The Red River Campaign, 1864

Abstract

The Red River Campaign in the spring of 1864 was the disastrous culmination of the Union high command’s persistent efforts to conquer Louisiana and Texas. Abraham Lincoln ordered Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, commander of the Department of the Gulf, to lead a large force from New Orleans up the Red River Valley, capture Shreveport (the Confederacy’s Trans-Mississippi capital and major commercial center), and invade Texas. Lincoln delayed an important campaign against Mobile and diverted significant manpower from the western theater and Arkansas, along with a large fleet of naval vessels, to support Banks in order to accomplish sweeping economic, political, and foreign policy goals. Mismanaged by Banks from the start, the campaign suffered defeat before reaching Shreveport, but it created havoc in the Red River Valley by allowing many slaves to flee to Union forces, compelling many civilians to flee with their slaves to Texas for safety, and inducing defeated Union soldiers to destroy a vast array of civilian properties and towns. As a result, northern Louisiana suffered economically for many years, while Texas emerged from the war continuing to grow into an economic powerhouse.