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Pilot Knob, Missouri - Reenactment

See Pilot Knob Mountain

The Pilot Knob Reenactment, the famous Battle of Pilot Knob (or here), happens every three years. I have heritage in Pilot Knob, so I love to go not only for the grandeur of the day, but because I can meet up with distant relatives. I don't think a post can do justice to how fun and interesting this reenactment is to visit. It's the best I have ever seen.

Fort Davidson, Pilot Knob diorama 2011

I love how this lighted diorama brings the battle of Pilot Knob to life. I took this video in 2011.

Pilot Knob Reenactment 2014 (Missouri)

2014 was the 150th anniversary battle. I enjoy going and taking photos and talking to the re-enactors at their camps.  I enjoy seeing Arcadia Valley.  Love that place and the hills as you drive through the valley.Here are my photos in a slideshow on Youtube.  I have other photos, but these are just of the reenactment.

This is my favorite photo from the 2014 reenactment.

What I like most about the battle is that the reenactors actually camp out overnight (many for both Friday and Saturday night) as if they were actually living during civil war days. Everywhere you go, people are posed into period activities.

The best way to get anything out of the event is to walk through the encampments and talk to the reenactors. They are always happy to tell you about what they are doing. Be careful though, they are pretending that they are living in 1865 and will talk to you only as if they know what one knows in 1865!

One gentlemen mentioned that he wished he could have a camera like mine. I told him that it had an "HD" and explained that it was for "hard drive." He proceeded to tell me that the last time he had a hard drive it was during such and such a battle when they pushed through enemy lines!

Pilot Knob 2010 Snippets

Here are my videos from the reenactment in 2010. Just watch this first video to get a sense of what it is like to walk through the encampments.

Pilot Knob, Missouri, Reenactment 2010 (Part 2)

These next four videos are of the actual battle. Hubby took the video as I cannot do my camera and the camcorder at the same time. Now, he is not your best camera person! I was a little frustrated to watch it and see so much of the ground filmed and his lack of zooming in or being where the action was going on, but I think you can get the idea of how grand the battle is. The battle lasted for 37 minutes.

Battle of Pilot Knob, Missouri, 2010 (Part 3)

Battle of Pilot Knob, Missouri, 2010 (Part 4)

Here are some of my photos from my visit in 2010 and what I wrote:

You can see how many people turn out for this event. This is just a shot of a small area too. What I love about the event is that everywhere you go you see people in period costume intermingling with the public as if it is real 1865 life for them.

Everywhere you walk is sheltered by beautiful pine trees.

The horses are an exceptional touch to the reenactment.

This lady was sitting by herself sewing, completely oblivious to all the people walking around her. I could just imagine myself sitting in a quiet pine covered setting in 1865 sewing to pass the time away.

Even the young boys and girls are in period costume. I love the family atmosphere and feeling of family love that comes forth from the scenes.

I never did ask anyone why these guns were propped up in tee-pee shapes throughout the camps.

The reenactors actually cook and eat in their camps just as if they were in 1865.

The cavalry are so much fun to watch during the reenactment.

Occasionally, the canons produced these floating rings of smoke which always brought oohs and ahhs from the crowd.

The union army seemed so small, but they had many more canons.

The confederate army came out in full force! This shot is only part of the line of soldiers.

Every time soldiers fell, the young children in the crowd hooted in amazement.

The American flag flying at the end of the battle made me want to put my hand on my heart and starting singing the National Anthem!

I bought William E. Busch's book "For Davidson and the Battle of Pilot Knob" and he autographed it for me.

After the battle, you could find men using every source of water imaginable to clean their guns. The first video above interviews a young man who explains.

I can imagine that in 1865 most did not have those little wooden chairs as seen in other photos here, but rather they had to lay on the ground or utilize a make-shift chair as seen in this photo.

This little girl was a photo op waiting to happen! I was first drawn to her beautiful curls.

Could that cotton candy ball be any bigger?

One area of the grounds is set aside for venders where you can buy "fair food" or crafts.

At 8:30 at night the ending event of the Battle of Pilot Knob was reenacted. The field was covered, literally covered, in bags of glowing lights. As hard as I tried, I could not get a photo to justify what I saw and the camcorder would not recognize it either. This is just a bad shot of only a few of the hundreds of lights.

No one really won the Battle of Pilot Knob. At night, the union soldiers left the earthen fort by sneaking out on foot and walking right between the sleeping confederate solders. A few remaining men held back and blue up the magazine (gun powder). Although a short reenactment, it was packed with powerful imagery.

Everyone is invited to participate in the grand ball after the last reenactment. Huge crowds of people either danced or watched the dancing. It was great fun! We had to leave to head home, but I very much wanted to stay and dance. Maybe I will get my chance to do so in three years!

The below animation of photos is from the September 25, 2010, Pilot Knob Reeactment. There are 93 photos.

The below animation is from the September 25, 2004 Pilot Knob Reenactment. My two younger sons went with the scout troop this year.

Here is an animation of photos from September 22, 2001 Pilot Knob Reenactment. My favorite moment was when the little boy lifted the women's skirt and went under.

 

Copyright Cheryl Rutledge-Brennecke
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