The Confederates attacked several Union regiments, who were composed mostly of black soldiers, in an attempt to disrupt the campaign at Vicksburg, Mississippi.

As hundreds of escaped slaves flocked to the Union camp, neighboring plantation owners abandoned their properties and evacuated to the west, into Confederate held territory.

Confederate troops in Louisiana and Arkansas believed that by raiding Goodrich's Landing, they could disrupt Grant's supply-chain and relieve their compatriots at Vicksburg.

In June 1863, Confederates from Gaines's Landing, Arkansas, undertook an expedition to Lake Providence, Louisiana, in an effort to disrupt the Union assault on Vicksburg.

The Union had constructed fortifications, on top of an old Indian mound about five miles northwest of Goodrich's Landing, guarding a military supply depot.