The American Civil War - This Mighty Scourge of War

136 The American Civil War

of the previous year. Commanders were able
to exercise more liberality in foraging,
confiscating contraband, and dealing with
Southern civilians. Still, the objects remained
the same. Control of the Mississippi River
was paramount to the Union's strategic plan
in the west. Although Confederates
considered the Memphis and Charleston the
backbone of their nation, Federals came to
believe that the great spinal cord of the

Confederacy was the Mississippi. The

Confederates still held two vital points on

the river: Port Hudson, Louisiana, 25 miles

(40km) north of Baton Rouge, and

Vickshurg, near the mouth of the Yazoo River.

But because they never managed to develop

sufficient naval strength, Confederates were

unable to control the river that they claimed

for the Confederacy. Meanwhile, because of

the river campaigns of early 1862, Union

The Battle of Stone's River, 31 December 1862—2 January 1863