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Thank you. 13th of November. Hey, everyone. Welcome to episode 474 of our Civil War podcast. I'm Rich.

And I'm Tracy. Hello, y'all. Thanks for tuning into the podcast. As you guys will recall,

by the end of the last episode, the Federal's Red River campaign was dead in the water in Louisiana, while the Arkansas portion of the plan was also in major trouble. Down in Louisiana, Nathaniel Banks had run into a Confederate

buzzsaw in the form of Richard Taylor, and after the battles at Mansfield on April 8, 1864, and Pleasant Hill the next day on

the 9th, Banks' attempt to reach Shreveport had completely run off the rails. Meanwhile, the second

federal pincer that was supposed to converge on Shreveport, Frederick Steele's force, coming down from

Arkansas, had run into some supply troubles. And as a result, Steele had been forced to break

off his advance and turned back, heading for Camden, Arkansas, on the Washita River, where

Steele hoped to dig in and await the arrival

of a wagon train full of supplies that was making its way to him from Little Rock.

On the Confederate side, Department Commander Edmund Kirby Smith had appropriated most of Dick

Taylor's infantry, telling Taylor he was going to march north from

Louisiana into Arkansas to link up with Sterling Price and John Marmaduke. Kirby Smith's plan was

to destroy steel, then march into Little Rock as a conquering hero.

Music as a conquering hero. In Arkansas,

...