The Meridian campaign or Meridian expedition took place from February 3 – March 6, 1864, from

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County and the principal city of the Meri ...

, by the Union

Army of the Tennessee An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, led by Maj. Gen.

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

. Sherman captured

, inflicting heavy damage to it.National Park Service battle description
/ref> The campaign is viewed by historians as a prelude to

Sherman's March to the Sea Sherman's March to the Sea (also known as the Savannah campaign or simply Sherman's March) was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by William Tecumseh Sherman, majo ...

(Savannah campaign) in that a large swath of damage and destruction was inflicted on Central Mississippi as Sherman marched across the state and back. Two supporting columns were under the command of

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

William Sooy Smith and

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

James Henry Coates. Smith's expedition was tasked to destroy a rebel cavalry commanded by

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealth ...

, maintain communications with Middle Tennessee and take men from the defense on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

to the Atlanta campaign. To maintain communications, it was to protect the

Mobile and Ohio Railroad The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was a railroad in the Southern U.S. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was planned to span the distance between the seaport of Mobile, ...

. Coates' expedition moved up the Yazoo River and for a while occupied

Yazoo City, Mississippi Yazoo City is a U.S. city in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's ...

Background

After the Chattanooga campaign Union forces under Sherman returned to Vicksburg and headed eastward toward Meridian.Meridian, Mississippi, Official Website
/ref> Meridian was an important railroad center and was home to a Confederate arsenal, military hospital, and prisoner-of-war stockade, as well as the headquarters for a number of state offices.History of Meridian, Mississippi
Sherman planned to take Meridian and, if the situation was favorable, push on to

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. Abou ...

. He also wished to threaten

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ...

enough to force the Confederates to reinforce their defenses. While Sherman set out on February 3, 1864, with the main force of 20,000 men from Vicksburg, he ordered Brig. Gen. William Sooy Smith to lead a cavalry force of 7,000 men from

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

, south through Okolona, Mississippi, along the

to meet the rest of the Union force at Meridian.

March to Meridian

To counter the threat, Confederate President Jefferson Davis ordered troops to the area from other localities. The Confederate commander in the area, Lt. Gen.

Leonidas Polk Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (April 10, 1806 – June 14, 1864) was a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, which separated from the Episcopal Ch ...

, consolidated a number of commands in and around Morton, Mississippi, but lost his nerve and retreated rapidly eastward. On the journey towards Meridian, Sherman ordered several

feint Feint is a French term that entered English via the discipline of swordsmanship and fencing. Feints are maneuvers designed to distract or mislead, done by giving the impression that a certain maneuver will take place, while in fact another, or ...

s into other regions of the state to keep Polk guessing about Sherman's true point of attack. Sherman also asked Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks, Union commander of the

Department of the Gulf The Department of the Gulf was a command of the United States Army in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and of the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. History United States Army (Civil War) Creation The department was cons ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

s and infantry up the Yazoo River to divert his attention.Mississippi History – Sherman's Meridian Campaign
Cavalry units commanded by Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Lee periodically skirmished with Sherman's force. As Sherman approached Meridian, he met stiffer resistance from the combined forces but steadily moved on. Polk finally realized that he could not stop Sherman and was convinced he was headed not for Meridian but for Mobile, so he decided to evacuate Meridian on February 14, fall back to Demopolis, Alabama, and prepare to launch a rear attack, leaving Meridian and its surrounding territory to the mercy of the enemy. While evacuating, Polk and his army began removing some railroad rolling stock to McDowell's Bluff.

Smith's troubles

Smith never reached Meridian; he and his troops met Confederate resistance led by Maj. Gen.

at West Point, Mississippi. Forrest and his army forced Smith to begin to retreat to Tennessee. When Forrest saw Smith's army retreating, he ordered his troops to chase the army down. Forrest caught Smith and his troops in Okolona, Mississippi, and forced them to retreat more rapidly after a defeat in the Battle of Okolona on February 22, 1864, which ultimately resulted in General Sherman's entire left flank being eliminated during the campaign.American Civil War – Destruction of Meridian
/ref>

Destruction of Meridian

Sherman's army reached Meridian on February 14, 1864. Still unaware of Smith's defeat at West Point and the one to come at Okolona, Sherman decided to continue waiting for Smith in Meridian until the morning of February 20, when he gave up and returned to Vicksburg. While he and his army were waiting, Sherman ordered his troops "to wipe the appointed meeting place off the map" by destroying the railroads and burning much of the area to the ground. Sherman's troops destroyed of railroad, 61 bridges, of trestle work, 20 locomotives, 28 cars, and 3 steam sawmills. After the troops departed, inhabitants of the city were without food for some days, but the soldiers had not directly inflicted any personal injuries during the attack. After the destruction of the economic and military infrastructure of Meridian, Sherman is reported to have said, "Meridian with its depots, store-houses,

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, hospitals, offices, hotels, and

cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a military quarters. In Bangladesh, India and other parts of South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the colonial-era). In United States military parlance, a cantonment is, essent ...

s no longer exists." When Sherman left Meridian, heading west by way of

Canton, Mississippi Canton is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 13,189 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Madison County, and situated in the northern part of the metropolitan area surrounding the state capital, J ...

