The Red River campaign, also known as the Red River expedition, was a major Union offensive campaign in the Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War, which took place from March 10 to May 22, 1864. It was launched through the densely forested gulf coastal plain region between the Red River Valley and central Arkansas towards the end of the war. The offensive was intended to stop Confederate use of the Louisiana port of Shreveport, open an outlet for the sugar and cotton of northern Louisiana, and to split the Confederate lines, allowing the Union to encircle and destroy the Confederate military forces in Louisiana and southern Arkansas. It marked the last major offensive attempted by the Union in the Trans-Mississippi Theater.
The Battle of Monett's Ferry or Monett's Bluff saw a Confederate States Army force led by Brigadier General Hamilton P. Bee attempt to block a numerically superior Union Army column that was commanded by Brigadier General William H. Emory during the Red River Campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate commander Major General Richard Taylor set a trap for the retreating army of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks near the junction of the Cane River with the Red River. Taylor assigned Bee's troops to plug up the only outlet from the trap while Taylor's other forces closed in from the rear and sides.
The Battle of Fort Bisland was fought in the American Civil War between Union Major General Nathaniel P. Banks against Confederate Major General Richard Taylor during Banks' operations against the Bayou Teche region in southern Louisiana.
The Battle of Irish Bend, also known as Nerson's Woods or Franklin, took place during the American Civil War. It was fought between Union Major General Nathaniel Prentice Banks against Confederate Major General Richard Taylor during Banks's operations against the Bayou Teche region near Franklin, the seat of St. Mary Parish in southern Louisiana.
The Battle of Blair's Landing saw a Confederate cavalry-artillery force commanded by Brigadier General Tom Green attack several Union gunboats led by Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter and soldiers in river transports under Brigadier General Thomas Kilby Smith in Red River Parish, Louisiana. Green's force attempted but failed to stop the retreat of Porter's and Smith's forces downstream in an action that was part of the Red River Campaign of the American Civil War. The only significant casualty during the fighting was Green, who was killed by an artillery round.
The Battle of Yellow Bayou, also known as the Battle of Norwood's Plantation, saw Union Army forces led by Brigadier General Joseph A. Mower clash with Confederate States Army troops commanded by Brigadier General John A. Wharton in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana during the American Civil War. This was the final action of the Red River campaign in which a Union army under Major General Nathaniel P. Banks was repulsed by Confederate forces led by Major General Richard Taylor. The failed Union campaign almost ended in disaster when an accompanying Union fleet led by Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter was trapped at Alexandria, Louisiana, by low water in the Red River. An engineering feat saved the fleet, allowing Banks' army to complete its withdrawal.
The Battle of Georgia Landing or Battle of Labadieville was fought between a Union Army force led by Brigadier General Godfrey Weitzel and a Confederate States Army force commanded by Brigadier General Alfred Mouton near Labadieville, Assumption Parish, Louisiana, during the American Civil War. After a sharp clash, the Union troops compelled Mouton's outnumbered force to retreat.
The Company A, Arizona Rangers was a cavalry formation of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
The 28th Louisiana Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment from Louisiana that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It was also known as Gray's Regiment to differentiate it from the 28th (Thomas') Louisiana Infantry Regiment, which was also numbered as 29th. Raised in 1862 it served in the Trans-Mississippi Theater and along the Gulf Coast until it disbanded in 1865.
The Battle of Henderson's Hill or Bayou Rapides saw a reinforced Union Army division led by Brigadier General Joseph A. Mower opposed by a regiment of Confederate Army cavalry and attached artillery under Colonel William G. Vincent. That evening, during a rainstorm, Mower sent one infantry brigade on a circuitous march to gain the rear of Vincent's command. The brigade's subsequent attack surprised and captured most of the Confederates. Mower could not exploit his minor victory because the arrival of additional Federal army and naval units was delayed. This clash occurred during the Red River campaign of the American Civil War which saw Major General Nathaniel P. Banks' Union army try to seize Shreveport, Louisiana, from its Confederate defenders led by Lieutenant General Richard Taylor.
1st Texas Field Battery or Edgar's Company was an artillery battery from Texas that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The artillery company formed in November 1860, but was not formally taken into Confederate service until April 1861. The unit participated in the disarming and surrender of United States soldiers and property in Texas in early 1861. The battery marched to Arkansas where in 1862 it joined the infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. The battery fought at Milliken's Bend and Richmond (La.), shelled a Federal river transport, and campaigned in south Louisiana in late 1863. The 1st Texas Battery was captured at Henderson's Hill in March 1864. The soldiers were later exchanged, and the unit disbanded in 1865 at the end of the conflict.
