New Orleans and Port Hudson: The River War
Soon after the first shots of the war had been fired, an overall Union strategy based on a gradual strangulation of the South was adopted. Based on the previously derided Anaconda Plan first proposed by General in Chief Winfield Scott of the U.S. Army, the multiphased strategic plan relied on one basic and yet crucial component for success: the control and free transit of the Mississippi River by the Union Army and Navy, splitting the Confederacy in half and denying an important route of supplies to the blockaded states from ports in Texas and Mexico.
As this was in many ways still a frontier area with few roads (and even fewer that could be used to support an army), the task of wresting control of the great river was given in equal parts to army and navy commands. One combined command was established in Cairo, Illinois, and given the task of clearing out Confederate outposts along the river moving to the south, and another was formed at Ship Island, Mississippi, and given the task of fighting their way upriver to join the Cairo-based squadron in taking complete control of the river. Given command of the assembling fleet at Ship Island was a highly experienced naval captain, Tennessee-born but Union loyalist David Glasgow Farragut.
The fact that military operations would have to be conducted on relatively shallow inland rivers that were choked with debris and had poorly charted and ever-shifting ship channels, and with enemy artillery and infantry emplacements literally only feet away from the ship channel, meant that some serious rethinking in ship design and naval tactics would have to be done. The U.S. Navy possessed 90 ships of all types when the war began, but only 42 were listed “in service” at spots all around the globe, and not a single warship would suffice for river warfare. Although other navies had experimented with metal-clad armored warships, and the French had used several to good success in the Crimean War, almost every U.S. ship was both wooden and sail-powered.
On the other hand, the fledgling Confederate Navy had not a single ship at the outbreak of hostilities and a host of problems to overcome. Another part of the Union strategic plan called for a tight blockade of the Southern coastline and ports, which the Confederate Navy would be charged with either breaking or at least preventing from totally closing down the most critical ports. It was obvious that the Mississippi River was going to be a major area of conflict, and suitable ships for port defense there were needed as well. The final and greatest problem was where these ships would come from, as nearly every major shipyard and heavy industrial facility was located in the North.
Aside from a series of strong Confederate river forts and outposts from Memphis northward along the Mississippi, the major points of concern for the Union Navy were New Orleans, Port Hudson, and Vicksburg. New Orleans would be the immediate problem; the largest city in the Confederacy, it had the greatest number of shipbuilding and other industrial facilities of any other single area of the South, and to leave it untouched was to guarantee a strengthened Confederate military. However, it was located on a curve of the Mississippi surrounded by swamps and marshy lowlands that precluded an overland campaign and was well protected from attack by sea by two powerful forts 70 miles downstream just above the Head of the Passes, Forts Jackson and St. Philip.
The two masonry forts were originally ordered constructed by Andrew Jackson in 1822 following his victory over the British force in the area in 1814. Fort Jackson was the larger of the two, roughly star-shaped and positioned on the western bank of the river, manned by about 700 troops and mounting 74 guns, including several 10-inch Columbiads, the largest gun in the Confederate inventory at the time. A smoothbore cannon, the Columbiad was capable of throwing a 128-pound shell over 1,800 yards with deadly accuracy. It was more than capable of destroying any of the U.S. Navy’s wooden ships of the day. Fort St. Philip was across the river on the opposite bank, about a half-mile farther upstream, and was an unusual construction of thick brick walls covered by dirt ramparts in a sort of “squished” star arrangement, also manned by about 700 troops and mounting 52 guns. Both forts were well located in a bend in the river that any ship would have to slow down to navigate, making any attempt to “blow by” the posts unlikely.
The Mississippi River route from New Orleans to Vicksburg
To add to the riverborne defenses, a third ancient fort, Fort Chalmette, just upstream, was also garrisoned and armed. This was the site where Andrew Jackson fought the British during the War of 1812 (a battle that was fought more than two weeks after the war was officially over). No one thought it really necessary to man this old post, but it provided some insurance in case an enemy fleet managed to get past the two forts downstream. Between Forts Jackson and St. Philip, heavy chains holding several old ship hulks were placed across the river and strongly anchored, blocking the river passage.
Plan of the attack on New Orleans
The defense at Forts Jackson and St. Philip was further backed up by the fledgling Confederate Navy’s western gulf fleet, consisting of four ships of the line: the McRae, the ironclad-ram Manassas, and the ironclads Louisiana and Mississippi. These were backed up by two ships of the Louisiana Navy, the Governor Quitman and the Governor Moore, and a group of converted riverboats mounting a single gun each and rather grandiosely called the River Defense Fleet: the Breckenridge, Defiance, Stonewall Jackson, General Lovell, Warrior, and Resolute. Records are incomplete, but the ships probably mounted a total of about 100 guns.
