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Red River Campaign begins as Union troops reach Alexandria, Louisiana

When
1864
Where
Alexandria, Louisiana
Episodes
1

The Red River Campaign began in March 1864 as Union forces advanced toward Alexandria, Louisiana. Halleck's plan involved Banks moving troops upriver from New Orleans while Sherman contributed forces from the north. The offensive aimed to stop Confederate use of the Louisiana port of Shreveport, open an outlet for northern Louisiana's sugar and cotton, and split Confederate lines, allowing the Union to encircle and destroy Confederate forces in Louisiana and southern Arkansas.

Episodes

  1. March 20 to 26, 1864 · Alexandria, LouisianaArrival of Forces

    Smith's force arrived at Alexandria on March 20, 1864, to rendezvous with Banks' forces. Franklin arrived later, followed by Banks himself.

Background and detail

Background. General Nathaniel P. Banks commanded the Army of the Gulf, having previously laid siege to Port Hudson, whose garrison surrendered in July 1863. Halleck's finalized plan called for Banks to advance 20,000 troops from New Orleans to Alexandria, where they would meet 15,000 troops sent down from Major General William T. Sherman.

Campaign Objectives. The offensive intended to stop Confederate use of Shreveport, open outlets for sugar and cotton in northern Louisiana, and split Confederate lines to encircle and destroy forces in Louisiana and southern Arkansas. It marked the last major Union offensive in the Trans-Mississippi theater.

Confederate Uncertainty. Senior Confederate staff officers were confused regarding the primary objective of the Union spring 1864 campaign, unsure whether the Red River region, Mobile Bay, or coastal Texas was the target. This uncertainty persisted as Union forces began their movement.

People involved

Sources

  1. Red River campaign Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-05
  2. Nathaniel P. Banks Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-19

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.