In October 1863 Union General Nathaniel Banks attempted once more, following his spectacular defeat earlier at Sabine Pass, to gain a foothold in Texas.
Under orders from the Union War Department, Banks on Saturday, October 3, 1863 ordered Union troops under General William B. Franklin to move northwest from New Iberia, Louisiana and Berwick Bay area to probe toward Texas with the intention of establishing a land route for a potential invasion of East Texas.
The route’s difficulty, Confederate resistance, and the success of Union coastal operations in Texas ultimately led to the termination of Franklin's advance in November 1863. In this brief Bayou Teche Campaign, Franklin failed to reach the Sabine River, the boundary separating Louisiana and Texas. Once again Banks was thwarted in his dealings with Confederate Texas.