Symposium 2026 Spotlight: The Mississippi River vs. Everyone

Welcome back to our spotlight series, highlighting speakers and topics for our upcoming symposium. Over the coming weeks, we will continue previewing of our speaker’s presentations for the 2026 Emerging Civil War Symposium. This week we feature Neil Chatelain’s topic:

The Mississippi River vs. Everyone: How Grant, Foote, Pope, Farragut, Porter, Butler, Lovell, Johnston, Beauregard, and Hollins had to Fight the “Father of the Waters” Before Fighting Each Other

In 1862, battles raged down the length of the Mississippi River valley. Federal warships under Flag Officer David Farragut and regiments under Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler ascended the Mississippi from its mouth to assault New Orleans while still more warships under Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote and armies under Maj. Gen. Ulysses Grant and Maj. Gen. John Pope struck south from Missouri and Illinois. Confederates hastily gathered their own fleets and fortified strong points in efforts to keep the “Father of Waters” out of Federal hands. These preparations resulted in the largest naval battles of the war.

There was a third, often neglected, side in these campaigns: The Mississippi River valley itself. 1862 saw massive snowfall and an inundating freshet as spring melted winter ice. Internal waterways became highways transporting vessels, armies, and supplies, but the rivers were also their own independent actors that worked against both sides. Urban centers faced floodwaters through the Mississippi valley’s length in 1862, as did fortifications. Supply chains and defensive works suffered as a result. Strong levees became breastworks of their own, bolstering the fighting power of vessels when bombarding shore positions. Swift currents helped turn the tide of battle, with the Mississippi River valley acting as the third side in the year’s riverine combat. In many ways, 1862 was the year of decision over which side would ultimately control the continent’s heartland rivers, and the Mississippi River valley had its own part to play in how those campaigns were fought.

For more information on the 2026 Emerging Civil War Symposium and to purchase tickets, click here.