USS KIDD Veterans Memorial -- Louisiana's Military Heritage -- The Lafourche Campaign

The Emblem of the Louisiana State Militia

Louisiana's Military Heritage:

Battles, Campaigns, and Maneuvers

The State of Louisiana

The Flag of the United States of America

The Lafourche Campaign

(August ~ November, 1862)

by Tim NesSmith

The Battle Flag of the Confederate States of America

In the summer of 1862, Confederate forces in Louisiana were facing a dilemma. With a large majority of its troops and weapons stores sent out-of-state in support of the Confederacy following her secession, Louisiana's defenders found themselves largely unprepared for invasion. In April, Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, USN, began a bombardment of Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip before running his ships past the forts and capturing New Orleans. The capital of Baton Rouge fell shortly afterward with the fleet moving upriver in an attempt to take Vicksburg, Mississippi. The state was now split east from west along the Mississippi River.

Rear Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, U.S. Navy

Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, U.S. Navy

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Resistance did not end, however. The Confederate artillery batteries continued to fire upon unarmed Union naval transports on the river, particularly in the area around Donaldsonville. After several weeks, RADM Farragut sent a warning to the citizens of Donaldsonville that the town—along with areas nine miles north and six miles south of it—would be bombarded should the attacks continue. The mayor and city council met in Thibodaux on July 31, 1862, and presented Farragut's written warning to Brigadier General Alfred Mouton, CSA. They requested that the troops in the area, known as Partisan Rangers, cease firing on the transports. Farragut's warning was not an empty threat. Earlier, on May 26, the town of Grand Gulf had been shelled as retaliation for an attack on the transports LAUREL HILL and CERES. On May 28, Baton Rouge had suffered a bombardment when sailors rowing ashore as part of a laundry detail were attacked by guerillas. Afterward, Farragut had pledged to the townspeople that there would be no further bombardments without adequate warning. Donaldsonville had received just such a warning.

Unfortunately for the people of Donaldsonville, General Mouton and the commanders of the local units were not inclined to back down from the Union forces. Not long after the meeting in Thibodaux, the transport LAUREL HILL was fired upon by a masked Confederate battery in the vicinity of Donaldsonville. A Union naval officer visited the mayor shortly thereafter, ordering that the town be evacuated in preparation for bombardment in three days' time.

On August 05, 1862, Confederate troops under General John C. Breckinridge, CSA, attempted to dislodge Federal troops under General Thomas Williams, USA, at Baton Rouge. Failing in this attempt, Breckinridge moved northward to the bluffs of Port Hudson, placing artillery batteries on the river and fortifying the surrounding area for their protection. Following the battle, Federal troops withdrew from Baton Rouge on August 20 and returned to the vicinity of New Orleans. Prior to the withdrawal, however, on August 09, RADM Farragut kept his word and sent gunboats downriver to bombard Donaldsonville at 11:30 a.m. Detachments were sent ashore an hour later to put hotels, warehouses, wharves, and other riverfront dwellings to the torch. Neighboring plantations on the river were shelled as well.

Major General Richard Taylor, son of former President Zachary Taylor, took command of all Confederate troops west of the Mississippi River on August 20. He ordered all conscripts south of the Red River to assemble at Camp Pratt in Opelousas. Those who were already enrolled in companies of Partisan Rangers were now transferred over to the rolls of their parish of origin, bringing them more firmly under the control of the Confederate high command. This perhaps relieved a bit of pressure on the riverfront towns as the guerillas were under better control. But it was not Taylor's intent to concede southeast Louisiana and New Orleans to Union control without a fight.

Major General Benjamin F. Butler, U.S. Army

Major General Richard Taylor, CSA

The theater commanders in Louisiana in 1862 (L-R):

MGen. Benjamin F. Butler in charge of the Union's Department of the

Gulf and MGen. Richard Taylor in command of the Confederacy's

District of Western Louisiana.

Photos courtesy of the Library of Congress (Butler)

and the National Archives (Taylor).

A map of the New Orleans area, circa 1862.

Obtained from History of the Nineteenth

Army Corps by Richard B. Irwin; Elliott's

Book Shop Press (1892, 1985).

CLICK PHOTO FOR FULL-SIZED MAP OF

THE NEW ORLEANS AREA.

Following a skirmish at Bonnet Carré Point in which Federal troops dispersed a small rebel force, the Confederates set out to capture Boutte Station and Bayou des Allemands. Both locations were approximately twenty miles from New Orleans—even closer than Bonnet Carré—and located on a rail line connecting the shipyards of Algiers (on the west bank across from New Orleans) to all points north and west. As such, the railway was a vital supply line for Union forces on the river's west bank and for any incursions into the Lafourche region and beyond. On September 04, 1862, Confederate troops under the command of Major James A. McWaters and his superior, Brigadier General John G. Pratt, ambushed a Union infantry force and supply train near Boutte Station. Following this, they compelled the surrender of the Federal post at Bayou des Allemands by Captain Edward Hall, USA. A combined force of Union infantry, artillery, and gunboats routed McWaters' men from the area of the St. Charles Court House shortly thereafter and both posts were subsequently liberated.

