Union General William T. Sherman left Vicksburg on February 2 and advanced east to Meridian, meeting only token Confederate resistance from Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk’s forces. On February 14, Sherman entered Meridian and destroyed much of the railroad infrastructure in Meridian and the surrounding area. The expedition returned to Vicksburg by way of Canton.
Image: This “Sherman Necktie” was found in the Pearl River near Jackson. It was common practice for Sherman’s army to heat and bend railroad tracks so that they could no longer be used.