Overview
By the spring of 1864, Confederate control of Louisiana had been reduced mainly to the northwestern part of the state. Confederate officials had moved the state capital to Opelousas in 1862 and then to Shreveport in the spring of 1863. At the urging of Union Army Chief of Staff Henry Halleck, President Abraham Lincoln approved an offensive against the remaining Confederate forces in Louisiana.
The Red River Campaign called for a three-part Union advance toward Shreveport. General Nathaniel P. Banks would lead 20,000 troops across southern Louisiana toward Alexandria and then Shreveport. Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter would move more than 30 warships and a supply fleet up the Red River. A force of 10,000 soldiers from William T. Sherman’s Army of the Tennessee, commanded by General A.J. Smith, would protect Porter’s fleet. General Frederick Steele would lead another 10,000 soldiers from Little Rock, Arkansas, toward Shreveport. Steele’s part of the operation was known as the Camden Expedition.
The campaign started on March 12, 1864, when Porter’s fleet entered the Red River from the Mississippi River. Fort DeRussy, about three miles north of Marksville, presented the first major obstacle to the Union advance. Confederate troops had originally built the fort in 1862, abandoned it in 1863, and returned to rebuild it in 1864.
Porter transported Smith’s troops to Simmesport, where they landed about 30 miles from the fort. On March 13, Union scouting patrols cleared Confederate pickets from the Fort DeRussy Road, allowing Smith’s main force to advance.
On March 14, Confederate General John Walker withdrew most of his division and left Lieutenant Colonel William Byrd with about 325 to 350 soldiers to defend the fort. At about 6:30 p.m., Smith ordered General Joseph A. Mower’s division to storm Fort DeRussy. The Confederate garrison offered limited resistance, and Union troops captured the fort within about 20 minutes. The victory allowed Porter and Smith to continue moving up the Red River toward Shreveport.
Essential Facts
- Date: April 9, 1864
- Location: DeSoto Parish and Sabine Parish, near Pleasant Hill, Louisiana.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Nathaniel P. Banks, A.J. Smith, Joseph A. Mower.
- CSA Commanders: Richard Taylor, John Walker, William Byrd.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Fort DeRussy.
- Campaign: Red River Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, January–April, 1864.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 1,369 (150 killed, 844 wounded, 375 missing).
- Forces Engaged: Red River Expeditionary Force (Army of the Gulf).
- Troop Strength: Roughly 12,000.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: 1,626 (1,200 killed and wounded, 426 captured).
- Forces Engaged: Assembled soldiers from the Trans-Mississippi Department.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 12,100.
Significance
The Battle of Fort DeRussy is important to American History because it was the first battle of the Union’s Red River Campaign of 1864. Fort DeRussy presented the first major obstacle to Union forces advancing along the Red River toward Shreveport. After Confederate General John Walker withdrew most of his troops, only about 350 soldiers remained to defend the fort. Union troops under Joseph A. Mower stormed the defenses and captured the position within about 20 minutes. The victory removed the Confederate stronghold from the Union’s path and allowed A. J. Smith and David Dixon Porter to continue their advance up the Red River.
History
By the spring of 1864, Confederate Louisiana had shriveled to the northwestern area of the state. The capital had moved to Opelousas in 1862 and then to Shreveport in the spring of 1863. At the urging of Union Army Chief-of-Staff Henry Halleck, President Abraham Lincoln approved an offensive against the remaining Confederate forces in Louisiana in the spring of 1864.
The Union’s Red River Campaign
Named the Red River Campaign, Halleck’s plan comprised a three-pronged assault.
- Major General Nathaniel P. Banks would march 20,000 troops from the area around New Orleans across southern Louisiana and occupy Alexandria, Louisiana near the center of the state, before moving on to Shreveport.
- Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter would ascend the Red River and join Banks at Alexandria with over thirty warships and an accompanying supply fleet. A detachment of 10,000 soldiers from William T. Sherman’s Army of the Tennessee, commanded by Brigadier General Andrew Jackson Smith would protect Dixon’s flotilla.
