The Civil War on the Mississippi: Union Sailors, Gunboat Captains, and the Campaign to Control the RiverFlowing from its source in northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River borders or passes through ten different states and serves as one of the most important transportation systems in the United States. During the Civil War, both sides believed that whoever controlled the river would ultimately be victorious. Cotton exports generated much needed revenue for the Confederacy, and the Mississippi was also the main conduit for the