Port Hudson is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located about northwest of
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
, it is known primarily as the location of an
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 ...
battle, the
siege of Port Hudson
The siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana, (May 22 – July 9, 1863) was the final engagement in the Union (American Civil War), Union campaign to recapture the Mississippi River in the American Civil War.
While Major General#United States, Union Gen ...
, in 1863.
Geography
Port Hudson is located at , and is along the east bank of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
.
History
In 1833, one of the first railroads in the United States was built from Port Hudson to Clinton.
Clinton was the
entrepôt
An ''entrepôt'' (; ) or transshipment port is a port, city, or trading post where merchandise may be imported, stored, or traded, usually to be exported again. Such cities often sprang up and such ports and trading posts often developed into co ...
for the produce of much of the region, which, sent by rail, was transferred to
steamboats
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
at Port Hudson. Old Port Hudson was incorporated as a town in 1838.
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 th ...
, the area was the scene of
bitter fighting as the Confederacy and Union struggled over control of the Mississippi River (see
Siege of Port Hudson
The siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana, (May 22 – July 9, 1863) was the final engagement in the Union (American Civil War), Union campaign to recapture the Mississippi River in the American Civil War.
While Major General#United States, Union Gen ...
). Location of the tracks and the old town can be seen at the bend of the Mississippi River (view 1864 map). The rails and crossties of the track were removed before 1920.
What were then called the 1st and 3rd Regiments of the
Louisiana Native Guards
This is a list of regiments from the U.S. state of Louisiana that fought in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865). The list of Louisiana Confederate Civil War units is shown separately.
Artillery
*1st Louisiana Regiment He ...
(later re-formed as regiments of the
United States Colored Troops
The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served within the units. They were first recruited during ...
) proved themselves in battle on the Union side; they were the first black troops to have some black officers. A minority of men in the regiments were
free men of color, who had been educated before the war; most of the soldiers were African-American slaves who had escaped to Union lines to gain freedom and support the war.
Port Hudson National Cemetery
Port Hudson National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in Port Hudson, north of the city of Baton Rouge in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasse ...
was established in the area, first as a place of burial of Union dead.
Landmarks
300px, Map of Port Hudson & vicinity, 1906.
A portion of the battlefield site is maintained by the state as a park and museum, called the
Port Hudson State Historic Site
The Port Hudson State Historic Site is located on the Mississippi River north of Baton Rouge in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, just outside the limits of Port Hudson and in the vicinity of Jackson. The site preserves a portion of the fortificat ...
(in adjacent
East Feliciana Parish).
In 1930 the Louisiana Division of 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, ...
erected the Confederate Soldiers monument at the site; it is an 11,000-pound
obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...
, dedicated to the defenders' memory. In 2007 the monument was moved to the yard of one of Port Hudson's few surviving buildings from the time of the siege.
In 1974 the
Port Hudson National Cemetery
Port Hudson National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in Port Hudson, north of the city of Baton Rouge in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasse ...
was designated a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
by the
U.S. Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...
; it is administered by the National Park Service.
In 2009, it was designated among the first 26 featured sites of the
Louisiana African American Heritage Trail
Louisiana African American Heritage Trail (french: Sentier de l'héritage afro-américain de la Louisiane) is a cultural heritage trail with 38 sites designated by the state of Louisiana, from New Orleans along the Mississippi River to Baton Rouge ...
.
Representation in culture
"The Black Brigade at Port Hudson" is a poem by John A. Dorgan, anthologized in ''The Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Poetry and Incidents.''
"The Black Regiment: Port Hudson, May 27, 1863", poem by George Henry Boker (1823-1890). was originally published as a broadside by the Union League, it was included in ''The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, Poetry.''
[''The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, Poetry,'' ed. Frank Moore, p. 3] The poem was translated into German and published as a broadside, a copy of which has been preserved in the ''Black Soldiers Collection'' of the Historic New Orleans Collection at the Williams Research Center in New Orleans.
Events
A Civil War reenactment is held annually at the
Port Hudson State Historic Site
The Port Hudson State Historic Site is located on the Mississippi River north of Baton Rouge in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, just outside the limits of Port Hudson and in the vicinity of Jackson. The site preserves a portion of the fortificat ...
.
References
External links
Map of Port Hudson and its Defences(with structure names and land description), Captain L.J. Fremaux, Chief Engineer, October 30, 1862.
* ''Photographs of Louisiana during the Civil War''. Compiled by Sgt. Marshall Dunham of the 159th New York Regiment. Select ''Search items in this Collection'' and enter ''Port Hudson'' in the exact phrase option
photograph collection Louisiana Digital Library
CivilWarAlbum.com, May 2000.
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Unincorporated communities in Louisiana
Unincorporated communities in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana