February 14, 1864---The Battle of Meridian, Mississippi

FEBRUARY 14, 1864:          

The Battle of Meridian, Mississippi. General William Tecumseh Sherman and his force of 20,000 have been on the march from Vicksburg since February 3^rd. Their objective is the small city of Meridian, Mississippi, an important rail hub and arsenal for the Confederacy. Having learned an important lesson at the Battle of Collierville on October 11, 1863, Sherman disdains the rail lines in favor of the power of human feet and living off the land. In the eleven days since they set out from Vicksburg, Sherman’s men, like a horde of locusts, have carved a swath of devastation across the entire width of the State.

Although Confederate President Jefferson Davis has ordered troops from scattered commands to unify in order to block Sherman’s advance, General Leonidas Polk betrays the memory of his namesake, and refuses to engage Sherman’s force or the Union auxiliary forces under General William Sooy Smith traveling down the Mobile & Ohio Railroad.

Convincing himself that Sherman and Smith will bypass Meridian in order to link up with General Nathaniel Banks and seize Mobile, Alabama, Polk abandons Meridian completely. 

Although Smith’s force faces stiff resistance from forces under the command of Nathan Bedford Forrest, and never reaches Meridian, Sherman takes the undefended city in a cakewalk. While waiting for Smith, whom he does not realize has been stopped cold by Forrest, Sherman gives orders "to wipe the appointed meeting place off the map."

The city center is burned to the ground, and the rail depot destroyed along with 115 miles of track, 61 connecting bridges, over a mile of trestles, 20 locomotives, rolling stock, and machine shops. The city’s food stocks are seized and carried off, leaving the residents destitute. However, Sherman does not tolerate the destruction of private homes nor the harassment of the citizenry. All the same, Sherman reports to Headquarters: "Meridian . . . no longer exists.”  Sherman’s men leave the ruined city on the 20^th.

After destroying Meridian, Sherman does not go on to Mobile, but returns to Vicksburg by another route, leaving a second trail of ruin across Mississippi.  When Jefferson Davis hears of the destruction of Meridian he brands Sherman a war criminal.