, he was still unaware of Smith's defeats, so he began looking for Smith and his force. He did not discover what happened to Smith until he arrived back at Vicksburg. Sherman had destroyed some important Confederate transportation facilities but was unable to continue into Alabama. In his ''Memoirs'' (1885) Sherman denies any intention of going to

: "in the following letter to General Banks, of January 31st, written from Vicksburg before starting for Meridian, it will be seen clearly that I indicated my intention to keep up the delusion of an attack on Mobile by land, whereas I promised him to be back to Vicksburg by the 1st of March . . . ."

Yazoo Expedition

On January 31, 1864, Coates and 947 men from the

11th Illinois Infantry Regiment The 11th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment from Illinois that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In April 1861, it was formed as a three-month volunteer unit, and in July 1861 it was reorganized as ...

and

8th Louisiana Infantry Regiment (African Descent) The 8th Louisiana Regiment Infantry (African Descent) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was composed primarily of freed or escaped slaves from Louisiana's plantations and was commanded by white officers. ...

left Vicksburg aboard six river transports and five gunboats. The expedition steamed up the Yazoo River to occupy Yazoo City on February 9. They were joined there by 250 men from the 1st Mississippi Cavalry Regiment (African Descent) and the expedition continued upriver to reach

Greenwood, Mississippi Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta region, approximately 96 miles north of the state capital, Jackson, Missis ...

, on February 14. Descending the Yazoo River, the expedition returned to Yazoo City on February 28 after seizing over 1,700 bales of cotton. On March 5, Coates' force repulsed an attack by two brigades of Confederate cavalry under Lawrence Sullivan Ross and Robert V. Richardson in the Battle of Yazoo City. Following orders, Coates abandoned Yazoo City on March 6 and returned to Vicksburg.

Timeline

A summary of skirmishes and battles: *February 3: General Sherman’s column left

and faced multiple skirmishes at Liverpool Heights *February 4: at Champion’s Hill, Queen’s Hill, Edwards’ Ferry, and near Bolton Depot *February 5: at Baker’s Creek, Clinton, Jackson *February 6–18: advanced from

to Wyatt, Mississippi **February 6: at Hillsborough. **February 7: skirmishes at Brandon, Morton, Satartia **February 8: Coldwater Ferry, near Morton; near and at Senatobia *February 9: Yazoo City was occupied by Union forces until March 6. *February 10: skirmishes at Hillsborough, Morton. *February 11: Brigadier General W. Sooy Smith’s Column advanced from

Collierville, Tennessee Collierville is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a suburb located in the Memphis metropolitan area. With a population of 51,324 in the 2020 census, Collierville is the third largest municipality in the county after Memphis ...

with further skirmishes at Raiford’s Plantation *February 12: Wall Hill, Holly Springs. *February 13: skirmishes at Wyatt. *February 13–14: skirmishes between Chunky Creek and Meridian. *February 14 to 20: Meridian was occupied by Union forces. *February 15 to 17: Further skirmishes at Marion Station *February 16: Lauderdale Springs. *February 17: skirmish near Pontotoc, Houlka Swamp, *February 18: skirmish near Okolona, Aberdeen. *February 19: Houston, Egypt Station, near Meridian. *February 20: near West Point. *February 21: Ellis’ Bridge,

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, Prairie Station, Okolona. *February 21–22: at Union. *February 22: Battle of Okolona, and near Ivey’s Hill, Tallahatchie. *February 23: skirmish near New Albany; skirmish at Tippah River, Canton. *February 25: at Hudsonville. *February 26: near Canton. *February 27: at Madisonville, Sharon. *February 28: at Pearl River, Mississippi. *February 29: near Canton. *March 2: at Canton, near Yazoo City. *March 3: at Liverpool, Brownsville. General William Tecumseh Sherman’s column arrived at Vicksburg on March 4. *March 5: Yazoo City was attacked and abandoned by Union forces on March 6.

Divisions

The 16th Army Corps was under the command of Major General Stephen A. Hurlbut. The First Division was under the command of Brigadier General

James M. Tuttle James Madison Tuttle (September 24, 1823 – October 24, 1892) was a soldier, businessman, and politician from the state of Iowa who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He commanded a brigade and then a division i ...

. It was composed of the First Brigade under Col.

William L. McMillen William Linn McMillen (October 18, 1829 – February 8, 1902) was an American surgeon, army officer, farmer and carpetbagger legislator. Biography McMillen was born in Hillsboro, Ohio on October 18, 1829.Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''C ...

