page_title: Battle of Fort De Russy
section_title: Battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Fort De Russy / Battle
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of battlefield core and study areas. The Study Area was revised to include the Federal advance from Hamburg directly against Fort DeRussy — the opening land action of the Red River Campaign — and the historic curve of the Red River. The Core Area was adjusted to represent the range of opposing artillery during the battle and the field of fire from Federal naval vessels during their attack against the fort.
context_page_description: The Battle of Fort De Russy, Louisiana, was the first engagement in the Red River Campaign of March–May 1864 in the American Civil War.
  The Union Army of the Gulf under General Banks aimed to capture Shreveport, state capital and headquarters of the Confederate command, west of the Mississippi. The operation was spearheaded by General A.J. Smith and Brigadier General Joseph Mower, who surprised and captured Fort de Russy on March 14, taking over 300 prisoners and the enemy’s only heavy guns. The Confederates, under General Richard Taylor, were forced to retreat, leaving south and central Louisiana to the Union forces.
context_section_description: Early the next morning, March 14, they continued the march, discovering that a Confederate division threatened their advance. Mindful of this threat, Smith had to place part of his command in a position to intercept these Confederate forces if they attacked. Upon arriving at the fort, the enemy garrison of 350 men opened fire. Smith decided to use Mower's division, XVI Army Corps, to take the fort and set about positioning it for the attack. Around 6:30 pm, Smith ordered a charge on the fort and about twenty minutes later, Mower's men scaled the parapet, causing the enemy to surrender.
  Fort DeRussy, which some had said was impregnable, had fallen and the Red River to Alexandria was open.
caption: Map of Fort DeRussy Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.
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