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Mississippi River campaigns in the American Civil War

 
Mississippi River Campaigns in the American Civil War

 
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Mississippi River campaigns in the American Civil War
 
 
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The Mississippi campaign was an economic problem created by the Union
Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the Federal government of the United States of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that formed the Confederate States of America....
 during the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
 in which Union Army
Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
 troops, helped by gunboat
Gunboat

A gunboat is literally a boat carrying one or more guns. The term is rather broad, and the usual connotation has changed over the years ....
s and river ironclads took control over the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
, therefore virtually splitting the Confederate
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
 territory in two while also controlling the South's main artery of transport.

The campaign was planned from the outset of the war as an integral part of the Anaconda Plan
Anaconda Plan

The Anaconda Plan is the name widely applied to an outline strategy for subduing the seceding states in the American Civil War. Proposed by General-in-Chief Winfield Scott, the plan emphasized the blockade of the Southern ports, and called for an advance down the Mississippi River to cut the Southern United States in two....
 for economic 'strangulation' of the South.






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The Mississippi campaign was an economic problem created by the Union
Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the Federal government of the United States of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that formed the Confederate States of America....
 during the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
 in which Union Army
Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
 troops, helped by gunboat
Gunboat

A gunboat is literally a boat carrying one or more guns. The term is rather broad, and the usual connotation has changed over the years ....
s and river ironclads took control over the Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
, therefore virtually splitting the Confederate
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
 territory in two while also controlling the South's main artery of transport.

The campaign was planned from the outset of the war as an integral part of the Anaconda Plan
Anaconda Plan

The Anaconda Plan is the name widely applied to an outline strategy for subduing the seceding states in the American Civil War. Proposed by General-in-Chief Winfield Scott, the plan emphasized the blockade of the Southern ports, and called for an advance down the Mississippi River to cut the Southern United States in two....
 for economic 'strangulation' of the South. It started in February 1862 with Union forces pushing down from Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois

Cairo is a city in Alexander County, Illinois, Illinois in the United States. The population was 3,632 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alexander County, Illinois....
 into Confederate
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
 territory and ended with the surrender of Vicksburg
Vicksburg

Vicksburg is the name of some places in the United States of America:*Vicksburg, Florida*Vicksburg, Indiana*Vicksburg, Michigan*Vicksburg, Mississippi...
 on July 4 1863. Although an important role in the Mississippi campaign was played by armored paddle steamer
Paddle steamer

A paddle steamer is a ship or boat driven by a steam engine that uses one or more paddle wheels to develop thrust for Ship propulsion. It is also a type of steamboat....
s, the campaign was a pure US Army undertaking, as the ships used were under Army command and were used as army transports and floating gun stations rather than independent battleships. The only exception was the siege of Vicksburg
Vicksburg

Vicksburg is the name of some places in the United States of America:*Vicksburg, Florida*Vicksburg, Indiana*Vicksburg, Michigan*Vicksburg, Mississippi...
 where the army, marching downstream met up with the US Navy under admiral Farragut
David Farragut

David Glasgow Farragut was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and Admiral of the Navy....
 sailing upstream and the two combined their forces for an all-out land-and-sea shelling of the town.

The Army expedition was commanded by Henry W. Halleck, Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant , was an United States general and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States ....
, and Nathaniel P. Banks, while Andrew H. Foote and David D. Porter commanded the Mississippi River Squadron
Mississippi River Squadron

The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War and was therefore commonly known as the Western Flotilla and sometimes as the Mississippi Flotilla....
. Foote and Porter were Navy admirals, but were under direct command of the US army and most of their boats were either converted paddle steamer
Paddle steamer

A paddle steamer is a ship or boat driven by a steam engine that uses one or more paddle wheels to develop thrust for Ship propulsion. It is also a type of steamboat....
s or purpose-built gunboats that had never seen the sea. Because of this, the Mississippi River Squadron
Mississippi River Squadron

The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War and was therefore commonly known as the Western Flotilla and sometimes as the Mississippi Flotilla....
 quickly became known as the Brown-water navy
Brown-water navy

Brown-water navy is a term that originated in the United States Navy, referring to the small gunboats and patrol boats used in rivers. A broader meaning is any navy that has the capacity to carry out military operations in river or littoral environments....
. (A reference to the brown, muddy water of the Mississippi, as compared to the deep blue commonly associated with the sea).

The campaign saw the first practical use of river gunboat
Gunboat

A gunboat is literally a boat carrying one or more guns. The term is rather broad, and the usual connotation has changed over the years ....
s and river ironclads, in particular the Cairo class ironclad paddle steamers built by James B. Eads in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri, located near the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. St....
 and Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois

Cairo is a city in Alexander County, Illinois, Illinois in the United States. The population was 3,632 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alexander County, Illinois....
. It also saw the use of sea mines (At that time called torpedoes, the term being applied to the self-propelled warheads only later), torpedo ram
Torpedo ram

A torpedo ram is a type of torpedo boat combining a Naval ram with torpedo tubes. Incorporating design elements from the cruiser and the monitor , it was intended to provide small and inexpensive weapon systems for coastal defence and other littoral combat....
s and a brief Confederate
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
 experiment in deploying a casemate ironclad
Casemate ironclad

The casemate ironclad is a type of iron or iron-armored gunboat briefly used in the American Civil War. Compared to the traditional ironclad warship, the casemate ironclad does not have its cannons in an armored gun deck, but instead has a casemate structure on the main deck housing the guns....
, the Arkansas
CSS Arkansas

The CSS Arkansas was a Confederate States of America Ironclad warship during the American Civil War. Serving in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, the vessel ran through a U.S....
 , in a river defense role.

Important battles in the Mississippi campaign were the capture of Fort Henry
Battle of Fort Henry

The Battle of Fort Henry was fought on February 6, 1862, in western Tennessee, during the American Civil War. It was the first important victory for the Union and Brigadier general Ulysses S....
 and Fort Donelson
Battle of Fort Donelson

The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
, the Island No. 10
Battle of Island Number Ten

The Battle of Island Number Ten was an engagement at the New Madrid Bend or Kentucky Bend on the Mississippi River during the American Civil War, lasting from February 28 to April 8, 1862....
 and the battles of Memphis
Battle of Memphis

The First Battle of Memphis was a naval battle fought on the Mississippi River immediately above the city of Memphis on June 6 1862, during the American Civil War....
 Vicksburg
Battle of Vicksburg

The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Army Major general Ulysses S....
 and Port Hudson.