Buck T. Foster

This is a short account of William Tecumseh Sherman's campaign from Vicksburg to Meridian, Mississippi in February, 1864. The purpose of the campaign was to destroy the railroads and other Confederate military and industrial assets in central Mississippi, and to do enough damage to the Mississippi towns and farms to encourage civilians to weaken their support for the Confederate cause. The march to and from Meridian wreaked havoc everywhere in its path, and totally destroyed the town of Meridian. This was a tryout for the "hard war" tactics that Sherman soon used in his famous March to the Sea in Georgia.

A concurrent cavalry raid by Union General William Sooy Smith starting in Memphis, Tennessee, was supposed to join up with Sherman at Meridian, but was cut short in a humiliating defeat by Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest.

The author gives a lively and detailed account of the campaign from beginning to end, with background on its effect on the Confederate army and political leadership. Unfortunately, the narrative is padded throughout with endlessly repetitive explanations of Sherman's goals and methods. These can be skipped over, however, since they simply repeat what was said four or five times in the introduction. My main question is whether this short (one month) and fairly straightforward expedition merits a book. It is probably worth a chapter in a book on a larger related subject.… (mer)