A Baptist. And always have been.
—Old civilian woman in north Georgia, when asked by Union troops if she was “secesh” or a Union supporter
By the end of March 1862, Farragut had assembled two small fleets to take on the enormous task of opening up the lower Mississippi: an 18-ship gunboat fleet led by his own flagship, the Hartford—a 2,900-ton screw sloop 225 feet long and 44 feet wide that had a top speed of just under 14 knots. The 2 frigates, 5 sloops, and 11 ironclad gunboats mounted a total of 243 guns. A second fleet known as the Mortar Flotilla, commanded by Commander David Dixon Porter, Farragut’s own foster brother, consisted of 22 two-masted sail-powered schooners roughly 100 feet long each, mounting a single 13-inch mortar that fired a 200-pound shell up to 4,000 yards, landing nearly vertical and easily lobbed over fortification walls. These mortar schooners sailed under their own power while at sea but were towed upriver by their own assigned support fleet of 8 gunboats and unarmed towboats.
On April 8, 1862, Farragut moved all but one of his ships across the shallow passes and sandbars that marked the entrance to the Mississippi River at the Head of the Passes. A few days later he was followed by a large troopship fleet bearing Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler and his 18,000-man army command, and both began moving upriver on their campaign to take New Orleans.
Farragut decided to let Porter’s mortar flotilla handle the problem of the powerful Confederate forts before he brought his own fleet into firing range. On April 18, the 22 mortar schooners were towed into position just south of a bend in the river below Fort Jackson and commenced a heavy bombardment of the two posts. Over the next five days, about 17,000 rounds of ammunition were fired, which slightly damaged the forts but failed to kill many men of the garrisons or destroy any of their gun emplacements.
Farragut, displaying his usual impatience, decided to cancel the bombardment (which was not doing much good anyhow), send his fleet in to directly attack the Confederate stronghold, and as quickly as possible get past it upriver—his main goal being to capture New Orleans as soon as possible. The first of several obstacles in his way were the chained-together old ships across the river below the two forts, and he assigned Lieutenant Charles H. S. Caldwell, captain of the Itaska, to find a passage through.
After several failed attempts to blast through the line of obstacles by cannon fire and explosives, Caldwell decided to simply ram his way through. Bringing his gunboat up to full speed, he hit the chains about mid-channel and swiftly parted them, leaving a clear passage for the rest of the fleet. Farragut arranged his gunboats into three divisions and then signaled for them to move out at 2 a.m. on April 24.
The first division was led by the large gunboat Cayuga, in front of two screw sloops, two corvettes, and three more gunboats strung out in a single column. The small task force was not seen until nearly upon Fort Jackson, but then the Confederate gunners opened up with every available cannon. The Cayuga was raked by fire not only from the forts but also from three of the Confederate gunboats lying anchored nearby. All three gunboats were quickly sunk by the lead Union ship and two others that rapidly closed in.
The second division, led by Farragut’s own flagship Hartford, soon entered the growing fight and was nearly immediately attacked by a Confederate ship pushing a fire raft, which struck and nearly threatened to set ablaze the Union ship. Farragut calmly ordered the fire to be doused and the enemy ship sunk, both of which occurred in rapid succession, and then he just as calmly turned his attention to the rest of the battle.
A wild naval melee had broken out by now, with the Confederate ram Manassas attacking the Union ships Mississippi and Brooklin, both of which escaped with little damage, before moving downstream toward the rest of the Union fleet. Before the Manassas could mount another attack, the Mississippi turned on her and forced the Confederate ship aground under a near blizzard of shot and shell. The crew barely escaped with their lives while the boat was shot to pieces on the bank. While this drama was unfolding downstream, the Louisiana Navy steamer Governor Moore attacked the onrushing Union fleet led now by the corvette Varuna. Each ship raked the other with concentrated fire, inflicting heavy casualties on both, while the Governor Moore actually shot its own bow away in order to place point-blank fire into the Union gunboat. After a follow-up ramming attack, the Union corvette sank near the far bank, taking most of her crew with her. The Governor Moore did not have much time to celebrate; moments later, as she turned away from the sinking Union ship, exposing her sides to the rest of the Union fleet, a heavy blast of fire from several ships exploded her magazine and sent her burning to the bottom with almost all her crew.
A map of the fortifications at Fort Jackson near New Orleans
Seeing the burning and wrecked Confederate ships drifting past his schooners just downstream, Porter ordered his mortars to renew their fire on the forts. The fort’s gunners were forced to stop their own fire on the Union fleet, but once again, little physical damage was done to the two Confederate outposts. However, the real damage was already done, as Farragut’s fleet was now safely past the two forts, having wrecked the Confederate naval fleet at the cost of 37 dead, 149 wounded, one ship sunk, and two ships damaged. Farragut signaled Butler to bring his troopships upriver and bypass the forts, which would be allowed to simply starve themselves out when New Orleans was taken and their supplies cut off.