, Second Brigade under Brigadier General Joseph A. Mower, Third Brigade under Col. James L. Geddes, and Artillery under Captain

Nelson T. Spoor Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

. The Third Division was under the command of Brigadier General

Andrew J. Smith Andrew Jackson Smith (April 28, 1815January 30, 1897) was a United States Army general during the American Civil War, rising to the command of a corps. He was most noted for his victory over Confederate General Stephen D. Lee at the Battle of Tu ...

. It was composed of the First Brigade under Col.

David Moore David Moore may refer to: Politics * David E. Moore (1798-1875), American politician in Virginia * David Moore (Australian politician) (1824–1898), politician in Sandridge, Victoria, Australia * David Moore (Manx politician), member of the H ...

, Second Brigade under Col. William T. Shaw, Third Brigade under Col. Edward H. Wolfe and Col.

Risdon M. Moore Risdon is a surname and also a first name, and may refer to: ; Given name * Risdon Beazley (1904–1979), British businessman ; Surname * Dustin Risdon (born 1981), Canadian professional golfer * Elisabeth Risdon (1887–1958) English film actres ...

, and Artillery was under Captain James M. Cockefair. The Fourth Division was under the command of Brigadier General James C. Veatch. It was composed of the First Brigade under Col. Milton Montgomery and Second Brigade under Col. James H. Howe. The 17th Army Corps was under the command of General James B. McPherson. The First Division was composed of the Third Brigade under Brigadier General Alexander Chambers. Third Division was under Brigadier General Mortimer D. Leggett. It was composed of the First Brigade under Brigadier General Manning F. Force, Second Brigade under Col. Benjamin F. Potts, Third Brigade under Brigadier General Jasper A. Maltby and Artillery under Captain

William S. Williams William Sherley "Old Bill" Williams (January 3, 1787 – March 14, 1849) was a noted mountain man and frontiersman, known as Lone Elk to the Native Americans.Marcellus M. Crocker Marcellus Monroe Crocker (February 6, 1830 – August 26, 1865) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War most noted for his service in the Western Theater. Biography Crocker was born in Franklin, Indiana. He entered the Unite ...

. It was composed of the First Brigade under Brigadier General Thomas Kilby Smith, Second Brigade under Col.

Cyrus Hall Cyrus (Persian: کوروش) is a male given name. It is the given name of a number of Persian kings. Most notably it refers to Cyrus the Great ( BC). Cyrus is also the name of Cyrus I of Anshan ( BC), King of Persia and the grandfather of Cyrus ...

, Third Brigade under Brigadier General Walter Q. Gresham, Artillery under Captain

John W. Powell John William Powell (July 3, 1919 – December 15, 2008) was a journalist and small business proprietor who edited the ''China Weekly Review'', an English-language journal first published by his father, John B. Powell in Shanghai. John W. Pow ...

, Cavalry under Col. Edward F. Winslow. Smith’s Column was commanded by Brigadier General William Sooy Smith. It was composed of the First Brigade under Col.

George E. Waring, Jr. George E. Waring Jr. (July 4, 1833 – October 29, 1898) was an American sanitary engineer and civic reformer. He was an early American designer and advocate of sewer systems that keep domestic sewage separate from storm runoff. Early life Wari ...

, Second Brigade under Lieutenant Col. William P. Hepburn, Third Brigade under Col. Lafayette McCrillis, and the 4th United States under Captain

Charles S. Bowman Charles Sumner Bowman (–unknown), was an American architect and educator. He had his own architecture firm in Kansas City, Kansas, and served as the director of the industrial department of Western University in Quindaro, Kansas from 1898 unti ...

Total troops

The 16th Army Corps First Division aggregate 5,558 men, Third Division 6,854 men, and Fourth Division 3,735 men. 17th Army Corps Headquarters aggregate 99 men, First Division 2,329 men, Third Division 8,640 men, Fourth Division 7,641 men, Cavalry 4,215 men. The total aggregate of men present and absent on the Meridian expedition was 38,071 men.

Casualties

The total casualties during the Meridian expedition was 150 during the Okolona battle. The total campaign casualty figures are unknown.National Park Service. Mississippi Civil Wars Battles. http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ms-civilwarbattles5.html (March 23, 2014)

Notes

References

National Park Service battle description

CWSAC Report Update

Bibliography

* * United States Congress. Congressional Edition, Volume 2873. (U.S. G.P.O., 1891). *Sherman, William T. Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman

(March 21, 2014). *Dinges, Bruce J., Leckie, Shirley A. Just and Righteous Cause: Benjamin H. Grierson’s Civil War Memoir. (Southern Illinois University Press, 2008). *National Park Service. Mississippi Civil Wars Battles. https://web.archive.org/web/20170703180045/http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ms-civilwarbattles5.html (March 23, 2014).

External links

Mississippi History Now
{{authority control Military operations of the American Civil War in Mississippi

Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

Meridian, Mississippi Lauderdale County, Mississippi

1864 in Mississippi February 1864 events