Port Hudson National Cemetery is a
United States National Cemetery located in
Port Hudson, north of the city 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 ...
in
East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish (french: Paroisse de Bâton Rouge Est) is the most populous parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 U.S. census, its population was 440,171, and 456,781 at the 2020 census. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Lou ...
. Administered by the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of the end of 2020, had over 12,000 interments.
History
The cemetery is located on the site which was the main battleground of the
Siege of Port Hudson, during the
American Civil War. Nearly 4,000
Union troops fell during the fighting, and most were buried in the cemetery, many as unknowns. After the war another was appropriated to inter those who died in the local veterans' facilities. The battle was notable for valiant fighting by the 1st and 3rd Regiments of the
Louisiana Native Guards, troops composed of
free men of color
Free may refer to:
Concept
* Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything
* Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism
* Emancipate, to procure ...
from the New Orleans area and a majority of African Americans who had escaped from slavery to join the cause and gain freedom.
[Terry L. Jones (2012-10-19]
"The Free Men of Color Go to War" – NYTimes.com
Opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2012-12-18.[ wit]
four photos and two maps
/ref>[ With .]
The Confederate soldiers who died were primarily buried in the trenches where they fell.[ A Confederate Cemetery was later established in the Port Hudson area; it is not accessible to the public.
The battlefield at Port Hudson is one of the few naturally preserved Civil War battlegrounds. The breastworks, gun pits, and trenches remain today almost as they were during the battle. The area has never been developed.][
Port Hudson National Cemetery area, comprising a total of 9 contributing resources, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 20, 1999;]
Notable burials
* John Ferguson, sportscaster for the LSU Tigers
* Frank Fields Frank Nomer Fields (May 2, 1914 – September 18, 2005) was an American double bass player who was involved in many R&B, rock and roll and jazz recordings made in New Orleans.
He was born in Plaquemine, Louisiana. In the 1930s, he played w ...
, double bass player
* Betty Heitman, co-chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1983 to 1987, buried with her husband, Captain Henry Schrader Heitman
* Tabby Thomas, blues musician
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
References
External links
National Cemetery Administration
Port Hudson National Cemetery
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{{East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Cemeteries in Louisiana
Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana
Historic American Landscapes Survey in Louisiana
Protected areas of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
United States national cemeteries
National Register of Historic Places in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
1867 establishments in Louisiana