The Louisiana in the Civil War Message Board

Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River

Leaving NO, we crossed the upper end of the Atchafalaya basin using new US Hwy 190. On the west side we doubled back on the old road which parallels the new highway to the north for several miles. It was assumed the old highway may have been close to the route of the 1864 road. Then to the levee road on the east side of the river and up on the levee. I have found no record which indicates this was the location where Terrell's Brigade prevented the Yankee raid from crossing the Atchafalaya to steal cattle and supplies on October 17, 1864. Based on an 1863 Union map made for General Banks and Google maps of today, it's my unprofessional opinion that Lyon's Ferry was the only location the Feds would have attempted to cross the river within Terrell’s patrol area. Those with better information another location was the site of the attempted crossing could easily change my opinion. What we saw and experienced would pale in comparison to the 1864 road through the swamps, but at least a feel for the density and remoteness can be felt.

Crossing the river, we drove up Hwy 105 on the west side to the general location of the Rebel Camp south of Bayou Rouge. The camp is shown on a Map of the Sterling Plantation vicinity. I walked up on the levee and took pictures of the surrounding area. A few years ago, I drove from Morganza to the old Melville Ferry landing and then up to Simmesport. At that time, I did not know the location of the Rebel Camp.

We then drove up to Simmesport and the marker on Hwy 1 at Yellow Bayou, although this was not the location of the battle, wanted to take a picture of the marker. We met a nice gentleman, a local baptist preacher, and wife who were there walking the park for exercise. He took us over to the old cemetery in town where we found several post war graves of CW veterans. He took his wife home and brought back the 1963 book "The Civil War in Louisiana" by John D. Winters, which he offered to loan me, no questions asked. I finished reading it and tomorrow will put it in the mail back to him. You don't find good folks like him too often. From Simmesport, we took the back roads to Evergreen and Washington. Likens' 35th is documented spending time at both locations, so they would have traveled the old roads of 1864/65. After that we hit I-10 and headed west. We stopped at Niblett's Bluff Park which is open again after the floods. Quite a few campers were enjoying the park. The cemetery next door has a number of post war burials of both Confederate and Union veterans. Our biggest surprise was finding the grave of Pvt John J Hampton, one of Likens' troopers buried here. Although not listed in the NARA Service Records, Pvt Hampton was found on the roster of the Confederate Veteran's Home in Austin and he also received a pension. We did not know where he was buried until finding his grave.

We took lots of pictures.

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Action on the Atchafalaya River
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River *NM*
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River *NM*
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River *NM*
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River *NM*
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River *NM*
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River
Re: Action on the Atchafalaya River