Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Confederate troopers attack a Federal garrison on the Mississippi River that included newly recruited former slaves and Tennessee Unionists. The recapture of this garrison results in a high number of Federal casualties, especially among the black troops, which sparks controversy and threats of retaliation.
Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Confederate horsemen launch a raid through western Kentucky and Tennessee. This culminates in a confrontation at Paducah as Forrest’s raid spreads alarm through the Ohio River Valley.
Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Confederate horsemen catch up to William Sooy Smith’s withdrawing Federals, and a running fight takes place near Okolona, Mississippi.
William Sooy Smith’s Federal cavalry faces challenges in trying to reach the main Federal army in Mississippi. These include strong opposition from Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Confederates.
William T. Sherman’s Federal Army of the Tennessee begins marching out of war-torn Jackson, heading east toward the last Confederate-controlled railroad center in Mississippi. Meanwhile, Federal cavalry finally prepare to invade northern Mississippi, and a Federal naval squadron enters the Yazoo River in a diversionary probe.
President Jefferson Davis holds meetings with the top officers in the Army of Tennessee to try resolving the deep dissension among them.