Don Wildman

I say early days, of course.

A lot has happened in the war by the summer of 1862.

Can we give this battle we're about to discuss some greater context?

Where are we at in the steamy heat of the Bayou Summer?

This whole episode really is about shifting the focus from what is so famously going on in those early years to this really important couple of battles really starts with the New Orleans, the takeover of New Orleans.

But then this one we're going to discuss.

It was all part of what was called for the union, the Anaconda plan, right?

April 25th, they've captured New Orleans.

The Union has moved in.

That was an extraordinary moment where there really wasn't a defense against that.

Wasn't that kind of surprising?

It is the Union outpost that eventually U.S.

Grant will fight his way down past Vicksburg and link up that whole north-south of the Mississippi River, which is such a key part of this whole thing.

In the context of this strategy is a very small place, but a very important one, the capital of Louisiana, Baton Rouge.

What was strategic about this place particularly?

How far is Baton Rouge from New Orleans?

What's the distance that we're covering here?

OK, so but it's a day's sail or what a day and night's sail, I suppose.

Yeah.

The Union forces are coming from New Orleans, obviously.