Where Valor and Devotion Met: The Battle of Pilot Knob

In the fall of 1864, General Sterling Price led a major Confederate invasion force from Arkansas into lightly-defended Missouri. Price and his men hoped to capture St. Louis, and then reclaim Missouri for the Confederacy. Standing between Price€s 12,000 Confederate troops and St. Louis was a small Union army of 1,500 men commanded by General Thomas Ewing defending Fort Davidson in the small railroad town of Pilot Knob. Where Valor and Devotion Met tells the compelling story of the struggle between two generals and the men they led, as they met in a life and death struggle for control of Missouri. Where Valor and Devotion Met is the first scholarly study of the Battle of Pilot Knob published in the last thirty years.

The story of the Battle of Pilot Knob begins with the origins of the Missouri Expedition in the summer of 1864. Where Valor and Devotion Met provides the reader with the most detailed analysis ever published about the early phases of the Missouri Expedition. The book describes conditions in Missouri during the summer of 1864, and chronicles the story of how Federal authorities responded to the Confederate invasion. The movement of the Confederate Army through Arkansas into Missouri and eventually to Pilot Knob is explored in detail. The author then uses three chapters to describe the confrontation between Union and Confederate forces in the Arcadia Valley on September 26-27, 1864. However, the Pilot Knob story does not end with the Union repulse of the spectacular Confederate assault on the afternoon of September 27. For the first time Where Valor and Devotion Met tells the story of the aftermath of the battle. Major Gifford describes in vivid detail the Union escape from Fort Davidson, the Confederate pursuit, and the conflict between the two forces as the Federals struggle to reach safety before the Confederates can destroy their small force. In addition, Where Valor and Devotion Met also tells the story of the civilians left behind in the Arcadia Valley, and their struggle to persevere in the face of an occupying army in their community. Finally, the author provides an analysis of the battle, from the origins of the Missouri Expedition to the Union retreat to Leasburg, from the perspective of a professional soldier.

Where Valor and Devotion Met uses more than words to tell the Pilot Knob story. The book contains nineteen historic photographs and sixteen maps which trace the Confederate movement through Arkansas and southern Missouri, fighting in the Arcadia Valley on September 26-27, 1864, and the Union retreat to Leasburg.
To further enhance the readers€ experience, Major Gifford has included several annexes, some unique to this book:
Annex A: Order of Battle. How the Confederate and Union armies were organized
Annex B: Confederate Operations Order for the Missouri Expedition. Read for yourself General Edmund Kirby Smith€s objectives for the Missouri Expedition
Annex C: Glossary of Military and Historical Terms. Unfamiliar with a term used in the book, check out the definition in this comprehensive glossary
Annex D: Principles of War. Compare the decisions of Union and Confederate leaders to the Principles of War as defined by the United States Army today
Annex E: Henry Wilkinson€s Notes on Fort Davidson. Battle participant Henry Wilkinson provides a detailed description of Fort Davidson as it appeared on the day of the battle
The introduction to Where Valor and Devotion Met contains the authors suggested reading list for anyone interested in learning more about topics related to the Battle of Pilot Knob. The book also contains a detailed index and bibliography which provide additional source for those interested in learning more about specific topics related to the battle.