- After Banks and Porter joined forces and continued upriver toward Shreveport, Major General Frederick Steele would lead another 10,000 Union soldiers out of Little Rock, Arkansas and approach Shreveport from the north or east.
Fort DeRussy
The campaign began on March 12, as Porter’s fleet entered the mouth of the Red River from the Mississippi River. The first major obstacle that the Union forces faced was Fort DeRussy, on the Red River roughly three miles north of Marksville, Louisiana, near the center of the state.
Confederate soldiers originally built the earthen fort in 1862 and abandoned it in 1863. U. S. naval forces briefly occupied and partially destroyed the fort after the Rebels abandoned it.
Southern troops returned to the fort in 1864 and rebuilt it. By March 1864, the complex included iron-plated water batteries designed to withstand artillery fire from the river.
Union Advance on Fort DeRussy
Possibly because of Fort DeRussy’s formidable batteries, Admiral Porter and General Smith decided to approach the complex from the land side.
Porter transported Smith’s forces up the river as far as Simmesport, about thirty miles from the fort where they disembarked.
On the morning of March 13, Smith’s reconnaissance patrols cleared the Fort DeRussy Road of Rebel pickets, and the main federal force of 10,000 soldiers advanced toward the fortification until nightfall.
Confederates Withdraw from Fort DeRussy
As Smith’s large force continued to approach the fort the next morning, Confederate General John Walker withdrew his division, leaving behind only a skeleton garrison of 325 to 350 soldiers, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William Byrd.
The Battle of Fort DeRussy Begins
As the Federals arrived outside of Fort DeRussy during the day, Smith formed battle lines. Around 6:30 p.m., he ordered Brigadier General Joseph A. Mower’s division to storm the fort.
The small garrison inside the structure offered only token resistance, and within twenty minutes, the battle was over.
Outcome
The Union victory resulted in casualties at the Battle of Fort DeRussy totaling forty-eight men killed and wounded and two missing. The Confederacy lost 324 men, including two killed, five wounded, and 317 captured. Although the battle was small, the Union victory enabled Porter and Smith to continue their trip up the Red River toward their target of Shreveport, Louisiana.
Timeline
- 1862
- Louisiana moved its capital to Opelousas.
- Confederate troops built Fort DeRussy along the Red River.
- 1863, Spring
- Louisiana moved its capital to Shreveport.
- Confederate forces abandoned Fort DeRussy, and U.S. naval forces briefly occupied and partially destroyed it.
- 1864, Spring — President Abraham Lincoln approved an offensive against the remaining Confederate forces in Louisiana.
- 1864 — Confederate forces returned to Fort DeRussy and rebuilt its defenses.
- 1864, March 12 — David Dixon Porter’s fleet entered the Red River from the Mississippi River as the Red River Campaign started.
- 1864, March 13 — A.J. Smith’s patrols cleared Confederate pickets from the Fort DeRussy Road, and his main force advanced toward the fort.
- 1864, March 14
- Confederate General John Walker withdrew most of his division and left about 325 to 350 soldiers under William Byrd to defend Fort DeRussy.
- A. J. Smith ordered Joseph A. Mower’s division to storm Fort DeRussy at about 6:30 p.m.
- Union troops captured Fort DeRussy after about 20 minutes of fighting.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Fort DeRussy (1864) — The Battle of Fort DeRussy was fought in Louisiana on March 14, 1864, as the first engagement of the Red River Campaign. Union forces under A.J. Smith advanced toward the fort after landing at Simmesport. Confederate General John Walker withdrew most of his troops, leaving William Byrd with about 350 defenders. Joseph A. Mower’s division stormed the fort and captured it within about 20 minutes, allowing Union forces to continue upriver toward Shreveport.
Alignment
The Battle of Fort DeRussy is part of the following AP US History sections:
