September Sociables Activity—the 150th anniversary re-enactment of the battle that saved the Union
The re-enactment will be Saturday, Sept. 27, with events all day Saturday and Sunday, with the battle of Fort Davidson beginning at 1pm.
BACKGROUND: In September 1864, the Confederacy attempted to attack St Louis, hoping to weaken the resolve of the North to fight and vote Abraham Lincoln out of office in November. Major General Sterling Price (a former governor of Missouri) led a force of 12,000 cavalry (including future Missouri Governor John Marmaduke, who was son of former Missouri Governor Meredith Marmaduke). Price's army came upon Fort Davidson, guarded by only 1,500 Union troops, who despite being outnumbered eight-to-one, rejected several demands by Confederate leaders for the fort's surrender. Southern losses at the Battle of Fort Davidson were approximately 1,000. That, along with the three days of fighting, caused General Price to decide not to attack St Louis.
There are small diners in Pilot Knob for lunch/dinner, or you can bring a picnic lunch.
It is highly recommended that you stop at Elephant Rocks State Park on the way to or from Ft. Davidson, as it offers spectacular views on a one-mile ADA accessible trail, and lots of climbing opportunities on granite rocks, some of which are bigger than a house. Elephant Rocks was the quarry from which most of the cobblestones in downtown St Louis came.
From 270, take Missouri 21 (Tesson Ferry) 76 miles south to Elephant Rocks. Fort Davidson is 4 miles south of Elephant Rocks, then 3 blocks east on Highway 221.
For more info, go to http://mostateparks.com/page/61836/battle-pilot-knob-civil-war-sesquicentennial , http://mostateparks.com/park/elephant-rocks-state-park
or Darin Sorrell
