Just after noon on the 26th of September, 1864 Major General Sterling Price led his 'Army of Missouri' into the Arcadia Valley through Shut-In Gap. He was here to provide his newly formed army with a quick victory to bolster their experience and their confidence on the way to capture St. Louis in his bid to 'liberate' his home state.
Over the course of the next 48 hours tactical mistakes, poor timing and poor judgement would introduce the Army of Missouri to the first in a string of defeats that would in no small part serve to crush the hopes of the south, whose generals saw the west as there best opportunity.
Fort Davidson, garrisoned with just 1450 infantry troops, was commanded by Brig. General Thomas Ewing who, scouting Price's trail to St. Louis decided to stay and fight.
The Union garrison was outnumbered 10 to 1 in this battle but inflicted five times as many casualties on the enemy before stealing away in the dead of night leaving a slow burning fuse behind in the fort's magazine to rock the valley with an explosion depriving the southern forces of the equipment they could not carry with them.
On the grounds of this historic site you will find the remains of Fort Davidson's earthwork walls, the crater where the magazine once was, and examples of the weapons used in the battle, including the commander's swords and the huge cannon with which the union garrison pummeled the Confederate cavalry brigades during their assault on the 27th.
The museum features a narrated story of the battle and its context within the Civil War as told by Theodore Pease Russell, who is interred at a local cemetery. Mr. Russell was a prolific writer with hundreds of articles published under his 'Old Times' column in the Iron County Register. You can find his grave in the Russell Cemetery next to our cache RussellVille Road
Also available is a driving tour of the battle as it swept through Arcadia Valley. You will be guided to locations where key events took place in this intense struggle between the North and the South in the state that most fully encompassed both. Click here to download a PDF copy of the tour.
*** Cache with Confidence | As with all Team AZMO caches, this cache was placed with the permission of the property owner ***