At this point, the army was moving a little further up the Red River to Grand Ecore. General Banks was already in Grand Ecore, and this is where he would soon make his fateful decision. After conferring with his chief of staff, Banks decided to continue on to Shreveport using a road leading west, away from the safety of the Red River and Admiral Porter’s fleet. There was actually a road that continued to follow the Red River, but Banks was evidently unaware of this fact, and this oversight would seal the fate of his troops.
Leaving the security of the river they would turn westward, following the land between the Red and Sabine Rivers. The landscape consisted of low rolling hills and dense pine woods interrupted only by a few narrow roads. The heavily wooded terrain made the deployment of artillery pieces very difficult. The army's intended route, known as the Old Stage Road, led through the towns of Pleasant Hill and Mansfield on the way to Shreveport.