As soon as Butler had moved his troopships above the two Confederate forts, Farragut ordered his fleet to set sail once again toward New Orleans. Nearing old Fort Chalmette, he noticed that the Confederate defenders had installed river batteries on both banks, threatening his passage. The Brooklin opened fire on both sides with her swivel-mount 80-pounder Dahlgren gun, sending only about 20 shots into the batteries before their gunners broke and ran, leaving the river passage open. This action was probably the best showing of the entire war for that particular model of Dahlgren gun, as most 80-pounders had a tendency to burst after a few rounds.
Watching Farragut’s actions from a levee nearby, New Orleans garrison commander Major General Mansfield Lovell at once ordered his 4,000-man command to destroy what supplies they could, along with the tons of cotton bales sitting on the docks ready for shipment, and then pulled out of the city before Farragut’s ships approached.
On the morning of April 25, Farragut’s fleet sailed into the New Orleans port and docked without a single shot being fired, although his gun crews were standing by at the ready. The civil authorities of the city reacted with ill-thought-out impudence at first, actually daring Farragut to “try and take the city,” but they finally bowed to the obvious and formally surrendered the city on April 29. The commanders of Forts Jackson and St. Philip originally intended to hold fast to their posts, but the men mutinied and demanded the forts be abandoned. On April 28 the forts’ guns were spiked, and the officers formally surrendered their posts to Butler’s men. The short action had cost the Confederates only 12 dead and 40 wounded, but they lost one of the most critical ports in the entire Western Theater.
During the opening of the lower Mississippi and the capture of New Orleans, mortar steamers attacked the water battery of Fort Jackson.
With the Big Easy rather easily taken, Butler was placed in charge of the occupation force, and Farragut soon moved out to points upriver. Butler, an unpleasant and rather corrupt administrator, managed to outrage the local populace to the point that even his own commanders in Washington were soon debating his judgment. He soon earned the nickname “Spoons” for his habit of raiding local plantations and wealthy estates, where he “confiscated” the silverware and other valuables. Several sources claimed he had a habit of doing this at dinner parties. Only a day after assuming his post, he began issuing a series of imperial-sounding edicts, including harsh pronouncements demanding the civilian population treat his men and the national flag with the utmost reverence at the threat (and delivery) of harsh punishments.
A local gambler, William Mumford, was arrested for pulling down a Union flag that one of Farragut’s men had placed over the Old Mint Building before Butler even arrived. Mumford was tried for treason, quickly convicted, and just as quickly hanged on June 7. On May 15 Butler issued his General Order Number 28, which became better known as his “Woman Order.” In short, this order stated that any lady of the town that dared treat any Union soldier with contempt in any way would be immediately assumed to be a prostitute and arrested as such. Newspapers as far away as London condemned this act, which ultimately helped lead to Butler’s removal from his command in December, but curiously, the order was never revoked or changed.
With New Orleans and Memphis successfully taken, only two last Confederate outposts remained in the way of complete control of the river by the Union Navy—the heavy batteries controlling access between Port Hudson, Louisiana, and Vicksburg, Mississippi. Worse for the success of the grand Union strategy, this stretch of Confederate-controlled river included the mouth of the Red River, giving a clear waterborne supply and communications route to the Trans-Mississippi Theater.
Port Hudson is about 120 miles by air south of Vicksburg but more than 200 miles by the meandering Mississippi River; it served primarily as a tiny cotton port before the war. Settled by small farmers early in the 19th century, the small town never “caught on” with the large landowners and was in danger of disappearing when the war began. What the town lacked in amenities it more than made up for in abundance of good terrain for defense of the river passage. Eighty-foot-high bluffs lined the river to the west of the small settlement, where the river curves around nearly upon itself, making a high-speed passage impractical. Swamps, ravines, and nearly impenetrable woods surrounded Port Hudson on three sides, making the only practical land approach one from due east.
Despite this very favorable position and the urging of then Western Theater commander General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, the town remained without a significant garrison or serious fortifications until after nearby Baton Rouge was occupied in May 1862. Major General Earl Van Dorn, Vicksburg area commander, realized nearly too late the vital nature of this position and sent a 5,000-man force under Major General John C. Breckinridge to attack and try to retake the state capital in order to gain time to reinforce and build up Port Hudson.
