The Louisiana in the Civil War Message Board

Civil War Symposium

LIBRARY TO HOLD LITERATURE PROGRAM ON LOUISIANA IN THE CIVIL WAR

The Union Parish Library at 202 West Jackson Street in Farmerville will be co-sponsoring with the Bernice Historical Society, a six-week series of readings and discussions about the Civil War as it was experienced within Louisiana. The program, entitled, "Battleground Louisiana: Civil War Events and Experiences" is funded by the State of Louisiana and sponsored by the Louisiana Endowment for Humanities (LEH) and the Louisiana Library Association.

The program is free and open to the public and will be held on Tuesdays from 4:00-6:00 beginning on April 1 and concluding on May 6 for a total of six sessions. Those interested are encouraged to register in advance through the library by calling 368-WATT (9288).

Battleground Louisiana will be conducted by Dr. Scott Legan, retired History professor from the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

The six sessions are follows

1. April 1: North Louisiana Sentiments over Secession and Preparations for a Possible Conflict;

2. April 8: The Fall of the Crescent City and "Beast" Butler's Reign;

3. April 15: The Civil War in Northeast Louisiana;

4. April 22: The Native Guards of South Louisiana and the Battle of Port Hudson and the Regiments of African Decent at the Battle of Milliken's Bend;

5. April 29: The Civil War in Northeast Louisiana after the Fall of Vicksburg, July 1863-June 1865.

6. May 6: Stopping the Supply Line from Mexico and Capturing the Louisiana Capital at Shreveport.

Four books will serve as the reading material for the discussions, which are provided at no charge to participants who register. They are The Louisiana Native Guards: The Black Military Experience During the Civil War by John Hollandsworth, When the Devil Came down to Dixie: Ben Butler in New Orleans, by Chester Hearne, One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End: The Red River Campaign of 1864, by Gary Joiner, Brokenburn: The Journal of Kate Stone, 1861-1868, edited by John Anderson, and The Civil War in Louisiana by John Winters.

"While thousands of Louisianans died serving the Confederate cause in the campaigns in Virginia, Marylands, and Pennsylvania, equally significant events occurred within Louisiana," observed James Secreto, Director of the RELIC Library Programs for the LEH. He further added, "Its many rivers were settings of complex and costly campaigns with direct bearing on the duration and outcome of the war. A state with a mosaic of racial and economic interests became a battleground and a testing ground for solutions foreshadowing a postwar South and a modern America."

Battleground Louisiana will offer the reading public an opportunity to examine several significant campaigns and their outcomes as well as the experiences of some of the important segments in Louisiana society. Texts will guide readers through the battlegrounds and the settings of conflicts and controversies.

Pre-registration is strongly encouraged, because space is limited to the first 25 participants. Call 368-WATT (9288) or visit the library to reserve your space.

Stephanie Herrmann, Director
Union Parish Library
202 W. Jackson
Farmerville, LA 71241
318-368-WATT (9288) phone
318-368-9224 fax

www.youseemore.com/unionparish

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