As a result of such movements in the vicinity of New Orleans, Major General Benjamin F. Butler, USA, began planning a major expedition to clear rebel forces out the Lafourche District. Bayou Lafourche flowed southward from the Mississippi River at Donaldsonville toward the Gulf of Mexico. Clearing this area of subversive activity would give the Union occupation of New Orleans some breathing room. It would also close another Gulf outlet to the Confederates for smuggling arms, supplies, and communications to and from the interior.

The Union Navy did not have any gunboats in Louisiana with a draft shallow enough to navigate the bayous. Therefore, throughout September and October of 1862, Butler had four shallow-draft gunboats built and/or converted using Army funds. They were specifically equipped for the planned Lafourche expedition. The CALHOUN, DIANA, ESTRELLA, and KINSMAN were placed under the command of Commander McKean Buchanan and sent to Berwick Bay via the Gulf of Mexico.

Brigadier General Godfrey Weitzel, U.S. Army

Brigadier General Alfred Mouton, CSA

On October 25, 1862, approximately 5,000 troops under the command of Brigadier General Godfrey Weitzel, USA, boarded seven transports and moved upriver to Donaldsonville. The transports were escorted by the Navy gunboats USS KINEO, SCIOTA, KATAHDIN, and ITASCA. The following day, the Federal troops began marching southward along both banks of the bayou. The 1^st Louisiana Regiment under Colonel Richard Holcomb was left to hold the town. Additionally, under orders from Butler, they began construction of a fortification to command that area surrounding the confluence of the Mississippi and Bayou Lafourche and to serve as a base of operations.

The major players of the Lafourche Campaign of 1862 (L-R): BGen. Godfrey Weitzel in charge of Union forces and BGen. Alfred Mouton

in command of the local Confederate forces.

Photos courtesy of the Library of Congress (Weitzel)

and The Generals of the American Civil War (Mouton).

Confederate forces at Donaldsonville, numbering some 850 troops, were under the command of Colonel W.G. Vincent, CSA. Faced with overwhelming numbers, Vincent immediately ordered a withdrawal to Napoleonville where reinforcements under BGen. Alfred Mouton began arriving. MGen. Richard Taylor had departed to oversee construction of defenses on the Red River. Mouton immediately sent word to his commander at Alexandria of the Union movement down the Lafourche.

The movement from Donaldsonville was not meant to simply push the Confederates out of the region, but rather to trap and destroy them. At the same time that Weitzel was moving down the Lafourche, MGen. Butler was sending Colonel Stephen Thomas westward by rail from New Orleans toward Thibodaux with the 8^th Vermont Regiment and 1^st Regiment of Native Guards. The 2^nd Regiment of Native Guards were soon to follow and join Thomas. Simultaneous with these two movements, the four shallow-draft gunboats were approaching Berwick Bay.

After several skirmishes, Confederate and Union forces clashed on the morning of October 27, 1862, at Georgia Landing near the village of Labadieville. Approximately 1,400 men under Mouton faced off on each side of the bayou with Weitzel's 4,000 Federal troops. Movements between banks via bridge and flatboats (i.e. pontoon bridges) highlighted the engagement. Union casualties at the Battle of Georgia Landing were light with Weitzel suffering 97 men killed, wounded, captured, or missing. Confederates losses were higher with Mouton reporting 199 killed, wounded, captured, or missing. Mouton ordered an immediate retreat to Thibodaux.

A map of South Louisiana showing the Bayou Lafourche and Bayou Teche regions.

Obtained from History of the Nineteenth Army Corps by Richard B. Irwin; Elliott's Book Shop Press (1892, 1985).

CLICK PHOTO FOR FULL-SIZED MAP OF THE BAYOU LAFOURCHE--BAYOU TECHE REGION.

As he prepared to open battle with Weitzel's forces on October 27, Mouton sent word to Colonel Thomas E. Vick, CSA, of the Lafourche Regiment to abandon his position near Bayou des Allemands and rendezvous with Mouton's forces. Other outlying Confederate detachments like the 33^rd Louisiana Regiment, the St. Charles militia, the St. John militia, and cavalry pickets at Boutte Station and Vacherie fell back as well. Vick immediately set about burning bridges and military equipment that could not be moved in time and then marched his men down the railroad bed to Terrebonne Station. There, they were loaded aboard a train and moved to Brashear City (modern-day Morgan City).

Mouton and his men arrived at Thibodaux the following day on October 28 where more bridges, supplies, and equipment were burnt. The Confederate troops were loaded onto a train and sent to Brashear City. Not long after their departure, Federal troops under Weitzel arrived and occupied Thibodaux.

