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Jean-Jacques-Alfred-Alexandre "Alfred" Mouton (February 18, 1829 – April 8, 1864) was a
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. Although trained at
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, he soon resigned his commission to become a
civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...
and then a
sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
grower, while also serving as a
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
in the
Louisiana State Militia.
On the outbreak of the Civil War, he commanded the
18th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, where he proved a strict disciplinarian who was also notably friendly and sociable with the rank and file. Wounded at
Shiloh, he was made a brigade commander under General
Richard Taylor, with whom he successfully obstructed
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
efforts to secure the
Bayou Teche
Bayou Teche (Louisiana French: ''Bayou Têche'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in t ...
region of southern Louisiana. In the
Red River Campaign, Mouton was killed at the
Battle of Mansfield
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
, while leading his men in a cavalry charge.
Early life
Mouton was born in
Opelousas, Louisiana :''Opelousas is also a common name of the flathead catfish.''
Opelousas (french: Les Opélousas; Spanish: ''Los Opeluzás'') is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 ...
, the son of former
Governor of Louisiana
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Alexandre Mouton
Alexandre Mouton (November 19, 1804 – February 12, 1885) was a United States senator and the 11th Governor of Louisiana.
Early life
He was born in Attakapas district (now Lafayette Parish) into a wealthy plantation-owning Acadian fam ...
. Alfred enrolled in
St. Charles College in
Grand Coteau, Louisiana
Grand Coteau is a town in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 947 at the 2010 census. Grand Coteau is on Interstate 49 south of Opelousas and is part of the Opelousas– Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area. Th ...
. Upon his graduation from St. Charles College, Alexandre Mouton secured for Alfred an appointment to the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
in
West Point, New York
West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...
. Alfred was hesitant to go at first because up until that point in his life he had been only around
French-speaking people and customs; he knew little
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and was not accustomed to speaking it. However, his father was adamant, and he was enrolled in 1846.
At West Point, Mouton was an average student scoring good marks in certain areas, including French, but it was evident that he struggled with the new language he was around. Alfred graduated from West Point on July 1, 1850, 38th out of 44 . He stayed with the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
just briefly before resigning his commission that September. As soon as he resigned his commission, Mouton took up a civil engineering position as an assistant engineer for the
New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western Railroad
The New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western Railroad (NOO&GW) was chartered in 1852. Construction began at Algiers, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, in late 1852. By 1857, the track had reached Brashear (now Morgan City) on Berwic ...
. He held that position from 1852 to 1853. After resigning from the railroad business, Mouton took up farming sugar cane in
Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Lafayette Parish (french: Paroisse de Lafayette) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 241,753, up from 221,578 at the 2010 United States census. The parish seat is ...
.
While living in Lafayette Parish, Mouton became a prominent member of the community due to his family connections. He served as leader of the Lafayette Vigilante Committee, a local militia company. He also served as brigadier general in the Louisiana State
Militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
from 1850 to 1861.
Civil War
At the outbreak of the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, Mouton organized a company of men from the local population in Lafayette Parish. The company consisted of mostly farmers from around the area. Mouton was elected
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
of the company upon its organization. When the company was organized into the
18th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, he was elected
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
. Mouton quickly made a reputation for himself as a strict disciplinarian and an efficient drillmaster. However, after drill he mingled freely with his soldiers in camp, stopping to talk to anyone of the regiment. One of his soldiers had this to say about him: "As a drillmaster, he had few, if any, equals. I have seen him drill the regiment for an hour in a square, the sides of which ware equal to the length of his line of battle, without once throwing a company outside or recalling a command when given. He was a strict disciplinarian and allowed no deviation from orders either by officers or soldiers."
During the weeks before the
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...
, the 18th Louisiana was one of the regiments called to the tiny crossroads town of
Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth is a city in and the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi, Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,573 at the 2010 census. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835. It lies on the state line with Tennessee.
Histor ...
, for
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
General
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) served as a general in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army. He saw extensive combat during his 34-year military career, figh ...
's planned attack on
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
forces encamped near
Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee
Pittsburg Landing is a river landing on the west bank of the Tennessee River in Hardin County, Tennessee. It was named for "Pitts" Tucker who operated a tavern at the site in the years preceding the Civil War. It is located at latitude 35.15222 ...
. At Shiloh, the 18th Louisiana was organized into Col.
Preston Pond's brigade. It was while serving in this brigade that the regiment and their commander received their baptism by fire. Pond's brigade attacked the Federal right, against the divisions of Union generals
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...
and
John A. McClernand
John Alexander McClernand (May 30, 1812 – September 20, 1900) was an American lawyer and politician, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He was a prominent Democratic politician in Illinois and a member of the United States H ...
. During one of these attacks, Colonel Mouton was wounded. After this Confederate defeat in April 1862, General
P.G.T. Beauregard
Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (May 28, 1818 - February 20, 1893) was a Confederate general officer of Louisiana Creole descent who started the American Civil War by leading the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is common ...
ordered a withdrawal back to Corinth. After arriving there, the 18th Louisiana was sent back to Louisiana to replenish its depleted ranks.
While back in Louisiana, Mouton was made interim commander of the District of West Louisiana, part of the
Trans-Mississippi Department
The Trans-Mississippi Department was a geographical subdivision of the Confederate States Army comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the Indian Territory; i.e. all of the Confederacy west of the Mississ ...