Map illustrating the defenses of Port Hudson, Louisiana
Now a forward base for Farragut’s fleet attacking Vicksburg, Baton Rouge was garrisoned by a 2,500-man force under Brigadier General Thomas Williams, supported by a varying number of naval gunboats. Breckinridge’s command moved south in late July 1862, preparing to assault and retake the capital, but ran into several delays caused primarily by some unspecified disease sweeping through the camps. Although the Confederate commander received some reinforcements from a small outpost 60 miles north of Baton Rouge, by early August he was in position to attack with only about 2,600 effective combat troops. To reinforce his attack, Van Dorn had ordered a small naval task force south, led by the ironclad Arkansas.
Breckinridge arrived just outside town on the afternoon of August 4 and divided his decimated command into two weak divisions led by brigadier generals Daniel Ruggles and Charles Clark. Lieutenant Henry K. Stevens was having serious engine trouble with his Arkansas, adding to the growing problems with the Confederate attack, but Breckinridge gave the order to attack at 4:30 a.m. on August 5.
The plan was to attack with the two divisions nearly line-abreast against the Union line running parallel to the river, while the gunboats moved in and neutralized the Union gunboat threat. As was almost the usual during this war, nothing went off as planned. A thick fog prevented a coordinated movement of the two divisions; heavy skirmishing on the Union right confused the two division commanders, who moved their units in such a manner that several actually ended up firing on one another; and Stevens’s problems with his gunboat delayed his entry into the battle until nearly the end. Despite this, the Union line caved in rather quickly, sending the blue-clad troops scurrying to the relative safety of their own gunboats’ covering fire, while Ruggles and Clark moved forward into the town, fighting house to house and street to street with the scattered Union commands.
As the town was being overrun, Stevens moved into position and prepared to attack the three Union gunboats at the dock, when his engines suddenly seized up again, and the naval battle ended before it had even really begun. Reorganizing a hasty defense under the covering fire of the gunboats, Williams personally led a failed counterattack, dying in the attempt, and his scratch force once again fled to the cover of the gunboats. With no naval support coming, Breckinridge held the town until about 10 a.m. and then pulled out and marched north to Port Hudson. As the Confederate troops pulled out, Colonel Thomas W. Cahill assumed overall command for the North and moved his remaining force back into their original positions. Union losses in the brief fight were 84 dead and 299 wounded or missing, while Breckinridge reported a loss of 84 dead and 372 wounded, missing, or captured, including a seriously wounded Clark, left on the battlefield and later captured. Two weeks later, Butler ordered the city evacuated, looted, and razed to the ground and the garrison returned to New Orleans. His officers made sure the finest furniture, art, silver, and anything else of value went south safely in their own possession. As a final act, Spoons Butler ordered the inmates at the Louisiana State Prison at Baton Rouge released but involuntarily enlisted into Union service.
Nearly the moment his rebel troops entered Port Hudson, Ruggles put them to work building defensive works and gun emplacements for the coming assault. The lines soon extended nearly 8 miles in a wide semicircle around the small settlement and mounted 10 heavy guns by the end of August. Two attempts by Farragut’s fleet to bypass the fortifications afterward met with a hot and accurate fire, leading the newly promoted admiral to set aside his plans to attack Mobile and concentrate on building up a land and naval force to attack the remaining Confederate river strongholds.
By early March 1863 both sides had built up impressive forces in the area. Major General Franklin Gardner had assumed command of the Confederate garrison, now reinforced to four brigades with nearly 16,000 men manning 11 pentagonal gun emplacements mounting 21 heavy guns along 3 miles of the river, as well as another 5 miles of infantry entrenchments and gun emplacements guarding the inland approaches. In total, 107 heavy guns, field pieces, and mortars guarded the lines from 25 separate batteries, ranging from relatively small field howitzers up to three 9-inch naval Dahlgren guns and seven 30-pounder Parrott rifles.
Farragut had prepared a squadron to run the Port Hudson batteries and join the gathering force assaulting Vicksburg, consisting of his flagship Hartford, three other heavy seagoing ironclads, three smaller “river” ironclads, and the side-paddle ironclad Mississippi, along with six mortar boats. After dark on March 14, 1863, he ordered the squadron forward, trying to slip past the Confederate batteries under cover of darkness. Hartford and the smaller ironclad Albatross managed to get past the first set of batteries before the Union ruse was discovered and Confederate gunners opened a near point-blank fire.
The Song of the South
“Dixie” was a song written in 1859 by an Ohio musician, Daniel Decatur Emmett, while he was living in New York City. Emmett had never traveled through the South at the time and had only thirdhand or worse knowledge of what the area was actually like. However, he was under pressure to compose a new song for a failing minstrel show. The show folded shortly thereafter, but his song became a surprising hit. Originally entitled “I Wish I Were in Dixie’s Land,” it became the unofficial song of the Confederacy after being played at President Jefferson Davis’s inauguration. Many Southerners objected to a proposal to make it the official anthem, as it was not considered “dignified” enough. In April 1865, just after receiving the news that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered his troops in Virginia, Lincoln stepped out of the White House and walked up to an army band that was playing nearby. He asked them to play “Dixie” for him, and when his shocked aides commented on the seemingly strange request, he remarked that it was the “finest tune I ever heard.”
