The Red River Campaign of 1864 and the Loss by the Confederacy of the Civil War

The Red River Campaign of 1864 and the Loss by the Confederacy of the Civil War PDF Author: Michael J. Forsyth
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476615721
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
The Union Army's Red River Campaign began on March 12, 1864, with a two-pronged attack aimed at gaining control of Shreveport, Louisiana. It lasted until May 22, 1864, when, after suffering significant casualties, the Union army retreated to Simmesport, Louisiana. The campaign was an attempt to prevent Confederate alliance with the French in Mexico, deny supplies to Confederate forces, and secure vast quantities of Louisiana and Texas cotton for Northern mills. With this examination of Confederate leadership and how it affected the Red River Campaign, the author argues against the standard assumption that the campaign had no major effect on the outcome of the war. In fact, the South had--and lost--an excellent opportunity to inflict a decisive defeat that might have changed the course of history. With this campaign as an ideal example, the politics of military decision-making in general are also analyzed.

The Red River Campaign of 1864 and the Loss by the Confederacy of the Civil War

The Red River Campaign of 1864 and the Loss by the Confederacy of the Civil War PDF Author: Michael J. Forsyth
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476615721
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
The Union Army's Red River Campaign began on March 12, 1864, with a two-pronged attack aimed at gaining control of Shreveport, Louisiana. It lasted until May 22, 1864, when, after suffering significant casualties, the Union army retreated to Simmesport, Louisiana. The campaign was an attempt to prevent Confederate alliance with the French in Mexico, deny supplies to Confederate forces, and secure vast quantities of Louisiana and Texas cotton for Northern mills. With this examination of Confederate leadership and how it affected the Red River Campaign, the author argues against the standard assumption that the campaign had no major effect on the outcome of the war. In fact, the South had--and lost--an excellent opportunity to inflict a decisive defeat that might have changed the course of history. With this campaign as an ideal example, the politics of military decision-making in general are also analyzed.

One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End

One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End PDF Author: Gary Dillard Joiner
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 1461639751
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 219

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Book Description
In the spring of 1864, as the armies of Grant and Lee waged a highly scrutinized and celebrated battle for the state of Virginia, a no- less important, but historically obscured engagement was being conducted in the pine barrens of northern Louisiana. In a year of stellar triumphs by Union armies across the South, the Red River Campaign stands out as a colossal failure. General William Tecumseh Sherman's scathing summation describes it best, "One damn blunder from beginning to end." Taking its title from Sherman's blunt description, One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End: The Red River Campaign of 1864 is a fresh inspection of what was the Civil War's largest operation between the Union Army and Navy west of the Mississippi River. In a bold, but poorly managed effort to wrest Louisiana and Texas from Confederate control, a combined force of 40,000 Union troops and 60 naval vessels traveled up the twisting Red River in an attempt to capture the capital city of Shreveport. Gary D. Joiner provides not a recycled telling of the campaign, but a strategic and tactical overview based on a stunning new array of facts gleaned from recently discovered documents. This never-before-published information reveals that the Confederate army had laid a clever trap by engineering a drop in the water level of the Red River to try to maroon the Union naval flotilla. Only the equally amazing ingenuity of the Union troops saved the fleet from certain destruction, despite a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Mansfield. The Red River campaign had lasting implications. One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End magnifies just how devastating the diversion of so many men and so much material to this failed campaign was to the Union effort in the pivotal year of 1864. Because of the Union Army's failures, Northern plans to capture Mobile were scrapped. Military careers were made and lost. And at time when the Confederacy was teetering on the brink of oblivion, Southern morale was bolstered. Joiner puts together

Red River Campaign

Red River Campaign PDF Author: Ludwell H. Johnson
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421434458
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
Originally published in 1958. Johnson tells the story of the Red River Campaign, which took place in Louisiana and Arkansas in the spring of 1864. In response to the demands of Union Free-Soil interests in Texas, and the need of New England textile manufacturers for cotton, an expedition was undertaken to open the way to Texas. General Nathaniel Banks conducted a combined military and naval expedition up the Red River in a campaign that lasted only from March 23 to May 20, 1864, but was one of the most destructive of the Civil War. The campaign ended in Banks's defeat at the Battle of Sabine Crossroads. This book illustrates how military operations during the Civil War were often intimately interwoven with political, economic, and ideological factors, which frequently determined the time and place of a Union offensive. The author describes the desires and opinions of the public, the press, and Lincoln's administration regarding an invasion of Texas, as well as the motivation of the officers themselves, such as Banks's aspiration for the 1864 presidential nomination. Johnson relates vividly the various battles of the expedition and the problems posed by mustering undisciplined troops, by having to procure supplies in poor country with insufficient supply lines, and by contending with bad weather and rough terrain.

Richard Taylor and the Red River Campaign of 1864

Richard Taylor and the Red River Campaign of 1864 PDF Author: Samuel W. Mitcham
Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN: 9781455616343
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
An Alternate Selection of the History Book Clubi One of the most shocking and humiliating defeats in the United States' military history, the Red River Campaign narrowly missed turning the tide of the entire Civil War. The daring military operation took place in north Louisiana, in April of 1864. Though the Union soldiers outnumbered the Confederates nearly four to one, the Union forces found themselves under assault and running for their lives. Written in an engaging tone, this illustrated volume chronicles the campaign in precise detail.This accessible book begins with an overview of the campaign, emphasizing the impact that it had on the outcome of the Civil War. Successive sections cover Confederate Richard Taylor's strategy, the initial assault of the Union Army of the Gulf, the Confederate's surprise retaliation attack at Mansfield, and the Southerner's pursuit of the fleeing Yankees. The final chapter discusses alternative strategies that may have led to a Confederate victory, along with the subsequent careers of major participants.

