Meridian campaign facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Meridian campaign
Part of the American Civil War
Date February 14, 1864 (1864-02-14)–February 20, 1864 (1864-02-20) Location Lauderdale County, Mississippi 32°21′55″N 88°42′15″W / 32.3654°N 88.7043°W / 32.3654; -88.7043 Result Union victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)	CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
William T. Sherman	Leonidas Polk
Units involved
Army of the Tennessee	Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana
Strength
26,847	Unknown
Casualties and losses
170	Unknown

The Meridian campaign was a military operation during the American Civil War. It happened from February 3 to March 6, 1864. Union forces, led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, marched from Vicksburg, Mississippi to Meridian, Mississippi. Sherman's goal was to destroy Meridian, an important Confederate center.

This campaign is seen as a practice run for Sherman's famous Sherman's March to the Sea. During the Meridian campaign, a lot of damage was done across Central Mississippi. Two other Union groups helped in this campaign. One was led by Brig. Gen. William Sooy Smith. His job was to fight a Confederate cavalry group led by Nathan Bedford Forrest. He also had to keep communication lines open and protect the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The other group, led by Col. James Henry Coates, moved along the Yazoo River and briefly took over Yazoo City, Mississippi.

Why Was Meridian Important?

Map of the Meridian Battlefield study area.

After a battle in Chattanooga, Union soldiers under General Sherman went back to Vicksburg. From there, they started moving east towards Meridian. Meridian was a very important place for the Confederates. It was a major railroad hub, meaning many train lines met there. It also had a Confederate weapons factory, a military hospital, and a prison camp for captured soldiers. Many state offices were located there too.

Sherman planned to capture Meridian. If things went well, he wanted to push further to Selma, Alabama. He also wanted to make the Confederates think he might attack Mobile, Alabama. This would force them to send more soldiers to defend Mobile. On February 3, 1864, Sherman left Vicksburg with about 20,000 soldiers. He also ordered Brig. Gen. William Sooy Smith to lead 7,000 cavalry soldiers from Memphis, Tennessee. Smith's group was supposed to march south along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and meet Sherman in Meridian.

The March to Meridian

Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, who led the Union forces.

Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk, who led the Confederate forces.

To stop Sherman, Confederate President Jefferson Davis ordered troops to the area. The Confederate commander there, Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk, gathered his soldiers near Morton, Mississippi. But he got scared and quickly retreated east. As Sherman marched towards Meridian, he used tricks to confuse Polk. He sent small groups of soldiers to different areas. This made Polk guess where Sherman was really going to attack.

Sherman also asked Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, a Union commander in New Orleans, to make his boats act like they were getting ready to attack Mobile. This made the Confederates keep their soldiers in Mobile, instead of sending them to help Meridian. To confuse Polk even more, Sherman sent gunboats and soldiers up the Yazoo River. Confederate cavalry, led by Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Lee, had small fights with Sherman's army. But Sherman kept moving forward.

Finally, Polk realized he couldn't stop Sherman. He thought Sherman was heading for Mobile, not Meridian. So, Polk decided to leave Meridian on February 14. He moved his army to Demopolis, Alabama. He planned to attack Sherman from behind later. This left Meridian and the land around it open to the Union army. As Polk left, his army tried to move some train cars to a safer place.

Smith's Difficulties

General Smith and his cavalry never made it to Meridian. They met strong Confederate resistance led by Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest near West Point, Mississippi. Forrest and his soldiers forced Smith to start retreating back to Tennessee. When Forrest saw Smith's army pulling back, he chased them. Forrest caught Smith's troops in Okolona, Mississippi. After a defeat in the Battle of Okolona on February 22, 1864, Smith's army had to retreat even faster. This meant that General Sherman's plan for a two-sided attack was ruined.

Meridian's Destruction

Sherman's army arrived in Meridian on February 14, 1864. Sherman still didn't know that Smith had been defeated. He decided to wait for Smith in Meridian until the morning of February 20. When Smith didn't show up, Sherman gave up waiting and started back to Vicksburg.

While waiting, Sherman ordered his soldiers to "wipe the appointed meeting place off the map." This meant destroying the railroads and burning much of the area. Sherman's troops destroyed about 115 miles of railroad tracks. They also ruined 61 bridges, over 6,000 feet of wooden trestle bridges, 20 locomotives (train engines), 28 train cars, and 3 steam sawmills. After the soldiers left, the people of Meridian had no food for several days. However, the soldiers did not directly hurt any people during the attack. After destroying Meridian's economic and military buildings, Sherman reportedly said, "Meridian with its depots, store-houses, arsenal, hospitals, offices, hotels, and cantonments no longer exists."

When Sherman left Meridian, he headed west towards Canton, Mississippi. He was still looking for Smith's force. He didn't find out what happened to Smith until he returned to Vicksburg. Sherman had destroyed important Confederate transportation centers. But he couldn't continue into Alabama as he had hoped. In his book Memoirs (1885), Sherman said he never intended to go to Mobile. He wrote that he wanted to keep up the idea of an attack on Mobile to trick the Confederates. He had promised to be back in Vicksburg by March 1.