A thunderous fire from the Confederate batteries raked the Union ships, pounding through the thick iron plating and destroying engines and steering gear. Two hours later, only Farragut’s two lead ships had managed to pass the batteries more or less unscathed, while the rest of his fleet was nearly wrecked. All managed to limp back south, except for the Mississippi, which fought alone while grounded on a mud bank for nearly an hour until an onboard fire grew out of control. Her crew abandoned ship about 1 a.m.; an hour later she slipped free and drifted south, finally ending her life in a massive explosion about 5:30 a.m., when the fire finally reached her powder magazine. Farragut had managed to get two ironclads past the defenses and on to Vicksburg at the cost of 26 killed, 38 wounded, and 64 missing, as well as one ship destroyed and the rest seriously damaged. Confederate losses amounted to 3 killed and 22 wounded.
With Farragut’s failure to blast through the Confederate river defenses, it became obvious that a land attack to neutralize the position would be necessary. Major General Nathaniel P. Banks’s Army of the Gulf, with nearly 35,000 men, was assigned the task of storming and taking the strong Southern position. Most decidedly a “political” general (he had been the Speaker of the U.S. House before the war and won his commission by pulling strings), Banks was not viewed as exactly the Confederacy’s worst enemy; in the Shenandoah Campaign against Major General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson during late 1861, his command suffered so many defeats and huge amounts of captured supplies that the delighted Confederate troops nicknamed him “Commissary” Banks.
Despite the expressed feeling that his 35,000-man force was “inadequate” to take the Confederate stronghold, Banks moved out in mid-May 1863 with only a portion of his men to take it. The rest were left to garrison Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and several other smaller posts. Encircling the Confederate position by May 23 with roughly 15,000 (some accounts say 20,000) men and a handful of Union gunboats, Banks made his first attempt to assault on May 27. An ill-coordinated attack limped off at dawn on the Union right, followed hours later by attacks along the rest of the line.
This battle featured the first use of large numbers of African-American troops, including two regiments of Louisiana Native Guards—almost all former slaves. Although Banks outnumbered his Confederate opponents nearly four to one at nearly every place along the line, the attack was a dismal failure. The greatest Union advance was the advancement into the outer trench lines at a few points, all of which were quickly retaken and the attacks blunted. Total casualties for the failed attack were about 2,000 Union soldiers and about 250 Confederates.
A little over two weeks later, Banks attempted another assault. As in the May 27 attack, a nearly hour-long heavy bombardment preceded the attack, followed by a formal call for the Confederate garrison to surrender. When they refused, the bombardment was resumed and a general assault against the center of the Confederate line was prepared. At 4 a.m. on June 14, with only three hours to organize and prepare their men for the attack, a three-division front assaulted three points on the Confederate line, centered on a large fort known as the Priest Cap. The uncoordinated attack fared no better than the earlier attempt and gradually petered out before noon. The two attacks had cost Banks a total of 708 killed, 3,336 wounded, and 319 captured or missing, to gain nothing. Confederate losses amounted to 176 killed and 447 wounded, with none reported missing or captured.
Banks settled down into a tight siege of the Confederate garrison, which was running low on supplies even as the campaign began. As at Vicksburg, Union engineers and infantry cut a series of siege trenches growing ever closer to the Confederate line, while sappers attempted to mine under the line and blow it up. This last attempt was foiled by the Confederates’ own countermining efforts, while sharpshooters kept everyone’s head down in the trenches and occasional firefights lit up the line. This siege, the longest in American history, lasted 48 days. Many accounts confirm that after the regular rations, horses, and mules were all gone, the men turned to eating dogs and rats until they, too, were all gone.
Pickets of the First Louisiana “Native Guard” guarding the New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western Railroad
Banks had planned another general assault for July 7, which was postponed due to poor weather. Before it could be rescheduled, news arrived about the fall of Vicksburg; when informed, Gardner decided he could not hold out alone against additional Union forces surely heading his way. Formal surrender of the garrison took place on July 9, with 5,500 prisoners walking into captivity. With this act, the Mississippi River was at long last once again under full Union control, and the Confederacy had suffered a devastating breach from which it would never recover.
