ed
Dwight, posted him at Washington in observation, and placed Grover
with his remaining brigades at Barre's Landing, to secure the
depots, while Emory and Weitzel covered Opelousas.

Having by burning the Vermilion bridge gained a day's rest for his
tired soldiers, Taylor resumed the retreat at noon on the 17th of
April, and passing through Opelousas and Washington on the 18th
and 19th, on the following day found himself with all his trains
behind the Cocodrie and the Boeuf. On the 20th he sent Mouton,
with all the cavalry except Waller's battalion, westward over the
prairie toward Niblett's Bluff, on the Sabine. Then, with Waller
and the frayed remnant of the infantry, day by day wearing away at
the edges, Taylor continued his retreat toward Alexandria, halting
with what may be called his main body at Lecompte. To hinder the
pursuit he burned the bridges over the Bayou Cocodrie and the Bayou
Boeuf.

Opelousas, miles away from every thing, in the heart of a vast
prairie, presented in itself no object for an invading army. Even
the temptation of a good position was wanting.

Banks meant merely to halt there a day or two for rest, and then,
if it should be found practicable to obtain the necessary supplies,
to push on rapidly to Alexandria, and dispose for the season of
Taylor's disordered fragments. Whether this could have been done
will never be known, for although the army had now far outmarched
its supplies, and even from its secondary base at Brashear was
separated by nearly a hundred miles, and although the campaign had
so far been made upon less than half the regular rations for men
and animals, supplemented from farm, sugar-house, and prairie, the
country on the line of march was no longer to be counted on for
any thing save sugar in plenty and a little corn; nevertheless, it
might have been possible, by great exertions, to replenish the
trains and depots, as well as to fill up the haversacks. Moreover,
a three days' march would find the army on the banks of Red River,
with a new and ample source of supply open to them, and within easy
reach of Grant, provided only the navy might be counted upon to
control the waters of that stream and its larger tributaries. Of
this Banks had no doubt whatever. To open communication with Grant
and to dispose of Taylor had been the chief ends that Banks had
proposed to himself in setting out on the campaign. These ends he
now held almost in his hand. But on the 21s