jean de dunois helped lead the french army to victory at orleans.
who helped lead the french army to victory at orleans?
jean de dunois
Na
Na
american espionage in spreading more money around in new orleans had the effect of driving the french to redouble their efforts to spread their own influence and cash around, driving confederate jealousy and paranoia to all time highs. with no more battles after vermillionville to be had and only the grinding siege of port hudson at hand, taylor infuriated bazaine by pulling his confederate troops out of the siege and redirecting them to cause trouble in union held arkansas and missouri. bazaine was in new orleans when the news of the destruction of ponchatoula arrived on april 10. with its main supply line severed, the french army in the field was in severe danger of being trapped between the mississippi river and the unforgiving swamps of louisiana. bazaine chartered a steamer and ordered it north. the commander of the french army at hand was major general félix charles douay, and he acknowledged that the siege at port hudson was now completely untenable. deciding that the only realistic route to safety was the most difficult, he led his men on a retreat along the riverbank of the mississippi. franklin saw the opportunity to capture the entire french army if baton rouge could be retaken quick enough, and he ordered grierson to push to baton rouge with all haste and sent two infantry brigades to porter to steam downriver to baton rouge. porter escorted the troopships but came upon the head of the french army, and used the heavy mortar ships for besieging vicksburg to bombard the french columns from only 200 yards. the mortars and cannonades achieved gruesome casualties among the french, killing douay and sending the leaderless lead brigades fleeing inland. porter's infantry swept aside the minuscule defenses in baton rouge, and grierson took command upon his arrival. the remnants of the french cavalry desperately tried to force their way through grierson, but only a single squadron of the chasseurs d'afrique found a way south. franklin's two corps made contact with the rear of the french columns, which clumsily deployed into battle formation, but once more porter's heavy mortar ships caused atrocious casualties. french units began to unravel as men tried to surrender or flee, but a veteran core fought on regardless, making brave but hapless targets for coffee mill guns and infantry repeaters. by 5:00 pm on april 10, the french army of louisiana virtually ceased to exist. bazaine's steamer was hit by a shell from a monitor and he swam to shore, only to find the cavalry survivors from baton rouge. he rode south with them, but they one by one deserted until he returned alone. grierson had the foresight to send the 5,000 men of the usct corps d'afrique by rail to new orleans, and they arrived by 8:30 pm to find the french and confederate garrison ignorant to the destruction of the french army and still in their barracks. after a brief fight, the corps d'afrique captured these troops and new orleans was once more under union control.
the britannia's fist trilogy