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Home PageBATTLE OF PILOT KNOB RE-ENACTMENT
SCHEDULED FOR SEPT. 22 AND 23 AT FORT DAVIDSON STATE HISTORIC SITE
JEFFERSON CITY, MO., SEPT. 10, 2007 – Relive an important time in history at the Battle of Pilot Knob Re-enactment Sept. 22 and 23 at Fort Davidson State Historic Site in Iron County.
Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Missouri Civil War Reenactors Association, the Friends of Fort Davidson and the Arcadia Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event highlights both the civilian and military life in the valley during the Civil War. Activities begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday when both Union and Confederate army camps open to the public. Arts and crafts booths will open at 8 a.m. both days. The actual battle re-enactment will begin at 1:30 p.m. each day.
Beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Civil War-era scenes and stories will be showcased in the army camps. Union and Confederate troops will perform drills and demonstrations beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday, and will re-enact blowing up the fort and the retreat at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Other activities on Saturday will include interpretive walks up Pilot Knob Mountain from 8 a.m. to noon and 4 to 8 p.m., Civil War-era music by Jamin Bray at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., and camp tours and surgeon’s and mortician’s demonstrations from 3:15 to 5 p.m. A Civil War-era concert and demonstration ball featuring the 52nd Regimental String Band will begin at 7 p.m.
On Sunday, a battlefield church service will be held at 9 a.m., followed by drills, demonstrations, and Civil War-era scenes and stories. Jamin Bray will perform at 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. The “Final Assault on the Fort” will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
During the re-enactment, Confederate troops will launch an infantry assault on the earthen fort, Fort Davidson, which is defended by Union troops. Hundreds of re-enactors equipped with horses, cannons and historically accurate weapons will participate in the re-creation of the battle.
Fort Davidson State Historic Site preserves the remnants of the earthen fort and the battlefield. Information and exhibits in the site's museum tell the story of the historic battle, in which more than 1,000 men fell in less than 20 minutes. The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. “The Battle of Pilot Knob” video will run on the hour each day, and the museum’s diorama will run on the half-hour.
Fort Davidson State Historic Site is located in Pilot Knob, off Highway 21 on Highway 221 near Ironton in Iron County. For more information, contact the site at 573-546-3454 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For information on state parks and historic sites, visit the Web at www.mostateparks.com.
