Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 4.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[432] command, he was rapidly organizing his force, which, divided into four brigades, numbered nearly six thousand men. Everywhere the Confederates were recruiting by fair means or foul—everywhere they were gathering horses, mules, and provisions. The Federals established at Memphis had not only to defend the Mississippi against the army that was thus forming by the side of them, but they had also to be prepared to oppose Kirby Smith, who, master of Red River, might suddenly appear on the banks of the great river, without concerning themselves either about Steele, away in the heart of Arkansas, or about the garrison left by Banks at Port Hudson, and whose role was solely to protect New Orleans.

It was painful, however, to Grant and Sherman to confine to a simply defensive part all these veteran troops, whose co-operation would have been so useful to them in the campaign which they were about to undertake. In order to be able to remove a part of them from guarding the Mississippi it was necessary to take advantage of the first months of the year and place the enemy beyond the power of threatening seriously the Federal garrisons on the river. Another consideration was pressing them to act: as we will explain later on, the Federal Government had promised furloughs to all the volunteers who, having but a few months more to serve, would re-enlist immediately. This measure, an excellent one for the future, rapidly thinned then the ranks of the armies of the West. It was therefore necessary, if it was intended to act, to do so promptly, before the time when, by the effect of these furloughs, they would be for some weeks reduced to an insignificant number of effectives. It was agreed between Grant and Sherman that the latter, forming a powerful movable column, should leave Vicksburg to penetrate as far as possible into the State of Mississippi. If he could reach Polk's little army, he was to press, attack, and fight it; if it retreated at his approach, he was to destroy the stores and also the railroads, so that it might not again collect within reach of Vicksburg. Sherman in this case was to push on at least as far as Meridian, and if he could as far as Selma. According to some of Grant's despatches addressed to other officers, it might even be surmised that he had authorized his lieutenant to march on Mobile instead of