OCTOBER 18TH, 1814: Major General Thomas, commanding Union forces in Tennessee, wired Major General Sherman concerning his plans for opposing Confederate General Hood's thrust into his state: "It have arranged with Lieutenat [Commander] Greet, commanding the gunboat fleet on lower Tennessee, to patrol the river as far up as Eastport [Mississippi].
"Lieutenant Glassford, commanding between Bridgeport and Decatur [Alabama] patrols that portion on the river daily, and cooperates with me very cordially."
As Hood approached Tuscumbia and his rendezvous with general Forrest's cavalry, Union commanders became increasingly concerned with measures to keep the Confederates from crossing the Tennessee River in Alabama, and relied heavily on the gunboats of the Mississippi Squadron for this duty as well as for intelligence.
During this climatic campaign between Thomas and Hood, the close cooperation and support of naval forces played a key role.
--Old B-Runner
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