. Young folk's history of the war for the union . steam-boats can pass only whenthere is plenty of water,and Porters gunboats,which Banks felt that hecould not do without, werestopped by them. Afterhard work about half ofthem were forced up. Butfew of the boats for carry-ing supplies could get overthe rapids, and so thearmy had to take along alarge wagon train. Gene-ral Franklin, who commanded the advance of the army, pushedon up the river and arrived at Natchitoches in the beginningof April. The troops had skirmished nearly all the way Avithbodies of Confederates, who retreated before them. N
. Young folk's history of the war for the union . steam-boats can pass only whenthere is plenty of water,and Porters gunboats,which Banks felt that hecould not do without, werestopped by them. Afterhard work about half ofthem were forced up. Butfew of the boats for carry-ing supplies could get overthe rapids, and so thearmy had to take along alarge wagon train. Gene-ral Franklin, who commanded the advance of the army, pushedon up the river and arrived at Natchitoches in the beginningof April. The troops had skirmished nearly all the way Avithbodies of Confederates, who retreated before them. Natchi-toches is on an old channel of Eed Eiver. Four milesnearly north of it is Grand Ecore, on the present channel ofthe river. The river, which had been expected to rise, wasfalling all the time, and the gunboats could go no further thanGrand Ecore. Notwithstanding this, the army went on to-ward Shreveport, which is a hundred miles further up. Theroad thither from Natchitoches runs through a pine-covered,sandy country, but sparsely E. Kirby Smith. 422 THE SOUTH AND WEST. [1864. On the 8th of April the main body of the Confederates,under General Taylor, was found strongly posted at aplace called Sabine Cross Roads, near Mansfield, forty milesfrom Shreveport. Skirmishing had been going on all day, butas the Confederates had always fallen back before the Unionadvance, Bankss troops marched as if they had no fear of aserious attack. The cavalry were in front, followed by a longwagon train, and behiiid it came the infantry. The line wasstretched out along a single road twenty or thirty miles. Aboutfour oclock in the afternoon, General Taylor, wishing to campfor the night, sent some troops to drive back the Union advanceguard. This brought on a fight, and in a few minutes it turned into a general battle. Bankstried to get up his infantrvbut the road was blockedwith the wagons. The Unionmen fought desperately foran hour and a half, but, over-jiowered by superior num-bers
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