The Civil War in Louisiana

Between April 17,1862 and May 18, 1864 20 major Civil War battles and engagements were fought in on Louisiana soil. Lives were upturned and destroyed. Tragedy and bravery gave way to bittersweet success and failure grand beyond imaginings.
The Prize: Control of the mighty Mississippi River.
The Cost: Immeasurable.

Ballads, poems, novels, historical accounts and screen-plays have described, explained and at times glamorized the "War Between the States," or the Civil War. They can only partially succeed in helping us to understand the Cruel War. On both sides, young and old alike, confident of a rapid victory, enthusiastically joined the cause, fighting bravely for what they believed. From generals and privates to those left behind, no one anticipated the long years of fighting suffering and mourning which lay ahead.

Contents
Prolog: The Nation, Slavery and the Civil War Keeping the Union United Louisiana in 1860 The Civil War in Louisiana: An Overview Fighting For the Cause Louisiana's Contribution to the Union Louisiana's Strategic Advantage The Mighty Mississippi King Cotton The Secret Mission of Duncan Kenner	Louisiana Civil War Generals Uniforms Prominent Names in Louisiana History Sites (map of major battles and sites) Shreveport Bossier Area Monroe/West Monroe Area Alexandria/Pineville Area Lafayette Area Baton Rouge Area New Orleans Area Military Sites

"What has occured in this case must never recur in similar cases. Human nature will not change. In any future great national trial, compared with the men of this, we shall have as weak and as strong, as silly and as wise, as bad and as good. Let us therefore study the incidents of this, as philosophy to learn the wisdom from, and none of them as wrongs to be revenged." - Abraham Lincoln

RETURN to Louisiana Office of Tourism Page