Meridian Campaign

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The Meridian Campaign was a major 1864 Union offensive in the American Civil War, led by General William T. Sherman to destroy Confederate infrastructure in Mississippi and pave the way for his later March to the Sea.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Meridian Campaign canonical 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Union offensive
military campaign
alsoKnownAs Meridian Expedition
belligerent Confederate States of America
United States (Union)
campaignType railroad raid
scorched-earth operation
commander James B. McPherson
William Tecumseh Sherman
conflict American Civil War
country United States
dateDestroyed Meridian largely destroyed in February 1864
endDate 1864-03-06
followedBy Atlanta Campaign
Sherman’s March to the Sea
goal to render Meridian and surrounding region useless as a Confederate base of operations
historicalEra American Civil War era
linked to: American Civil War
influenced Union strategy of deep raids into Confederate territory
location Alabama
Mississippi
militaryBranch Union Army
notableEvent capture and destruction of Meridian, Mississippi
objective destruction of Confederate military infrastructure
destruction of Confederate railroads
destruction of Confederate supply depots
disruption of Confederate logistics in Mississippi
opposedBy Confederate Army of Mississippi
opposingCommander Leonidas Polk
partOf Western Theater of the American Civil War
precededBy Chattanooga Campaign
primaryTargetCity Meridian, Mississippi
railroadsDestroyed Mobile and Ohio Railroad segments
Southern Railroad of Mississippi segments
result Union victory
major destruction of Meridian, Mississippi
severe damage to Confederate rail network in central Mississippi
secondaryTargetArea central Mississippi
linked to: Central Mississippi
significance logistical rehearsal for Sherman’s March to the Sea
startDate 1864-02-03
strategy total war against infrastructure rather than occupation of territory
strength Confederate forces significantly outnumbered and dispersed
Union forces approximately 20,000–25,000 men
tactic burning of depots and warehouses
demolition of bridges
systematic destruction of rail lines
theaterCommander William Tecumseh Sherman
year 1864

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Union Army campaigns hasPart Meridian Campaign
XVI Corps (Union Army) participatedIn Meridian Campaign