Tag: port hudson

Rethinking the Campaign The demonstrated power of the guns at Port Hudson caught the attention of Banks. Following Farragut’s run on the batteries Banks moved his men back to Bayou Monte Sano. The administrative move started in a disorganized fashion when rumors circulated among the first troops to move that the forward units had been […]

Running the Guns – March 14 The Union preparations were complete and the commanders of the individual vessels had their orders and the army had been assembled for their diversionary effort. During the afternoon of the 13th the Essex, Sachem, and six mortar schooners steamed into position near Profit Island. During the night the remainder […]

Cooperation Confusion By mid-March 1863 it was clear that Union forces had the opportunity to achieve one of the strategic stepping stones laid out by the war planners in Washington as a path to eventual victory; control of the Mississippi River. With the Confederate Navy a nonfactor only the land based defenses at Vicksburg and […]

The Union Offensive Operations Begin The 1862 mid-term elections in the North were a disaster for Lincoln’s Republican party. The Republicans lost 23 seats in the House of Representative. The Democrats captured a majority of seats in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio and made gains in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The disaster prompted Indiana Governor Oliver […]

Introduction When Confederate MG Earl Van Dorn declared in July 1862 that “I want Baton Rouge and Port Hudson” it was for good reason. From the earliest days of the war control of the Mississippi River was seen as vital to both sides. The Union high command saw control of the river as a means […]