The lowering water level on the Red River becomes a serious concern for David D. Porter because it threatens to trap his massive naval squadron in hostile territory.
Tag: Red River Campaign
Arkansas: The Prairie d’Ane Engagement
Frederick Steele’s Federals clash with Confederates while trying to move through southern Arkansas and join forces with the Federals at Shreveport. Steele ultimately reaches Camden but their delay in resuming the march enables the Confederates to gain strength.
The Battle of Mansfield
Nathaniel P. Banks’s Federals unexpectedly run into Confederates under Richard Taylor blocking their path to Shreveport, which results in heavy fighting in western Louisiana.
Red River: Federals Detour Toward Mansfield
Nathaniel P. Banks’s Federal Army of the Gulf veers away from the Red River to confront Richard Taylor’s Confederates. But the Confederates are much closer and in a much better position than Banks had expected.
Red River: Federals Advance from Natchitoches
Federal forces at Natchitoches, Louisiana, look to continue further up the Red River on the way to their ultimate goal of Shreveport and eastern Texas beyond.
Red River: Banks Gets Bad News
Nathaniel P. Banks assembles the largest Federal force west of the Mississippi River, but he soon finds himself facing several problems as he tries to advance on the key city of Shreveport.