The Yazoo River Expedition

On January 31, 1864, Colonel Coates and 947 soldiers left Vicksburg. They were from the 11th Illinois Infantry Regiment and the 8th Louisiana Infantry Regiment (African Descent). They traveled on six river boats and five gunboats. The group went up the Yazoo River and took over Yazoo City on February 9. They were joined by 250 soldiers from the 1st Mississippi Cavalry Regiment (African Descent). The expedition continued upriver and reached Greenwood, Mississippi, on February 14.

As they came back down the Yazoo River, they returned to Yazoo City on February 28. They had captured over 1,700 bales of cotton. On March 5, Coates' force fought off an attack by two groups of Confederate cavalry. These groups were led by Lawrence Sullivan Ross and Robert V. Richardson in the Battle of Yazoo City. Following his orders, Coates left Yazoo City on March 6 and returned to Vicksburg.

Key Events of the Campaign

Here is a summary of the main fights and events:

• February 3: General Sherman’s group left Vicksburg, Mississippi. They had small fights at Liverpool Heights.
• February 4: Fights happened at Champion’s Hill, Queen’s Hill, Edwards’ Ferry, and near Bolton Depot.
• February 5: Skirmishes took place at Baker’s Creek, Clinton, and Jackson.
• February 6–18: General Smith’s group advanced from Memphis, Tennessee to Wyatt, Mississippi.
  • February 6: A skirmish happened at Hillsborough.
  • February 7: Small fights occurred at Brandon, Morton, and Satartia.
  • February 8: Skirmishes were near Coldwater Ferry, Morton, and Senatobia.
• February 9: Yazoo City was taken by Union forces. They stayed there until March 6.
• February 10: Skirmishes happened at Hillsborough and Morton.
• February 11: Brigadier General W. Sooy Smith’s group advanced from Collierville, Tennessee. More skirmishes happened at Raiford’s Plantation.
• February 12: Fights were at Wall Hill and Holly Springs.
• February 13: A skirmish happened at Wyatt.
• February 13–14: Skirmishes took place between Chunky Creek and Meridian.
• February 14 to 20: Meridian was occupied by Union forces.
• February 15 to 17: More skirmishes happened at Marion Station.
• February 16: A skirmish was at Lauderdale Springs.
• February 17: Fights were near Pontotoc and Houlka Swamp.
• February 18: Skirmishes happened near Okolona and Aberdeen.
• February 19: Fights were at Houston, Egypt Station, and near Meridian.
• February 20: A skirmish happened near West Point.
• February 21: Fights were at Ellis’ Bridge, West Point, Prairie Station, and Okolona.
• February 21–22: Skirmishes took place at Union.
• February 22: The Battle of Okolona happened. Fights were also near Ivey’s Hill and Tallahatchie.
• February 23: Skirmishes happened near New Albany, at Tippah River, and Canton.
• February 25: A skirmish was at Hudsonville.
• February 26: A skirmish happened near Canton.
• February 27: Fights were at Madisonville and Sharon.
• February 28: A skirmish happened at Pearl River, Mississippi.
• February 29: A skirmish happened near Canton.
• March 2: Fights were at Canton and near Yazoo City.
• March 3: Skirmishes happened at Liverpool and Brownsville. General William Tecumseh Sherman’s group arrived back at Vicksburg on March 4.
• March 5: Yazoo City was attacked. Union forces left the city on March 6.

Soldiers Involved

The Union army was divided into different groups, called corps and divisions.

The 16th Army Corps was led by Major General Stephen A. Hurlbut.

• The First Division was led by Brigadier General James M. Tuttle. It had three brigades and an artillery unit.
• The Third Division was led by Brigadier General Andrew J. Smith. It had three brigades and an artillery unit.
• The Fourth Division was led by Brigadier General James C. Veatch. It had two brigades.

The 17th Army Corps was led by General James B. McPherson.

• The First Division had one brigade led by Brigadier General Alexander Chambers.
• The Third Division was led by Brigadier General Mortimer D. Leggett. It had three brigades and an artillery unit.
• The Fourth Division was led by Brigadier General Marcellus M. Crocker. It had three brigades, an artillery unit, and a cavalry unit.

General Smith’s group was led by Brigadier General William Sooy Smith. It had three brigades and a fourth unit.

Total Number of Soldiers

The 16th Army Corps had a total of 16,147 soldiers.

• First Division: 5,558 men
• Third Division: 6,854 men
• Fourth Division: 3,735 men

The 17th Army Corps had a total of 22,925 soldiers.

• Headquarters: 99 men
• First Division: 2,329 men
• Third Division: 8,640 men
• Fourth Division: 7,641 men
• Cavalry: 4,215 men

In total, about 38,071 soldiers were part of the Meridian expedition.

Casualties (Injuries and Deaths)

During the Meridian campaign, about 150 soldiers were killed or wounded during the Battle of Okolona. The total number of casualties for the entire campaign is not fully known.

|