Pilot Knob in Iron County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

The Battle of Pilot Knob

September 27, 1864

Photographed by Craig Swain, September 27, 2022

1. The Battle of Pilot Knob Marker

Inscription. In September of 1864 Major General Sterling Price and a 12,000 man army re-entered Missouri in a forlorn effort to regain the state for the Confederacy. On September 27th they laid siege to Fort Davidson. The defenders, though greatly outnumbered, repulsed the initial assaults and escaped that evening. The effort was costly for the Confederate forces however, and hundreds of them lie buried here, known only to God. They made the supreme sacrifice for the principles in which they believed. A few Union soldiers are interred here also. Whatever transgressions existed on either side, let the passage of time bury amid the ruins of the past; but whatever was noble and honorable it is our sacred duty to transmit to succeeding generations. Let no man asperse the memory of our sacred dead. They were patriots who died for the constitutional principals and the liberties guaranteed them as American. Peace be unto their ashes and honor to their spirits.

Erected by Sterling Price Camp #145 and the Missouri Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list:

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War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Battlefield Trails - Civil War, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans/United Confederate Veterans series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1864.

Location. 37° 37.152′ N, 90° 38.398′ W. Marker is in Pilot Knob, Missouri, in Iron County. It can be reached from Main Street, on the right when traveling north. Located in Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pilot Knob MO 63663, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Missouri. It is also in the American Ozarks,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Powder Magazine (within shouting distance of this marker); The Moat (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Pilot Knob Mountain

Back Inscription image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Homer Swain, September 24, 2010

2. Back Inscription

(about 400 feet away); The Doomed Assault (about 500 feet away); Fort Davidson (about 500 feet away); The Struggle for the Mountains (about 600 feet away); The Fight for Ironton (about 600 feet away); Knob Creek (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pilot Knob.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Fort Davidson and Battle of Pilot Knob by Markers

Photographed by Homer Swain, September 24, 2010

3. The Battle of Pilot Knob Marker

Pilot Knob Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Swain, September 27, 2022

4. Pilot Knob Memorial

Nearby in the bushes beside the main memorial is this inscribed stone:
Where valor and dedication met
North and South
September 26-27, 1864

Credits. This page was last revised on November 20, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 27, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,473 times since then and 74 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 20, 2022, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2, 3. submitted on November 27, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 4. submitted on November 20, 2022, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.