Battles & Campaigns · 1864
Battle of Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill, DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, USA
What happened
Union forces under Nathaniel Banks fought Confederates under Richard Taylor the day after Mansfield. After their defeat at Mansfield, the Union army took a position at Pleasant Hill. Late in the afternoon Taylor's troops charged and overran parts of the Union line. After about two hours they were pushed back.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Most historians call it a Union tactical win, but the Union still gave up the plan to capture Shreveport.
What came next
Banks retreated, and captured Union soldiers were held at Camp Ford in Texas. The campaign may have lengthened the war by tying up Union troops.
Did you know?
Engineers later built dams on the Red River so Union gunboats could pass the shallow falls.
Timeline
- 8 April 1864Battle of Mansfield.
- 9 April 1864Battle of Pleasant Hill.
- 22 May 1864The Red River Campaign ends.