The 28th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers recruited in east Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. In May 1862, the regiment entered Confederate service and served the entire war west of the Mississippi River in the region known as the Trans-Mississippi Department. The unit was soon dismounted before being assigned to the 2nd Brigade of the all-Texas infantry division known as Walker's Greyhounds. In 1863, the regiment played a secondary role at Milliken's Bend. The regiment fought in three major battles during April 1864, at Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry. The Trans-Mississippi Department surrendered on 26 May 1865, but the survivors dispersed to their homes before that date.
The 18th Louisiana Infantry Regiment was a unit of volunteers recruited in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment began forming in October 1861, but did not reach its full complement of 10 companies until January 1862. It served throughout the war in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. In 1862, the regiment served at Shiloh, First Corinth and Georgia Landing (Labadieville). In 1863, it fought at Fort Bisland and campaigned in south Louisiana. In November 1863, the unit merged with the 10th Louisiana Infantry Battalion, creating the 18th Consolidated Louisiana Infantry Regiment. The new regiment served during the Red River campaign in 1864, fighting at Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Yellow Bayou. The regiment remained in Louisiana and Arkansas for the rest of the war, before disbanding in May 1865.
The 24th Louisiana Infantry Regiment was a unit of volunteers recruited in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The Crescent Regiment, a state militia unit, transferred to Confederate service at New Orleans in March 1862 for a 90-day enlistment. The regiment immediately traveled to join the Confederaste army at Corinth, Mississippi, and fought at Shiloh and First Corinth. The regiment disbanded in June at the end of its term of service, most of the men joining the 18th Louisiana Infantry Regiment. The regiment was revived at New Iberia, Louisiana, in September 1862, where it was rejoined by the men in the 18th Louisiana. It fought at Georgia Landing (Labadieville) in October 1862 and at Fort Bisland in April 1863. In November 1863 at Simmesport, the regiment merged with the 11th and 12th Louisiana Infantry Battalions, becoming the Consolidated Crescent Regiment. The new regiment fought at Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Yellow Bayou in April and May 1864. At Mansfield, all three field officers were fatalities and 175 soldiers became casualties. The regiment spent the rest of the war in Arkansas and Louisiana before disbanding in May 1865.
The 1st Louisiana Field Battery was an artillery unit recruited from volunteers in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The battery mustered into Confederate service in October 1861. The unit traveled to Fort Jackson in early 1862 and took part in the defense of Forts Jackson and St. Philip. The soldiers became prisoners when the forts surrendered and the battery reformed at Franklin after their prisoner exchange. The battery fought at Fort Bisland and Irish Bend in 1863. Later in the year the battery engaged Union shipping on the rivers in several actions. In 1864 the battery briefly fought at Mansfield before its commander was killed while engaging Union gunboats in late April. The unit also fought at Mansura and Yellow Bayou. The battery was in Texas when the Trans-Mississippi Department surrendered in May 1865.
The 5th Louisiana Field Battery was an artillery unit recruited from volunteers in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The Pelican Artillery organized on 31 October 1862, recruiting men mostly from St. James Parish, Louisiana. The battery first saw action in November 1862 against Union gunboats on Bayou Teche. In April 1863, the unit distinguished itself at Fort Bisland and it fought a skirmish at Vermilion Bayou a few days later. In July 1863, the battery fired on Federal shipping at Gaudet's Plantation near Donaldsonville, Louisiana, and fought at Kock's Plantation. In April 1864, it served during the Red River campaign and was present, but not engaged at the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. In May 1864, the unit was engaged at Mansura and Yellow Bayou. The battery surrendered in early June 1865 while at Tyler, Texas. A total of 183 men enlisted in the battery during the war; 2 were killed in action, 5 died from disease, and 1 drowned.
The Action of April 26–27, 1864 saw a Confederate States Army force led by Lieutenant Colonel John H. Caudle and Captain Florian Cornay ambush several Union Navy warships and auxiliary vessels commanded by Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter as they made their way downstream on the Red River of the South. Eleven days earlier, a Confederate naval mine sank a Union ironclad warship. The vessel was refloated and escorted downstream by Porter with five Union vessels, but on April 26 the ironclad had to be scuttled.
The 3rd Louisiana Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers recruited in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The seven-company 15th Louisiana Cavalry Battalion was formed in January 1863 by Isaac F. Harrison.
Oliver Paul Gooding was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was brevetted Major General for his war service. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1858 and served in the Utah expedition. After the Civil War broke out he was named colonel of an infantry regiment and accompanied the New Orleans expedition in 1862. He led an infantry brigade at Fort Bisland and Port Hudson in 1863. He led a cavalry brigade in the Red River campaign in 1864. After the war he practiced law and wrote two religious books.
The 4th United States Colored Cavalry Regiment was an African American cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment mustered in as the 1st Cavalry (Corps d'Afrique) at New Orleans on September 12, 1863 and was stationed for the entirety of its existence at various bases throughout Louisiana, mustering out at New Orleans on March 20, 1866.
Confederate States of America 
Louisiana 
Confederate States Army 
