Duckport Canal facts for kids

The Duckport Canal was a waterway built by the Union army during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Major General Ulysses S. Grant ordered its construction in March 1863. The canal stretched from the Mississippi River near Duckport, Louisiana, to New Carthage, Louisiana.

Its main goal was to create a water supply route for Union forces moving south. This was important because high water levels made traveling by land very difficult. About 3,500 Union soldiers dug the canal by hand. They finished on April 12. The next day, the levee (a protective wall) holding back the Mississippi River was cut, and water flowed into the canal.

However, the canal faced problems. Trees blocked the path, and water levels dropped very low, sometimes to only about 6 inches (15 cm) deep. Because of these issues, the project was stopped on May 4. Grant then moved his soldiers and supplies using the overland route, which had become easier to use as the water levels fell. After more fighting and a long siege, the city of Vicksburg surrendered on July 4. This was a very important moment in the war.

Why the Canal Was Needed

During the early days of the American Civil War, the Union developed a plan called the Anaconda Plan. This plan aimed to defeat the Confederates. A key part of the plan was to control the Mississippi River. This would split the Confederacy in two and help the Union move goods.

In early 1862, Union forces captured New Orleans, Louisiana. Union Navy ships then moved upriver towards Vicksburg, Mississippi. Union ships attacked Vicksburg in May, but they couldn't capture it. A combined army and navy force tried again in June. Union soldiers started building a canal, later called Grant's Canal, to bypass Vicksburg. But this project was given up in July.

Later, in November, Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant marched towards Vicksburg from the north. But they had to retreat because Confederate cavalry (soldiers on horseback) destroyed their supply lines. Another Union attack, led by General William Tecumseh Sherman, moved down the Mississippi River. But this attack was also pushed back at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou.

Grant took charge of the efforts against Vicksburg again in January 1863. The Confederate defenses around the city were too strong for a direct attack. Also, the land north of Vicksburg was very difficult to move through. Going back north to start another land campaign would have looked like a retreat to the public.

Work on the old Grant's Canal started again that month. But it had many problems and was abandoned in March. Another canal project began in February at Lake Providence, Louisiana. This canal was also delayed by floods and blocked by trees. It was eventually abandoned in late March as Grant looked for other options. Two other attempts to use waterways around the city, the Yazoo Pass expedition and the Steele's Bayou expedition, also failed.

Building the Duckport Canal

A map of operations during the Vicksburg campaign, showing the Duckport Canal

On March 27, General Grant decided to explore the idea of another canal. The plan was to dig a canal from the Mississippi River near Duckport, Louisiana. It would connect to Walnut Bayou, creating a path to New Carthage, Louisiana. An officer named John W. Cornyn and 300 men surveyed the proposed route.

On March 29, Grant ordered troops to march down the Louisiana side of the Mississippi River to New Carthage. The Duckport Canal would then be used to bring supplies from Milliken's Bend, Louisiana, to New Carthage. This was needed because the only road to New Carthage was often flooded and unreliable.

Historians have slightly different ideas about the exact path of the canal. But generally, it was meant to connect the Mississippi River to a series of bayous (slow-moving streams) like Walnut Bayou and Roundaway Bayou. The goal was to eventually rejoin the Mississippi River near New Carthage. Some people, including General Grant, didn't have high hopes for the project. They thought only small, light ships would be able to use it.

The actual digging for the canal started on March 31. Colonel George G. Pride led the work, with help from Captain F. E. Prime and Lieutenant William Le Baron Jenney. The work crew started with 1,000 soldiers, but it grew to 3,500. Other soldiers worked further down the bayou system. The men called the canal "Pride's Ditch."

Soldiers worked from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM each day. They found fewer insects than expected but had to deal with many venomous snakes. By April 6, the canal was about halfway done. Most of the digging was finished by April 11. Manual digging ended the next day. On April 13, the levee holding back the Mississippi River was cut.

Four dredges (machines that clear mud from waterways) were brought in to make the channel deeper. More soldiers worked to remove stumps and trees. They even used special saws on rafts to cut trees underwater.

Duckport Canal, as drawn by Theodore R. Davis and published in Harper's Weekly

After the levee was cut, Colonel Pride thought only four more days of work were needed. But on April 18, a transport ship tried to scout the lower end of Bayou Vidal. It couldn't get through because the water was too low and there were too many trees. Grant himself inspected the canal on April 18. Four days later, a tugboat entered the bayous from the upper end of the canal.

Clearing work continued until April 23, when river levels began to fall. The Mississippi River dropped about 15 feet (4.6 meters) in just a few days. Soon, parts of the canal had only about 6 inches (15 cm) of water. The project was finally abandoned on May 4. Only one ship, the tugboat Victor, successfully made it all the way to New Carthage through the canal. Two dredges and 20 other boats got stuck in the mud and were left behind. Historians believe the falling water levels, along with the knowledge that Grant would soon have enough other boats for supplies, led to the decision to stop the Duckport project.

What Happened Next

The Duckport Canal was the last canal project Grant tried during the Vicksburg campaign. The same falling water levels that stopped the canal also made the overland route easier to use. This allowed Grant to move many soldiers and supplies to New Carthage by land.

On April 30, Grant landed his troops on the Vicksburg side of the Mississippi River, below the city. The next day, Union forces began to move inland. After fighting the Battle of Raymond in mid-May, Grant's army turned and captured Jackson, Mississippi, on May 14. Then, turning west, Grant's army defeated the Confederates at the battles of Champion Hill and Big Black River Bridge.

The Siege of Vicksburg began on May 18. Union attacks on May 19 and May 22 were pushed back. The siege continued until the Confederates, who were isolated and starving, surrendered on July 4. For the Confederacy, losing Vicksburg was a huge defeat. It was a major reason why the Union eventually won the war.

Some historians believe the Duckport Canal, like Grant's Canal, could have worked if the Mississippi River conditions had been better. As of 2016, not much is left of the Duckport Canal's path. However, a historic marker in Madison Parish, Louisiana, remembers its place in history.