In his History of the Nineteenth Army Corps, Lieutenant Colonel Richard B. Irwin, USA, recounts that this fallback of Confederate forces saw a fortuitous turn in the form of a gale. The storm compelled Buchanan's four gunboats to delay in Caillou Bay until the weather in the Gulf calmed. By October 30, Mouton had made good his escape and moved his troops and equipment to safety across Berwick Bay. He began setting up entrenchments at the confluence of Bayou Teche and the Atchafalaya River.

At dusk on November 01, 1862, Buchanan arrived in the waters of Berwick Bay. Captain Edward W. Fuller, CSA, of the gunboat J.A. COTTON promptly ordered the steamers HART, SEGER, and LAUNCH No. 1 up Bayou Teche to safety. However, the captain of the SEGER grounded his vessel and abandoned her, leaving her to be captured by Buchanan's flotilla. The COTTON exchanged shots with the Union flotilla. The HART under the command of Lieutenant E. Montague, CSA, went to the COTTON's aid in the unequal fight but was ordered to continue her evacuation. The COTTON covered her retreat and then escaped herself up the Atchafalaya to Bayou Teche.

Anticipating the arrival of a Union naval force, the Confederates under Mouton had obstructed the mouth of the Teche near Cornay's Bridge. On November 03, the Union gunboats engaged the COTTON at Cornay's Bridge along with an artillery battery on shore behind an earthworks. The action lasted for an hour and a half during which time the KINSMAN was heavily damaged and the DIANA was grounded. Depleted of ammunition, the COTTON retired, leaving the Federal vessels to refloat the DIANA and depart for repairs. The COTTON returned to Cornay's Bridge the following day but Buchanan's vessels were nowhere to be seen. The flotilla returned on November 05 and slugged it out with the Confederate gunboat and artillery battery for an hour to no avail. They returned on November 06 for another brawl but the COTTON refused to return fire, ensconced safely behind the obstructions and conserving her ammunition.

Union gunboats engage the Confederate gunboat J.A. COTTON during the Battle of Cornay's Bridge.

Union gunboats engage the Confederate gunboat J.A. COTTON during the Battle of Cornay's Bridge.

Photo courtesy of Naval Historical Center; originally published in Harper's Weekly.

Major General Taylor arrived on the scene that same day to find the Lafourche District firmly under the control of Brigadier General Weitzel and Union forces. Federal troops were consolidating their hold on the area and setting up headquarters in Thibodaux. Plantation owners, eager to salvage their sugar crops, were taking oaths of allegiance to the United States. Scores of slaves were beginning to desert their plantations and descend upon Thibodaux in the hopes of securing freedom behind Union lines. Civilians loyal to the Confederacy were flooding the roads to escape the occupation. Over the next couple of months, Union troops would scour the area confiscating cattle, horses, mules, and sugar. Anything that could be put to use for the Confederate cause was instead taken to feed, transport, and fund the preservation of the Union.

The Lafourche Campaign, from the Union point of view, was a resounding success. Butler's pincer movement was hampered by weather which caused the late arrival of the gunboats and allowed Mouton's escape. However, it succeeded in driving all but a handful of guerillas from the areas bordering New Orleans on the west. With the return of Federal troops to Baton Rouge in December of 1862, the eastern bank of the Mississippi River was now relatively safe between the capital city and New Orleans. The western bank southward from Donaldsonville was also cleared from any serious threats. The Gulf outlets for Bayou Lafourche and Bayou Teche both were now blocked from access by Confederate forces. A new fort—named Fort Butler in honor of Major General Butler—was under construction at Port Barrow across Bayou Lafourche from Donaldsonville to help secure the region under Federal control. Lastly, the wealth of the Lafourche District had been taken from the resources available to the Confederacy.

The dark times were only just beginning for Generals Mouton and Taylor....

Back To Main Battles & Campaigns Page

Sources used in the compilation of this article:

Battle of Baton Rouge, by William A. Spedale. Land & Land Publishing Division (1985).

The Battle of Baton Rouge, by Thomas H. Richey. VirtualBookworm.com Publishing (2005).

The Civil War in Louisiana, by John D. Winters. Louisiana State University Press (1963).
Dark and Bloody Ground: The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana, by Thomas Ayres.

Taylor Trade Publishing. (2001).

Destruction & Reconstruction: Personal Experiences of the Late War, by Richard Taylor. D. Appleton &

Company (1879).

Fort Butler, by William A. Spedale. (1997).

History of the Nineteenth Army Corps, by Richard B. Irwin. Elliot's Book Shop Press (1985).

The National Park Service—Heritage Preservation Services—American Battlefield Protection Program.
The Naval Historical Center.

Touched By War: Battles Fought in the Lafourche District, by Christopher G. Pena. C.G.P. Press (1998).