, and did what he could with the limited men and supplies that he had to fight off Federal attempts to move into the state. His army, attempting to protect the sugar cane farms along
Bayou Lafourche
Bayou Lafourche ( ), originally called Chetimachas River or La Fourche des Chetimaches, (the fork of the Chitimacha), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 b ...
, was brushed aside by the U.S. Volunteers under Brigadier General
Godfrey Weitzel
Godfrey (Gottfried) Weitzel (November 1, 1835 – March 19, 1884) was a German-American major general in the Union army during the American Civil War. He was the acting Mayor of New Orleans during the Union occupation of the city and also captured ...
in the
Battle of Georgia Landing
The Battle of Georgia Landing (or Labadieville or Texana) was fought October 27, 1862 in Labadieville, Assumption Parish, Louisiana, as part of the Operations in LaFourche District (1862), during the American Civil War
The American ...
at
Labadieville, Louisiana
Labadieville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,854 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Pierre Part Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Labadieville, originally called " ...
, in October 1862, which led to Weitzel destroying much of the crops in that area. With the arrival of Confederate
Major General Richard Taylor, Mouton was made a brigade commander and given the rank of
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
. The duo of Mouton and Taylor would prove to be one of the most efficient during the war and they, along with
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
commander
Thomas Green, would harass, confuse, frustrate, and delay Union attempts to secure the
Bayou Teche
Bayou Teche (Louisiana French: ''Bayou Têche'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in t ...
region of southern Louisiana. Mouton's leadership in his Louisiana brigade helped the Confederates undermine Union attempts to access the rich Bayou Teche region. He was a key participant in the battles of
Irish Bend, Fort Bisland, Franklin, and Bayou Borbeau, along with numerous other smaller skirmishes.
Mouton's brigade was used as the lead unit in the Confederate attack at the
Battle of Mansfield
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
. While leading his brigade in a charge against the Union position, Mouton was shot and killed. Historian
John D. Winters reports on the battle: "On his horse, Mouton made a perfect target, and a Federal marksman dropped him from his saddle. The gallant Polignac now rode forward and took over the command. With tears of grief and rage in their eyes, the yelling men followed Polignac. They ran on through the deadly hail, determined to avenge the death of their leader. ... Mouton's division lost about one third of its total strength." Mouton's death was lamented by General Taylor, who said, "Above all the death of the gallant Mouton affected me ... modest, unselfish, and patriotic. He showed best in action always leading his men." He was first buried on the battlefield but was moved in 1874 to St. John's Cemetery in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Mouton's stepmother was the sister of Confederate General
Franklin Gardner
Franklin Kitchell GardnerMiddle name Kitchell from his father, miswritten Franklin K. Gardner on his gravestone. (January 29, 1823 – April 29, 1873) was a Confederate major general in the American Civil War, noted for his service at the Siege of ...
.
Honors
A street in the
Lakeview area of
was named for Mouton. In 2021, the city's Street Renaming Commission identified it as one that should be renamed, saying Mouton was "integral in supporting and promoting the institution of slavery and owned enslaved people."
In 1922, a statue of General Mouton was erected in downtown Lafayette by the
United Daughters of the Confederacy
The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...
as part of its larger efforts to promote the
Lost Cause
The Lost Cause of the Confederacy (or simply Lost Cause) is an American pseudohistorical negationist mythology that claims the cause of the Confederate States during the American Civil War was just, heroic, and not centered on slavery. Firs ...
mythology. The city's mayor at the time was future congressman
Robert L. Mouton, one of the many Mouton cousins to hold powerful positions in the area over generations. After years of activism led by the organization Move the Mindset, the statue was removed from its prominent downtown street corner on July 17, 2021. The statue has since been relocated to the Confederate museum at
Camp Moore.
A street in downtown Lafayette remains named in Mouton's honor, as is a street in
Bossier City
Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...
, near
Barksdale Air Force Base
Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in northwest Louisiana, United States, in Bossier Parish. It is contiguous to Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AFB ...
. The Brigadier General J. J. Alfred A. Mouton Camp #778 of the
Sons of Confederate Veterans
The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates monuments to them, and promotes the pseudohis ...
, in
Opelousas, Louisiana :''Opelousas is also a common name of the flathead catfish.''
Opelousas (french: Les Opélousas; Spanish: ''Los Opeluzás'') is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 ...
, is also named for him.
See also
*
List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)
Confederate generals
__NOTOC__
* Assigned to duty by E. Kirby Smith
* Incomplete appointments
* State militia generals
The Confederate and United States processes for appointment, nomination and confirmation of general officers were essential ...
Notes
References
* Ayres, Thomas. ''Dark and Bloody Ground: The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana''. Dallas, TX: Taylor Trade Pub., 2001. .
* Eicher, John H., and
David J. Eicher
David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...
. ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
* Parrish, T. Michael. ''Richard Taylor: Soldier Prince of Dixie''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1992, .
* Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. .
* Taylor, Richard. ''Destruction and Reconstruction : Personal experiences of the late war'', Time-Life Books, 1983.
*
Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .
*
Winters, John D. ''The Civil War in Louisiana''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963. .
* J. Franklin Mouton III , The Moutons. 1978
External links
Encyclopedia of Cajun CultureCemetery Memorial by La-Cemeteries*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mouton, Alfred
1829 births
1864 deaths
Confederate States Army brigadier generals
People of Louisiana in the American Civil War
Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War
Acadian people
Acadian history
Cajun people
United States Military Academy alumni
St. Charles College (Louisiana) alumni