Louis Hébert (March 13, 1820 – January 20, 1901) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

educator, civil engineer,

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

and

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

who became 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

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during 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 ...

Early life

Born in

Iberville Parish, Louisiana Iberville Parish (french: Paroisse d'Iberville) is a parish located south of Baton Rouge in the U.S. state of Louisiana, formed in 1807. The parish seat is Plaquemine. At the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 33,387, and 30,241 at the 2020 ...

, Louis Hébert was the first cousin of engineer, Governor

Paul Octave Hébert Paul Octave Hébert (December 12, 1818 – August 29, 1880) was the 14th Governor of Louisiana from 1853 to 1856 and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. Early life Hébert was born on December 12, 1818 about five miles south of ...

. Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. . pp. 130-131. Louis Hébert graduated from 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 1845 and was assigned as a brevet second lieutenant to the construction of Fort Livingston, Louisiana. He resigned his commission on February 15, 1846, to run his ailing father's plantation.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. . p. 292. He became a state militia officer in 1847, a Louisiana state legislator and chief engineer of the State of Louisiana (1855–1860).Warner, 1959, p. 131.

American Civil War

Hébert was commissioned

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 o ...

of the 3rd Louisiana Infantry Regiment on May 11, 1861. He fought with his regiment at the

Battle of Wilson's Creek The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was the first major battle of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, Springfield, Missou ...

. He led Brigadier General

Benjamin McCulloch Brigadier-General Benjamin McCulloch (November 11, 1811 – March 7, 1862) was a soldier in the Texas Revolution, a Texas Ranger, a major-general in the Texas militia and thereafter a major in the United States Army (United States Volunteers ...

's infantry brigade at the Pea Ridge on March 7, 1862, while McCulloch led the brigade's division. Hébert was technically in command of the division after McCulloch and his second in command, Brigadier General James M. McIntosh, were killed in action. However, Hébert, who was wounded, and a small group of his men had become separated from the brigade and were captured before Hebert could exercise command of the division. Hébert was exchanged on March 20, 1862. On May 26, 1862, Hébert was appointed brigadier general. His appointment was confirmed by the

Confederate Senate The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new nat ...

on September 30, 1862. He led a brigade in 1862 at the

Battle of Iuka 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 forc ...

, a division at the

Second Battle of Corinth The second Battle of Corinth (which, in the context of the American Civil War, is usually referred to as the Battle of Corinth, to differentiate it from the siege of Corinth earlier the same year) was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, ...

and a brigade at the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mis ...

(May 18 – July 4, 1863). He was again made a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

after the Confederate surrender at Vicksburg. He was paroled and exchanged on October 13, 1863. He then served in Confederate operations in the Cape Fear District in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

first in artillery and then as chief engineer of the department. He commanded the heavy

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

at and around

Fort Fisher Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear Rive ...

Post-war

After the war Hébert was an editor and publisher of a local St. Martin's parish newspaper, ''Iberville South'', and taught at several private schools. Louis Hébert died January 7, 1901, on the east bank of

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 ...

, north of

Breaux Bridge, Louisiana Breaux Bridge (;Jack A. Reynolds. "Breaux Bridge" entry i"Louisiana Placenames of Romance Origin."LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses #7852. 1942. p. 77. french: Pont-Breaux; frc, Pont-(de)-Breaux ) is a small city in St. Martin Parish, Loui ...

, where he was interred. Because his burial site was located on private land, with assistance from 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 ...

on October 26, 2002, Hébert's remains were disinterred and moved to St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in nearby Cecilia, Louisiana.Account of Hébert's reburial and final memorial ceremony with photographs
Retrieved May 20, 2016.

Notes

References

Account of Hébert's reburial and final memorial ceremony with photographs
Retrieved May 20, 2016.

Retrieved May 20, 2016. * Boatner, Mark Mayo, III. ''The Civil War Dictionary.'' New York: McKay, 1988. . First published 1959 by McKay. * Cullum, George W
''George W. Cullum's Register of Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy''
Vol. 2. 1879. . Cullum File #1233. p. 114. Retrieved January 12, 2011. * Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Hebert, Louis 1820 births 1901 deaths People from Iberville Parish, Louisiana Confederate States Army brigadier generals United States Military Academy alumni American engineers People of Louisiana in the American Civil War American Civil War prisoners of war

Early life

American Civil War

Post-war

See also

Notes

References