Don't Let the Confederates Cross the Mississippi River

OCTOBER 28TH, 1864:  Captain Pennock, temporarily in command of the Mississippi Squadron, issued an order stressing: "The enemy must not be allowed to cross the [Mississippi] river.  Officers in command will develop the utmost vigilance and activity, and take every precaution to prevent such a movement. Vessels must be kept in motion night and day."

The inability of major Confederate forces to cross the Mississippi from the West in the face of patroling Union vessels illustrated the vast importance of Union naval control of the river, and was a major factor in the developing Tennessee Campaign.

--Old B-Runner