Everything I read here is spot on. The O.R. was, and continues to be, the source of sources when discussing the Price campaign. I read both Maj. Davis' thesis for Murray State as well as the Petersen and Hansen "Pilot Knob:Thermopylae of the West" book for my presentation. My first order of business was to get a copy of the MoDOT highway map, and by the use of red and blue lines drawn on it with notations I showed the routes of the troops and the various routes taken by subordinates, based on these sources. They covered a LOT of ground. Next, there was Walter Busch's excellent maps at the DNR Fort Davidson website, which conform pretty much exactly with all of the above. I also own a little series of gems on the Mining Heritage of Missouri by Joe Parks at Stonerose Publications. He's done a great job of getting contributors from across the country for his series of books.
The thesis for my presentation was that Price was being realistic in the Confederacy's logistical needs west of the Mississippi.
IF he had captured Fort Davidson/Pilot Knob and St. Louis, the Confederacy would have accomplished two ends: they would have cut the Mississippi River yet again (and could conceiveably starved out Ste. Genevieve and Cape Girardeau); and they would have reserved the 5th largest supply of iron ore in the country at that time, with 5 furnaces/foundries at Pilot Knob and Iron Mountain, as well as the rolling mills of St. Louis. Raw materials for guns, tack, ironclads, etc. would have belonged to the Confederacy west of the Mississippi. Price, with his good reputation as a hero of the Mexican War and as Governor of Missouri, was pretty much the de facto leader/point of contact for the Knights of the Golden Circle and other Confederate/secessionist sympathizers. A big victory at Pilot Knob might have inspired others to join the campaign, potentially up to 30,000 additional troops. But Ewing escaped.
Another problem was his lack of coordination with irregular forces in northern Missouri (I'll say it was probably coincidence that the battles of Centralia, MO, and Pilot Knob occurred on the same day.) as discussed by Major Davis (no relation to me).
The geology of Pilot Knob and its relation to the Civil War is a specialty interest of mine as a professional geologist. Iron was a driving force. Pilot Knob and St. Louis were the keys. A LOT of other factors are also involved. Overall, it becomes an excellent subject for my further investigation. I'll post periodically some updates on how it goes.