Through the Howling Wilderness

Through the Howling Wilderness PDF Author: Gary D. Joiner
Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press
ISBN: 9781621900962
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"The efforts of the Confederates to defend northern Louisiana - building an army and preparing to trap the Union naval forces before the campaign began - have been all but lost in the literature of the Civil War." "Replete with in-depth coverage on the geography of the region, the Congressional hearings after the Campaign, and the Confederate defenses in the Red River Valley, Through the Howling Wilderness will appeal to Civil War historians and buffs alike."--Jacket.

Red River Campaign

Red River Campaign PDF Author: Ludwell H. Johnson
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN: 9780801803208
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Originally published in 1958. Johnson tells the story of the Red River Campaign, which took place in Louisiana and Arkansas in the spring of 1864. In response to the demands of Union Free-Soil interests in Texas, and the need of New England textile manufacturers for cotton, an expedition was undertaken to open the way to Texas. General Nathaniel Banks conducted a combined military and naval expedition up the Red River in a campaign that lasted only from March 23 to May 20, 1864, but was one of the most destructive of the Civil War. The campaign ended in Banks's defeat at the Battle of Sabine Crossroads. This book illustrates how military operations during the Civil War were often intimately interwoven with political, economic, and ideological factors, which frequently determined the time and place of a Union offensive. The author describes the desires and opinions of the public, the press, and Lincoln's administration regarding an invasion of Texas, as well as the motivation of the officers themselves, such as Banks's aspiration for the 1864 presidential nomination. Johnson relates vividly the various battles of the expedition and the problems posed by mustering undisciplined troops, by having to procure supplies in poor country with insufficient supply lines, and by contending with bad weather and rough terrain.

The Red River Campaign Of 1864

The Red River Campaign Of 1864 PDF Author: Naval War Naval War College
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781514100134
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description
THE UNION'S RED RIVER OPERATIONS DURING THE SPRING OF' 1864 ARE ANALYZED IN THE CONTEXT OF OPERATIONAL DOCTRINE AND THE PRINCIPLES OF WAR. THE MOVEMENTS OF BOTH UNION AND CONFEDERATE FORCES ARE DESCRIBED AT THE OPERATIONAL LEVEL. TACTICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE VARIOUS BATTLES AND ENGAGEMENTS ARE DETAILED ONLY TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY TO DESCRIBE THE OPERATIONAL MOVEMENTS. MAJOR GENERAL HALLECK OF THE UNION ARMY CONFIGURED A FATALLY FLAWED OPERATION ON THE RED RIVER TO SEIZE SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA. MAJOR GENERAL BANKS EXECUTED THAT OPERATION WITH TOTAL DISREGARD FOR AT LEAST SEVEN OF THE U.S. ARMY'S NINE PRINCIPLES OF WAR. THE COMBINATION OF FLAWED OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS AND DISREGARD FOR THE PRINCIPLES OF WAR ALLOWED AN OVERWHELMINGLY SUPERIOR UNION FORCE TO BE DEFEATED.

The Camden Expedition of 1864 and the Opportunity Lost by the Confederacy to Change the Civil War

The Camden Expedition of 1864 and the Opportunity Lost by the Confederacy to Change the Civil War PDF Author: Michael J. Forsyth
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476608040
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 223

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Book Description
The Confederacy had a great opportunity to turn the Civil War in its favor in 1864, but squandered this chance when it failed to finish off a Union army cornered in Louisiana because of concerns about another Union army coming south from Arkansas. The Confederates were so confused that they could not agree on a course of action to contend with both threats, thus the Union offensive advancing from Arkansas saved the one in Louisiana and became known to history as the Camden Expedition. The Camden Expedition is intriguing because of the "might-have-beens" had the key players made different decisions. The author contends that if Frederick Steele, commander of the Federal VII Army Corps, had not received a direct order from General Ulysses S. Grant to move south, disaster would have befallen not only the Army of the Gulf in Louisiana but the entire Union cause, and possibly would have prevented Abraham Lincoln from winning reelection.

Richard Taylor and the Red River Campaign of 1864

Richard Taylor and the Red River Campaign of 1864 PDF Author: Samuel W. Mitcham Jr.
Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN: 9781455616336
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The Union invades the Red River Valley. This book details one of the most surprising and humiliating defeats in United States' military history. The campaign began in April of 1864 when the Union army invaded the Red River Valley, anticipating little resistance from the Confederates. But when General Taylor launched a surprise attack near Mansfield, the Yankees were soon running for their lives.

Louisianians in the Western Confederacy

Louisianians in the Western Confederacy PDF Author: Stuart Salling
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786456833
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
The Louisiana Brigade served the Confederacy in the Army of Tennessee, battling on the western frontier. Commanded by Daniel W. Adams and Randall L. Gibson, the brigade fought from the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862 to the surrender at Meridian in May 1865. This volume follows the formation and history of the individual units, the politics of command, and the war's end and aftermath.