New Orleans is in extreme southeastern Louisiana, not far from the Mississippi state line and easily accessible via I-10 from the east or west, I-55 south from Jackson, Mississippi, or I-59 south from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Fort Jackson still exists, although most of the other forts and locations mentioned either disappeared under the meandering flow of the great river or long ago fell into disrepair and neglect. Fort Jackson is near the small town of Buras; south of New Orleans, take LA 23 south from US 90 on the south side of town, and follow it about 53 miles south to the marked historic site. It is very hard to get lost here, as it is the only major hardtop road in the vicinity! Still, you need to watch carefully for the turnoff (on the left going south), as the fort itself is on the other side of both a rather high levee and a sports complex.
Very little remains in the Big Easy from Civil War times, including any of the few fortifications constructed for its defense. A few houses noted for being Butler’s headquarters or various Union officers’ residences dot the city, but the dearth of really historic sites can be illustrated by the Cable House, whose claim to fame is that it was the residence of a California poet, Joaquin Miller, who was denied the use of the mail in the 1880s for his pro-Southern views. The most significant sites in the area are Fort Jackson and the Chalmette National Historic Park.
Please be aware that although Hurricane Katrina occurred in 2005, the rebuilding is still in progress throughout the state of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast area.
Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery
(part of Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve)
8606 W. St. Bernard Hwy.
Chalmette, LA
(504) 1281-0510
battlefield number: (504) 281-0511
www.nps.gov/jela/chalmette-battlefield.htm
Six miles southeast of the French Quarter, still within the metropolitan New Orleans area and surrounded by the gigantic Shell Oil Arabi facility, this area gained its highest fame as the site of General Andrew Jackson’s victory over the British during (or more accurately, several days after) the War of 1812. During the New Orleans campaign, earthwork batteries mounting 10 32-pounder guns provided the last-ditch defense of the city. The 141-acre park is now a memorial to the 1812 battle and Jackson, with very little information presented about the Civil War use of the site, although the remaining earthworks are the original Confederate gun emplacements. For access information to the cemetery call (504) 589-3882.
Fort Jackson National Historical Monument
LA 23
Buras, LA
Sixty miles southeast of New Orleans, this fort survived both the encounters with Farragut’s fleet and the Union occupation and was used as a training base during World War I, only to almost disappear due to flooding and the incredibly humid environment. The fort was restored but was still in very poor condition, despite constant efforts by the staff and a protective surrounding levee. Fort Jackson then suffered extensive structural damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In addition, many historic exhibits were destroyed.
Jackson Barracks Military Museum
6400 St. Claude Ave.
New Orleans, LA
(504) 278-8000
www.la.ngb.army.mil
Originally built in 1833, this was the main defense barracks for the New Orleans area until the end of World War I, and a host of high Confederate officers called this place home during their service as young U.S. Army officers before the war. Originally the barracks consisted of four two-story brick buildings with walls 20 inches thick, surrounded by a brick wall with four towers mounting cannon at each corner. This restored museum now houses weapons and artifacts from every American war through the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and has a nice collection of flags, personal equipment, cavalry and artillery artifacts, and ammunition from the Civil War era. Realistic tableaus set up throughout the museum give an intimate look at what life was really like for American soldiers during different periods. Admission is free. Saturdays are for groups and by appointment only.
Louisiana Civil War Museum at Confederate Memorial Hall
929 Camp St.
New Orleans, LA
(504) 523-4522
www.confederatemuseum.com
A very nice collection of Civil War relics, concentrating on those from Louisiana regiments. The flag collection is unusual and well presented, as are a nice weapons collection, some period currency and documents, and displays of personal effects of Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee. There are limited hours so call ahead. Admission is free. Across the street is the National D-Day Museum, also highly recommended. There is on-street parking at parking meters, as well as free and pay parking lots within a block of the museum.
New Orleans is a major convention and tourism destination, so reserving a room at pretty much any given price is not terribly difficult. However, finding that room might be. We heartily suggest that you contact the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau before your trip, for both a map of this sometimes-confusing city and an updated list of available hotels. The staff is exceptionally helpful and pleasant and can be called at (800) 672-6124; information is also available on the Web at www.neworleansonline.com.
There are literally dozens of hotels in the metro area, an unusually high percentage of which are the usual and expected chains. However, there are a few establishments that we feel are worthy of special mention.
| Hotel Monteleone | $$$$ |
214 Rue Royale
New Orleans, LA
(866) 338-4684
Many people say the French Quarter begins in the lobby of the Hotel Monteleone. It is one of the most historic properties in the French Quarter and is also supposedly haunted. There are 600 newly renovated rooms, plus 25 meeting and reception rooms available. Many notable authors have stayed here, and it is even designated as a literary landmark. Be sure to stop in at the Carousel Piano Bar and Lounge, even if you don’t stay the night at one of New Orleans’s most luxurious hotels.
