ng's Point
Admiral Porter sent back to me for a co-operating force. Sherman
was promptly sent with one division of his corps. The number of
steamers suitable for the navigation of these bayous being
limited, most of the force was sent up the Mississippi river to
Eagle's Bend, a point where the river runs within one mile of
Steele's Bayou, thus saving an important part of this difficult
navigation. The expedition failed, probably more from want of
knowledge as to what would be required to open this route than
from any impracticability in the navigation of the streams and
bayous through which it was proposed to pass. Want of this
knowledge led the expedition on until difficulties were
encountered, and then it would become necessary to send back to
Young's Point for the means of removing them. This gave the enemy
time to move forces to effectually checkmate further (p. 378)
progress, and the expedition was withdrawn when within a few
hundred yards of free and open navigation to the Yazoo.

All this may have been providential in driving us ultimately to a
line of operations which has proven eminently successful.

For further particulars of Steele's Bayou expedition see report
of Major-General W. T. Sherman, forwarded on the 12th of April.

As soon as I decided to open water communication from a point on
the Mississippi near Milliken's Bend to New Carthage I determined
to occupy the latter place, it being the first point below
Vicksburg that could be reached by land at the stage of water
then existing, and the occupancy of which, while it secured to us
a point on the Mississippi river, would also protect the main
line of communication by water. Accordingly the thirteenth army
corps, Major-General J. A. McClernand commanding, was directed to
take up its line of march on the 29th day of March for New
Carthage, the fifteenth and seventeenth corps to follow, moving
no faster than supplies and ammunition could be transported to
them.

The roads though level were intolerably bad, and the movement was
therefore necessarily slow. Arriving at Smith's Plantation, two
miles from New Carthage, it was found that the levee of Bayou
Vidal was broken in several places, thus leaving New Carthage an
island.

All the boats that could be were