The Washington herald., 1914-04-01
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
April Natchoehes La IS Miles Upstream from Alexandria t.
Red River Was Held by Federa Under Maj Gen Banks-Con
federate, Prepare Strike Hard Blow.
Cwritten expressly for The HeraIdJ

Fifty years ago today Natchitoches.
La, on the Red River. ffty-five miles
| above Alexandria, was held by the Fed
eral army under Mai. Gen. y. p. Banks
The movement of Federals from Alex
andria to Nstchitoches. which had begun
final forward movement of the Red River
expedition, a movement which was to
end on April in a severe defeat of the
Union army on the field of Sabine Cross
Roads.
The immediate objective of the Fed
erals was Shreveport, La, $50 miles from
the mouth of the river and about l3O
miles above Alexandria. That place was
the headquarters of the Confederate mill
tary machinery of the trans-Mississippi
department
At Shreveport and neighborins towns
were the arsenals, workshops. and supply
depots for the Confederate troops in
Arkansas. Louisiana. Texas. and the In
dian Territory, and their destruction
would be a severe blow to Southern
power in that quarter. Furthermore, 1t
was proposed to invade Texas, with
Shreveport as a base for operations.
There had been numerous delays in
Gen. Banks advance. but late in the
afternoon of March 81 Federal cavalry
had ridden into the town of Natchirocres.
There was not a Confederate soldier in
sight when they arrived, yet less than
an hour before Gen Richard Taylor. who
commanded the Confederates along the
Red River. had ridden out of the town
to Grand Ecore, four miles above
BY April Gen. Banks was TO have his
entire available force at Natchitoches.
and the ships of Admiral D. d. Porter's
feet, which was cooperating with him.
would also be at hand.
Gen. Banks found his force not as large
as he wished for. of Sl,30S men present
for duty on the Red River. 3O1 under
Gen. Cuvvier Grover were garrisoning
Alexandria, and OF the remaining S.5S
at Natchitoches there subsequently was
to he detached 2,5OO under Gen. T. Kilby
Smith to guard the transports. and 900
more to accompany the wagon trains.
When Gen. Banks was to prepare for
further advance early in April his force
Was to number approximately 5000 men.
Able Confederate Leader.
Against this Federal force the Confed-
crates had not yet been able to bring
more than 1000 men. and many of these
were either poorly armed. or without
arms. Consequently they had fallen
back before the Federals without any at
tempt at opposition.
But they were in command OF a reso-
lute and resourceful soldier, Gen. Richard
Taylor, one of the most interesting
figures that the war produced on either
side. The only son of Gen Zachary Tay-
lor, twelfth President of the United States.
he had been strongly opposed to seces-
sion and had done all in his power to
stem its tide both in the Presidential con-
yention of 1860 and the Louisiana State
convention of 1861.
Having failed. he determined to retire
to his plantation. and allow the more
fiery leaders to settle the differences Of
the day. Taylor was a man OF highest
education and culture. He had studied
for three years at Edinburg. one year in
France. and then. returning to America,
had graduated from Yale in lSiS.
He was soon drawn from his seclusion
and brought to the forefront in the
struggle. President Jefferson Davis was
his brother-in-law. and Taylor soon found
himself a brigadier in the Confederate
army in Virginia. He fought gallantly
under "Stonewall'' Jackson, and after the
seven days battle around Richmond was
made a major general and transferred to
the West.
There. in his native Louisiana, he had
inflicted great damage on the Federals
under Gen. b. F. Butler and Gen. Banks.
He was much handicapped by lack of
troops. but his audacity and skilled gen.
eraIship more than compensated the lass.
In the Red River campaign Gen.
Taylor was second in command to
Gen. f. Kirby Smith. The latter dio
not feel himself strong enough to