by the numberless streams for a movement by detachments
of the enemy into his rear. It was largely to prepare for an
advance into Western Louisiana, as well as to defend his occupancy
of La Fourche, that Butler, upon Weitzel's suggestion, had created
the gunboat flotilla.

Soon after Banks took the command, Weitzel, who had opinions and
the courage to enforce them, laid his ideas before his new chief.
On the 18th of January, disturbed by hearing that Admiral Farragut
meant to take one of the army gunboats, recently transferred to
the navy, away from Berwick Bay, instead of sending more, Weitzel
expressed himself strongly in a despatch to headquarters.

"With such a naval force in that bay, in co-operation with a suitable
land force, the only true campaign in this section could be made.
Look at the map. Berwick Bay leads into Grand Lake, Grand Lake
into the Atchafalaya, the Atchafalaya into Red River. Boats drawing
not more than four or five feet and in the force I mention [10 or
12], with a proper land force, could clear out the Atchafalaya,
Red River, and Black River. All communications from Vicksburg and
Port Hudson cross this line indicated by me. By taking it in the
manner I propose, Vicksburg and Port Hudson would be a cipher to
the rebels. It would be a campaign that 100,000 men could not so
easily fight, and so successfully. It is an operation to which
the taking of Galveston Island is a cipher and the capture of the
Mobile Bay forts a nonentity."

With these views Banks was himself in accord, yet not in their
entirety. The pressure of time led him to desire to avoid divergences
into the Teche country. If it were possible, he wished to gain
the Atchafalaya by some route at once speedier and more direct.
While the explorations were in progress to discover such a route,
Weitzel once more took occasion to urge his original plan. On the
15th of February, he wrote to Augur, his division commander:

"I feel it a duty which I owe you and my country to address you at
this late hour in the night on the present proposed movement on
Butte a la Rose and the Teche country. . . . In all honesty and
candor, I do not believe the present plan to be a proper one. . . .
Sibley's Texas brigade is somewhere in the Opelousas country. . . .
Mouton's main body is in rear of intrenchments on Madame Meade's
plantation, six miles below Centreville. If we defeat these two
commands we form a junction with our forces near Vic