Meridian MS012

supportedunresolved Sherman's January 27 instructions told Smith he aimed to reach Meridian by February 10 and asked Smith to reach him there as near that date as possible. Sherman says he could hear nothing of Smith's cavalry, due at Meridian by February 10, and left on the 20th still without word; he says Lee's cavalry was in his front from February 1 to 17 because prisoners were taken daily from each brigade, and that the Mobile diversion deceived the enemy. Polk on February 17 did not know Sherman's intentions, reported a cavalry column from West Tennessee 10,000 strong, and on the 22nd said reliable sources gave the enemy's intention as a move on Montgomery.

Knowledge claimed by each commander; no message log inspected. Estimates of the cavalry column are Polk's reports, not a count.

disputedunresolved Sherman says 10,000 men worked five days destroying the railroads, that Hurlbut reported 60 miles of road destroyed and McPherson 55 miles with 53 bridges and culverts, 6,075 feet of trestle, 19 locomotives and 28 cars, and that the army subsisted chiefly on the enemy's stores; all other rolling-stock had been removed toward Mobile or Selma. Polk says stores of special value were removed and rolling-stock placed beyond reach, and estimates the road destroyed at about 50 miles in all.

Reported destruction and removals by the two commanders; the mileages differ (Sherman's two subordinates' figures against Polk's about 50) and neither is adopted. No supply return inspected.

supportedunresolved Sherman states his object as breaking up the railroads at and about Meridian and doing the enemy as much damage as possible in February, to be ready by March 1 to assist Banks against Shreveport; he says he was willing to gain his point without battle so far from the river. NPS adds pushing on to Selma and threatening Mobile if favorable. Polk says the enemy's force proved larger than anticipated, so he restored the Mobile garrison and avoided giving battle.

Stated aims of the two commanders and a summary.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen and live results read Union victory. Sherman says he entered Meridian at 3.30 p.m. on the 14th with little opposition and accomplished all he undertook; Polk says the enemy entered Meridian on the 14th, calls the campaign unsuccessful because its cavalry column was kept from a junction, and his orders say it ended ingloriously.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit. The commanders' judgments of the campaign are campaign contribution, not the tactical result at Meridian.

supportedpost_outcome The frozen casualty field reads Unknown; the live field reads 170 (US 170; CS 0). Sherman's table gives an aggregate loss of 170 for Hurlbut's, McPherson's and the cavalry commands over the whole expedition, with a compiler's footnote pointing to a detailed statement in the addenda; he says the army brought away about 400 prisoners. Polk gives no loss figure.

Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap. Sherman's 170 covers the whole march, not the February 14-20 interval; the live 170 matches it but its basis is not stated, and the live Confederate zero is not measured absence.

disputedunresolved The frozen and live commanders are Major General William T. Sherman and Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk. Sherman calls Hurlbut and McPherson the actual commanders of the troops and says he entrusted the destruction north and east of Meridian to Hurlbut and south and west to McPherson. Sherman says Polk left for Demopolis by rail that morning; Polk says he ordered Lee and Forrest to harass the enemy. NPS says Polk lost his nerve and retreated; Polk says he avoided battle on account of the enemy's force.

Command roles from the two commanders and a summary; the NPS characterization of Polk is recorded as NPS's statement, not adopted. The listed commanders do not receive automatic sole credit.

unknownunresolved

No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. The frozen side-specific numerical strength bounds are blank (missing_numeric_strength). No figure in this pass is adopted as a simultaneous opening force.

disputedunresolved The frozen force field names the two departments, and NPS gives Sherman's main force as 20,000 men with Smith's separate 7,000 cavalry; the live Forces Engaged field reads zero. Sherman's plan was to move with four divisions of infantry and artillery, and he gives his early-February estimate of the enemy as Loring's division of about 7,000 at Canton, French's of 3,000 raised to about 5,000, Forrest's cavalry estimated at 4,000 and Lee's cavalry about 4,000. Polk reported the column entering Jackson on February 5 as estimated at 20,000 and, on February 9, as 35,000 to 40,000 infantry with sixty guns, against his own infantry in that part of the department of about 6,000 under Loring, 1,250 under French and 1,700 exchanged prisoners, 'say 9,000'. His February 26 orders say the enemy had three times the force opposed to him.

Planned and estimated figures at different dates and scopes; none is a matched return at Meridian, where no general engagement is reported. None is adopted as a matched opening strength. The live zero is not measured absence.

supportedunresolved Sherman says the road at the Tallahatta, 20 miles from Meridian, was obstructed with fallen timber and the Oktibbeha bridge was burning, so he dropped his trains and bridged the Oktibbeha from a cotton gin; he describes Meridian as a junction of railroads with immense depots, warehouses and sidings. NPS calls it an important railroad center.

Approach and ground described by the Union commander and a summary; no map verification. The obstructions were placed during the operation.