| Royal Street Courtyard | $$$ |
2438 Royal St.
New Orleans, LA
(504) 943-6818
(888) 846-4004
This nine-room guesthouse is an 1850s Greek Revival–style home that is now a bed-and-breakfast. It features four-poster beds in some rooms, with a private bath. It is far enough from the hustle and bustle of Bourbon Street to still have some quiet, yet only six blocks away, which makes it close enough to walk. The innkeepers are Phillip Lege and David M. Smith.
| Soniat House | $$$$ |
1133 Chartres St.
New Orleans, LA
(504) 522-0570
(800) 544-8808
A relatively small, 33-room hotel in a restored 1830s-era mansion at the edge of the French Quarter, the Soniat is one of the most elegant and beautiful hotels in the city. The sort of place where locals send someone they wish to impress, the exquisitely restored mansion is filled to the brim with fine antiques, the staff is exceptionally pleasant and attentive, and a high degree of attention to detail is obvious in everything we observed. The only drawbacks are the three-night minimum stay required during parts of the year and the outrageous prices for parking.
New Orleans is a town devoted to the finer things in life, most notably, food. A comprehensive list of the good, non-chain restaurants here would fill a good-size book; we refer you to Insiders’ Guide to New Orleans for a more complete listing. Here are a few of our favorites, where we can honestly say we have never had a bad meal (possibly because we have never had a bad meal anywhere in New Orleans, excepting the fast-food places!).
| Antoine’s | $$$–$$$$ |
713 Rue St. Louis
French Quarter
New Orleans, LA
(504) 581-4422
This institution is as inseparable from New Orleans as the Mississippi River and nearly as ancient. First opened in 1840, it is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States and has one of the largest wine cellars, with well over 30,000 bottles on hand at any given time. This is a place where tradition lives on both in the quality of its food and the experience and longevity of its staff. A regular haunt of the New Orleans society class, during Mardi Gras the Carnival Kings take over their own private dining rooms, and reservations are almost exclusively the domain of the “permanent table” variety.
More than 130 dishes adorn the Creole menu; specialties include Huîtres a la Foch (fried oysters served on toast, covered with pâté de foie gras), Oysters Rockefeller (invented here), Oeufs Sardou (poached eggs covered with artichoke hearts and hollandaise sauce), and even Portage Alligator au Sherry. Be sure to consider the Omelette Alaska Antoine for dessert, which can be ordered at the beginning of dinner. Reservations are for all practical purposes mandatory and should be made well in advance.
| Bayona | $$$$ |
430 Rue Dauphine
French Quarter
New Orleans, LA
(504) 525-4455
Bayona is housed in an unexpectedly romantic, more than 200-year-old cottage nestled along a lesser traveled avenue in the northern part of the French Quarter. Chef Susan Spicer tends toward well-considered game dishes, such as braised rabbit, and is noted for her signature cream of garlic soup. The menu also has delicacies such as mushroom gnocchi and escarole ragout. The service is understated but perfect in execution, and the wine list is extensive, very well selected, and unusually inclusive of both moderate and higher-range European and California vintages. The dessert list is equally extensive and inclusive, ranging from fine cheese plates to cakes, tarts, sweet roulades, ice creams, pies, and the best sorbets we have experienced on this side of the Atlantic.
In short, Bayona is the sort of place that justifies a short vacation trip in and of itself and is absolutely not to be missed when you find yourself anywhere in the region. Reservations are a must. The dress code is casually elegant or business casual.
| Brennan’s | $$$ |
417 Royal St.
New Orleans, LA
(504) 525-9711
The building that houses Brennan’s Restaurant was a bank at one time and also the private residence of the Gordon Family. The Gordons entertained General Andrew Jackson, who was the guest of honor at many parties. Unfortunately, the Gordons met with financial ruin and their home was sold at auction to Judge Alonzo Morphy. Morphy’s son was Paul Charles Morphy, the celebrated American chess master. He died in the home in 1884.
Brennan’s opened in this spot in 1954, and many famous dishes have originated from its legendary kitchen, such as Eggs Benedict and Bananas Foster. This is also a hot spot for celebrities when they are in New Orleans. Be sure to set a few hours aside for a meal here. It isn’t just a meal, it is definitely an event.
Baton Rouge is about 80 miles northwest of New Orleans on I-10, which also connects the state capital with Lafayette to the west. I-12 runs east out of Baton Rouge to connect with I-55 at Hammond and I-10 and I-59 near Sidell, close to the Mississippi state line. Port Hudson is about 12 miles north of Baton Rouge, just off US 61.
