Hey everyone, welcome to the 90th episode of our Civil War podcast.

My name is Rich.

And I'm Tracy.

Hello y'all.

Thanks for tuning into the podcast.

Last week we looked at some background to Ulysses S. Grant's campaign to capture Fort

Tynri and Donaldson.

Grant planned to take Fort Henry on the Tennessee River first in a joint operation with Andrew

Foot's Naval Forces.

We ended the last episode with Major General Henry Hallick, Grant and Foot Superior, giving

them the go ahead to attack Fort Henry.

As we've mentioned before, the Confederates enjoyed unity of command in the Western

theater under General Albert Sinney Johnston, while Union forces in the West were divided

between the Department of Missouri under Hallick and the Department of the Ohio commanded

by Brigadier General Don Carlos Buehl.

Hallick and Buehl took command of their respective departments at about the same time, and both

new commanders quickly realized that it would be more efficient for the Union's war effort

in the West to be combined under one officer.

And both realized that if their departments were merged, the new commander would probably

be one of them.

That set up a natural rivalry between Hallick and Buehl with neither man particularly anxious

to cooperate in some operation that might work to the advantage of his rival.

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