 Rakarongedzerwa segondohwe paPittsburgh ndokunanga kuRwizi rweOhio musi wa 29 April kunobatana neboka remagondohwe iro Ellet akanga ari kuronga kuti arwisane neConfederate River Defense Fleet. Boka iri remakondohwe ekumaodzanyemba rakanga raiswa muRwizi rweMississippi uye rakatyisidzira kutevedzera makondohwe ekumaodzanyemba akadzivirirwa nesimbi anonzi Virginia mukutungamira ngarava dzeMubatanidzwa dzine matanda. Musi waMay 10 flotilla yeConfederate yakaita kurwisa kwakashinga kuma Union gunboats uye zvikepe zvevarwi vevarwi paPlum Point Bend, Tennessee, ichinyudza nekumanikidza Mound City kumhara. Mavhiki maviri gare gare makondohwe ose kunze kweimwe akanga abatana nechikepe cheUnion pamusoro peFort Pillow akagadzirira kuita chiito. Sezvo ngarava dzegondohwe neWestern Flotilla dzakagadzirira kurwisa, kutora kwaGeneral Halleck kweCorinth, Mississippi, musi wa 30 Chivabvu akagura njanji dzaitsigira nzvimbo dzeConfederate paForts Pillow naRandolph, achimanikidza maSouth kusiya idzi nhare dzerwizi. 