"Most Brilliant ACW Campaign?" Topic

Ed, what you are really doing is combining into one Mississippi River campaign what the rest of us are considering separately as the Henry-Donelson campaign, Vicksburg campaign, etc.

Farragut's taking of New Orleans was strategically brilliant, so far as choosing the right time and place to attack (and assigning the right man to lead it), but required no brilliant maneuvers, just guts and perseverance in the face of dangers and difficulties.

By the way, Banks' maneuvers against Port Hudson were worthy of consideration, although he was less than brilliant tactically once he got there.

Don, I thought that what I was doing was suggesting that
without Foote's control of the Mississippi (following up
on Farragut's capture of NO) was that it would have
been VERY DIFFICULT for the rest of the ops to have
occurred – if possible at all.

True, but how did Foote (and his successors) gain control of the upper Mississippi? By he and Grant taking Henry and Donelson (which actually occurred before Farragut took New Orleans), and he and Pope taking New Madrid and Island No. 10. Only then did the navy fight and win at Memphis. And that still left Vicksburg and (eventually) Port Hudson blocking the river.

Of course, credit for the IDEA of clearing the Mississippi goes to Winfield Scott and his Anaconda Plan, though Lincoln was well aware of the importance of the Mississippi.

The OP is NOT about the most important campaign. It is asking what is the most brilliant campaign.

Gettysburg. It lead to so many brilliant fake beards in the movie with the same name.