Centenary State Historic Site
3522 College St.
Jackson, LA
(225) 634-7925
(888) 677-2364
www.crt.state.la.us/parks/icentenary.aspx
Located north of Baton Rouge and Zachary, Centenary State Historic Site was originally the College of Louisiana in 1826. It passed hands throughout the years. It closed for the duration of the Civil War, as did most Southern colleges, and the buildings were used by both Conferederate and Union troops. The dormitory became a hospital in 1862, and during the Battle of Port Hudson, Union troops used the main academic building as area headquarters. There is also a Confederate cemetery on the grounds. Guided tours are offered daily.
Historical Homes
There are numerous historical homes from the antebellum period in West Feliciana and East Feliciana Parishes. It would not be fair to list just one or two when so many are available for viewing.
Pentagon Barracks
State Capitol Drive at River Road
Baton Rouge, LA
This site is not open to the public but is worth passing by for a look if one is in the area. The fort was a U.S. military post from 1779 until 1861, when it was seized and captured by the State of Louisiana. Operations were then turned over to the Confederacy. In 1862, Federal troops reclaimed it during the Battle of Baton Rouge. After the Civil War, in 1884, the General Assembly of Louisiana passed a resolution granting full usage of the barracks to Louisiana State University. Today it houses the offices of the lieutenant governor and private apartments for state legislators.
Port Hudson State Commemorative Area
236 US 61
Jackson, LA
(225) 654-3775
(888) 677-3400
www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ipthudson.aspx
This 650-acre park encompasses the northern portion of the Confederate lines and represents one of the better-preserved battlefields of the war. The town was basically destroyed during the battles and siege and abandoned by its civilian population after the war, so little has changed in either the remaining fortifications or earthworks. An unusual feature of the park is the three 40-foot observation towers that give an excellent view of the rugged terrain of the battlefield. An interpretive center on-site has displays about the battle as well as a few artifacts and an excellent display featuring a 20-pounder Parrott rifle and limber. Several other outdoor displays illustrate the artillery positions, including one original gun used during the battle, an 8-inch siege howitzer originally manufactured at West Point in 1841. An extensive trail system winds through the park, passing both original and reconstructed earthworks.
Getting to the park is a bit tricky: Take I-110 north out of Baton Rouge until it ends at US 61. Turn right and go about 12 miles north until you see the rather small sign for the Port Hudson State Commemorative Area.
Baton Rouge is a medium-size city with typical hotel chains located in all areas. Zachary, the closest city to Port Hudson, has only one hotel, a Best Western that is usually full. St. Francisville is the best choice for historical lodging in the area, and is located 25 minutes north of Baton Rouge on US 61.
| The Cottage Plantation Antebellum Tours and Lodging | $$–$$$ |
10528 Cottage Lane
St. Francisville, LA
(225) 635-3674
The Cottage Plantation has almost all of the original outbuildings, dating from the early 1800s, remaining in good condition. It provides a wonderful representation of a working plantation from the pre–Civil War era. The accommodations are clean and comfortable in a peaceful setting. There’s even a swimming pool for those sultry summer days in the South. Daily tours are offered, should you just want to look and not stay the night. This plantation will really take you back into history.
| The Myrtles Plantation | $$$ |
7747 US 61
St. Francisville, LA
(225) 635-6277
(800) 809-0565
This home was built in 1796 by General David Bradford. There are guided history and mystery tours, as it is said there were numerous murders here over the years (including a Civil War soldier). It is considered to be one of America’s most haunted houses. Operated year-round as a full-service bed-and-breakfast inn, there are six rooms available in the main house with private baths, air-conditioning, heat, and direct TV. Cottage accomodations are also available. The on-site restaurant, the Carriage House, is open every day except Tues.
The stories here will entertain and educate visitors about the history of the area. There are several tours available. Tours of the grounds are given daily, beginning every hour and half-hour. Mystery tours are every Fri and Sat. Reservations are required.
You really can’t go wrong eating anywhere in Baton Rouge and the surrounding area. If you plan on spending the day at Port Hudson, a great idea would be to stop at Tony’s Seafood Market and Deli (5215 Plank Rd., North Baton Rouge; www.tonyseafood.com), for a po’boy or plate lunch to take along with you. Here are just a few choices in the Zachary and St. Francisville areas.
| The Magnolia Café | $–$$ |
5687 Commerce St.
St. Francisville, LA
(225) 635-6528
This casual restaurant is located in the historic district of St. Francisville. People go out of their way to stop at this place for lunch. Everything on the menu is good. It is housed in a modified 1930s tourist cabin. The best seats in the house are on the screened-in porch.
| Sammy’s Grill | $–$$ |
20335 Old Scenic Hwy.
Zachary, LA
(225) 654-5355
This is a popular establishment that serves steak, seafood, and burgers. They offer daily lunch specials and have an on-site sports bar. Their seafood-stuffed potato is a favorite with locals.