Today marks the 160th anniversary of the landing of William T. Sherman's squadron just north of Vicksburg in an early attempt to capture the important river city. It was a dismal failure for the Federals. Among Sherman's soldiers was Almeda Hart. She was disguised as "James Strong" so that she could accompany her husband, Henry, in the 127th Illinois Infantry. Here is a short video I made showing viewers where Almeda an Henry landed and the area where she was riding as she delivered messages during the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou for David Stuart's brigade of Morgan Smith's division. You can read more about Almeda and other women soldiers in my book Behind the Rifle: Women Soldiers in Civil War Mississippi. Also, if you attend my presentations, I open with a reading of the letter Almeda sent to her mother.
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