter you will see “Shepherd Mountain Storage” on your left
- Go a mile or so until you reach a fork in the road. A sign will say “Iron County 103A” – go to the left
- You’ll go almost a mile and pass a utility right-of-way on your left – you are almost there.
- Park at the mouth of the gravel road on your right, beside the metal gate. There is a sign in the field that says “Jamison Farms”.
- The boy scout trail begins across the street. If you look at the front of the woods you will see two large swaths of white paint on separate trees marking the trailhead.
Directions to the box:
- From the second painted tree, walk around 40 steps.
- Look on your right, and you will see a field of granite boulders.
- Stand on the largest boulder and face exactly 160 degrees
- The box is at the base of a tree about 10 feet in front of you, under some rocks.
Note: You may encounter a few scattered poison oak plants but remember it could be worse - the confederates crossing this ground in 1864 had people shooting at them!