At Ditch Bayou on June 6, 1864, Federal forces tried to drive Confederates away from the Mississippi River, where they had been harassing Union shipping. Although outnumbered, the Confederates inflicted heavy damage because they had six cannons, the protection of heavy timber, and knowledge of the area. Muddy conditions forced the Northern infantry to attack across an open field without artillery support, and after crossing under heavy fire they found themselves trapped in the open and separated from the Confederates by Ditch Bayou. Union losses were 33 killed, 98 wounded, and one missing, with the heaviest casualties directly opposite the Confederate artillery. Confederate losses included four killed and 33 wounded, most of them in the artillery units where Union troops concentrated their fire.