General Sherman's defeat at the battle of Chickasaw Bluffs in late December demonstrated the strength of the Confederate position on the north side of Vicksburg. General Grant then decided the best strategy was to gain a foothold below the city and attack from the south.
To do this it would be necessary to transport the army and its supplies to some point down the river. The Queen of the West ran past the batteries in front of Vicksburg on the night of February 2nd, and the Indianola on the night of February 13th. Although these single vessels had passed safely, it was considered far too hazardous to attempt the passage of a large number of transports loaded with men and supplies. So, a channel for the boats was sought elsewhere.
Three routes were considered. The first was the canal that had been excavated by General Williams across the southern part of the peninsula opposite Vicksburg in June of 1862. The second was to connect Lake Providence near the Arkansas line, with the Mississippi by a canal about a mile long and send the fleet through Louisiana via the Tensas, Black and Red rivers to a point on the Mississippi below Natchez. The third option was the Yazoo pass route on the eastern side of the river.
Work was commenced on the Williams canal early in February of 1863. The plan was to change the course of the original canal to insure a better current. The work preceded vigorously, despite the rainy weather that had set in. Unfortunately, on March 7, 1863, (yesterday) just as the canal was almost completed, the levee gave way, flooding the canal and the camps to the west of it.
The Williams canal was no longer an option.
