Port Hudson National Cemetery is a

United States National Cemetery The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. Congress o ...

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 The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

, 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 The siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana, (May 22 – July 9, 1863) was the final engagement in the Union campaign to recapture the Mississippi River in the American Civil War. While Union General Ulysses Grant was besieging Vicksburg upriver, Ge ...

, 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 ...

. Nearly 4,000

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 ...

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 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 ...

, troops composed of free men of color 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 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 ...

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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on May 20, 1999; a different portion of the battlefield, several miles to the north, is preserved in 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 ...

. That area is 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 ...

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 wi ...

, double bass player *

Betty Heitman Betty Green Heitman (November 27, 1929 – February 1, 1994) was a Republican activist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. From 1978 to 1980 she was president of the National Federation of Republican Women. During her tenure the organization achieved fi ...

, co-chairman of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. Political action committee, political committee that assists the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republi ...

from 1983 to 1987, buried with her husband, Captain Henry Schrader Heitman * Tabby Thomas, blues musician

References

External links

National Cemetery Administration

Port Hudson National Cemetery
* * * * {{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

History

Notable burials

See also

References

External links