Sherman's Mississippi Campaign

4. “A Miss Is as Good as a Mile”

As William T. Sherman thought about leaving Jackson for Meridian, he expected to see William Loring’s and Samuel French’s divisions along with Stephen D. Lee’s cavalry force over the next rise in the road. Sherman did not know where Leonidas Polk would choose to make his stand, but he believed that the bishop would not let him pass without providing opposition somewhere. Polk’s maneuvers, however, were unpredictable. He ¤rst hoped to concentrate his forces just east of Morton, seventeen miles east of Brandon on the Southern Railroad. He hurried his men to this junction of rail and road to repel Sherman from the state. Suddenly, Polk split his forces in the face of the superior Union foe, sending half his troops to Mobile and the other half into a retreat toward the Alabama line. After a few more days, the bishop decided to try to stop Sherman, not through a frontal assault on the Union column but by defeating the heavy cavalry force coming down from Collierville , Tennessee, to cooperate with the Federal infantry. Polk’s actions demonstrated that he was thoroughly confused, and the results indicate that he was completely wrong.1 On his march from Jackson to Tallahatta Creek, Sherman continued to develop his strategy of raiding, particularly when Polk’s cavalry attempted to cut his supply and communication lines but found that none existed. This development supported Sherman’s theory about the importance of marching without a supply line. Furthermore, Andrew Hickenlooper’s actions during 4 / “A Miss Is as Good as a Mile” the entire march bolstered Sherman’s belief that the ef¤cient work of the Pioneer Corps could contribute to a successful campaign. Lastly, by the time the Union army reached Tallahatta Creek, Sherman understood that his Mississippi plan, calling for feints at other locations in the immediate area, had worked to keep the Confederate generals and government guessing about his intentions. All of these occurrences and ideas helped shape Sherman ’s evolving style of warfare. Hickenlooper had the Pioneer Corps up and moving early on February 6 to complete the reconstruction of the pontoon bridge across the Pearl River, a task that would take until midafternoon. Although Edward F. Winslow’s cavalry had halted the Confederate destruction of the bridge the night before , it needed signi¤cant repair before the Union army could use it.2 While the Pioneer Corps labored hard on the bridge, the rest of the army slowly trickled into Jackson over the course of the day. McPherson’s Seventeenth Corps had the lead, and Hurlbut’s Sixteenth Corps moved closer to the capital , the men camping and resting, waiting for the bridge to be rebuilt. They sent out foragers, who returned with wagons ladened with meats and grains.3 Hurlbut caused a sensation among the men when he came through their ranks on his way to visit Marcellus Crocker’s Third Division headquarters in Jackson. “The Boys fell in after him . . . and he was surrounded by a multitude of the 4th Division,” an observer commented. Hurlbut made a short speech, telling the men of his pride in serving with them and adding that “nothing would grieve your old commander as to hear of one of you departing from that discipline I used to teach you.” Hurlbut, a politician at heart, could make a good speech, and his soldiers appreciated his effort. They cheered their general.4 Hinds County, in which Jackson was the major city, was a productive agricultural area. In 1860 the county produced a million bushels of corn and¤fty-¤ve thousand bales of cotton. The county’s rich, dark soil produced a bountiful yield. The Pearl River ran through the middle of the county, providing the farmers access to water during even the driest months. Most of the farms were more than a hundred acres in size, with almost a hundred plantations over ¤ve hundred acres. The state capital at Jackson served as the county seat as well and provided rail connections to markets for the agricultural produce. Industries associated with cotton production were located in and around Jackson. Cotton belt manufacturers, cottonseed gins, ®ax factories , and storage warehouses were found throughout the city. With an economy 64 / Chapter 4 based primarily on agriculture, Hinds County had, in 1860, twenty-two thousand slaves, more than any of the six other counties that Sherman’s army would march through on its...