Having invaded Missouri on September 19, 1864, Confederate General Sterling Price with less than 20,000 men moved against St. Louis where he hoped to seize supplies; approximately 4,000 of his men were essentially unarmed. On the 27th at Pilot Knob, Missouri 1,200 Federal troops under the command of General Thomas Ewing, Jr. held off a full charge by Price’s troops. Price then turned his own army toward Jefferson City, hoping to seize the state capital and hold it long enough to bring a pro-Southern government to power. After receiving word that Jefferson City had been reinforced, Price then turned toward Kansas City, not knowing Federal troops were organizing to trap him before he could make it to Kansas City. The Confederacy’s last military action in Missouri was soon to end.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.