Doyle- Thank-you for that great answer. To a novice like me-looking at a map-I think,with the fall of Arkansas Post-just sail right up the Arkansas river and take Pine Bluff and Little Rock ("apples and oranges" I know-but wasn't that kinda the parallel plan that evolved in 1864 to try and take Shreveport using the Red river?) but the Union commanders were looking to the fall of Ft. Hindman as a prelude to action against Vicksburg rather than a campaign against the state of Arkansas. Fascinating history of riverine warfare in the Trans-Mississippi-any good books on the subject?