Federal transports on the Mississippi
In the fall of 1862 all the available river-steamers were busy transporting newly organized regiments from
Cairo to
Memphis to take part in the independent expedition against
Vicksburg, which had been proposed by
Major-General John A. McClernand and in command of which he had been placed by secret orders from
Lincoln and
Stanton.
Not even
Grant was informed of this division of authority.
McClernand, who was influential in the
West, raised in
Indiana,
Illinois, and
Iowa some thirty regiments of volunteers, two-thirds of which had been forwarded to
Cairo and
Memphis by November 10th, and at the latter place were being drilled into shape by
Sherman.
Both
Sherman and
Grant supposed that they were the promised reenforcements for the expedition which they had planned together.
On December 12th
Sherman was ready to move, and on the 19th transports arrived at
Memphis and the embarkation of the troops began.
Next day they moved down the river, convoyed by
Porter's fleet.
On the 26th
Sherman landed thirteen miles up the
Yazoo River and advanced to
Chickasaw Bluffs, where on the 29th he assaulted the defenses of
Vicksburg to the north.
The news of the failure of
Grant's land expedition at
Oxford had reached
McClernand instead of
Sherman, and as the latter general emerged from the swamps with his defeated divisions,
McClernand, on New Year's Day, met him at the mouth of the
Yazoo and superseded him in command.
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Forwarding the raw recruits — Cairo |
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Federal transports on the Mississippi: one smokestack damaged by Confederate fire from the river bank |
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