Notable Events:

• Established (1863)
• Battle of Fort Davidson / Pilot Knob (September 27, 1864)

Fort Davidson, near Pilot Knob, Missouri, was the site of a critical battle in Major General Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition of September and October 1864. Price ordered his forces to attack the fort and, while technically successful in capturing it, he lost up to 1,500 men, compared to the Union losing less than 200. This costly "victory" forced Price to abandon his plan to take St. Louis or capture the capitol at Jefferson City. Furthermore, the Union forces under command of Brigadier General Thomas Ewing detonated the fort's powder magazine as they slipped away between Price's lines, leaving an enormous hole instead of the munitions Price had hoped to capture. Today, the remains of the fort are a Missouri State Historic Site, and the crater left by the explosion of the powder magazine is still a visible feature at the center of the earthworks.