You're listening to do. Oh, Hey everyone. Thanks for tuning in to episode 469 of our Civil War podcast. My name is Rich and Tracy won't be with us this

week. Her work obligations have been pretty brutal lately, so I thought she'd appreciate being

relieved of podcast duties this weekend. We, however, dear listener, will soldier on, which means we'll continue with the story of

the 1864 Red River campaign. As you guys will recall with last week's episode, we got Major General Nathaniel Banks

column of Federals to Alexandria, Louisiana on the Red River, where Banks linked up with Admiral David Dixon Porter and Brigadier General A.J. Smith.

Between Porter's warships and the Army's transports, there were some 60 federal vessels

at Alexandria. A.J. Smith was in command of the Army troops on loan from William to comes to

Sherman and when combined with Banks Force it meant there were about 30,000 soldiers and 90 artillery pieces concentrated at

or in the vicinity of Alexandria, about 170 miles northwest of New Orleans, and they were there by the last week of March.

At this time, Banks could only assume that Major General Frederick Steele's force coming down from Arkansas

was also carrying out its part of the plan.

So as he later said in congressional testimony before the Committee on the Conduct of the War,

everything seemed in place and success all but assured. After quote one bound to Alexandria there would

be quote one bound to Shreveport.

Then he said, one bound to the Gulf,

that is, into East Texas.

And when put that way, all seemed so simple and it would be if the Confederates didn't

upset the apple cart.

A spoiler alert, the Confederates will upset the Epochart and spoil Nathaniel Banks carefully

laid plans. But before the rebels had a chance to upset banks

plans it was actually the US Navy that reined on Nathaniel Banks parade, metaphorically speaking, when he got to Alexandria.

When Banks on the tinclad Blackhawk arrived at Alexandria on March 24th, accompanied by reporters

...