Battle of Davenport (E Pluribus Duo)

The Battle of Davenport was an important battle in the American Civil War. The Battle was the result of the Davenport Campaign, which was general Braxton Bragg's idea to capture the Union city of Davenport, Iowa. The city was a key strategic point due to its arms manufacturing capabilities and position on the Mississippi River. On March 12th, Raphael Semmes led a blockade of the city, and naval officers patrolled the bridges over the Mississippi. On March 16th, Braxton Bragg's Army of the Trans-Mississippi, along with Sterling Price's Army of Missouri, arrived at the outskirts of the city. There, they were met by the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 8th Iowa Infantry Regiments, who held out until the arrival of the Army of Western Illinois, which, at the time, was led by Joseph Hooker. On March 18th, the first full day of fighting, Hooker was shot in the wrist. Thoughhe wanted to continue, there were fears that he would get infected and die. As a result, he had to resign and his arm was amputated. In his placewas Ulysses S. Grant, who was the second in command of the Army of Western Illinois, specifically to help stop the Davenport Campaign. Grant assigned the Iowa regiments to fight off the patrollers at the bridges. Meanwhile, Grant's army had superior artillery and held strong defensively, and caused tactical issues in the Union armies. The response for these issues, as decided by Sterling Price, the commander of the Army of Missouri, was to push forward in a major charge, at an attempt to bluff and cause a Federation retreat. Price's plan did not go down until March 20th, after all of the bridges had fallen to the Iowa regiments. Grant, however, was sure not to budge due to Price's Charge, and the plan failed miserably. The result was a major Union retreat, and the resignation of Sterling Price, and the failure of the Davenport Campaign.