The Long Journey to Black River Stanley Nelson
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Catahoula News Booster March 10, 2021, Page 7A The long journey to Black River Stanley Nelson (23rd in a Series) able and makeshift tools, During the Civil War in such as bayonets, were late 1863, following a used instead. These for- Confederate victory at tifications could usually Chickamauga Creek, be up and running within Tennessee, and a loss two to three hours and to the Union at nearby were normally about Chattanooga, Brigadier four feet deep/high General St. John Rich- which would provide es- ardson Liddell was past sential protection for the ready to go home to soldiers.” Black River and Cata- LLANADA ‘BADLY houla Parish. DILAPIDATED’ He had spent three years The evening after his fighting for the Confed- arrival at Fort DeRussy, eracy and over the past Liddell “succeeded in weeks had pleaded with getting to my home his commanders, Gen- on the Black River. It is eral Braxton Bragg, and a tributary of the Red others, to let him return River from Arkansas, to his wife and family on changing its name to his Llanada Plantation Ouachita, by flowing al- on the outskirts of pres- most directly southward ent day Jonesville. UNION TROOPS under the command of General Nathaniel Banks gather along the Atchafa- and navigable for many On Dec. 2, Bragg finally laya River at Simmesport in Avoyelles Parish in May 1863 during a march to and from Alexandria hundred miles above its agreed, releasing Lid- prior to the siege of Port Hudson on the Mississippi River. At the same time, Union General David mouth. dell from duty with the Porter’s gunboats went up the Red River to Fort DeRussy at Marksville and on to Alexandria. On “I had not seen my fam- Army of Tennessee and the journey back to the Atchafalaya and the Mississippi, Union forces destroyed Confederate farm ily for two years and had ordering him to report produce, burned houses and barns, and lived off the land – taking poultry, livestock and other food not heard from them to the Trans-Mississippi, sources. They also confiscated cotton, the main source of currency for the Confederacy. Thousands for over a year. I was, the region of the Con- of slaves followed the Union Army on the march in a trail that extended six to nine miles. Sever- therefore, agreeably federacy west of the al months later, General St. John Richardson Liddell, returning to Louisiana from Tennessee and surprised to find them Mississippi. dodging federal forces, saw the devastation along the road from Simmesport to Fort DeRussy. A at home and doing well Liddell told his staff day later, he arrived home at his Llanada Plantation on the Black River at Jonesville. (Credit: J.R. in health. The place was goodbye and presented Hamilton, “Harper’s Weekly,” 1863) badly dilapidated from a friend with the gift of a LIDDELL’S trouble at the school. south, and then to Tu- Marksville}, where I visits of Yankees and buffalo robe. PROBLEM WITH Rather than testify nica,” located in West saw the colonel of that plunderers, and most of He had led a brigade in SHERMAN against a fellow mem- Feliciana Parish near the name superintending the Negroes had been several battles and skir- “When I reached Jack- ber of the group, Moses grounds of the Louisiana the works. sent to Texas for securi- mishes in Mississippi son, Mississippi, I was as- left the campus without State Penitentiary at An- “Colonel Lewis G. ty.” and Tennessee, and a tonished at the change,” permission. gola. DeRussy {born in 1795} In late 1863, according division at the Battle of Liddell wrote. “It was at Sherman wrote him up “There at midnight I had been elected colo- to historian Hughes, Lid- Chickamauga, where least half burnt up by for deserting. succeeded in swimming nel of the 2nd Louisiana dell’s slaves were sent to he was commended for Grant’s forces. In many Liddell was furious, ac- my horse and mule by Regiment, had served Texas: “Major General his hard fighting in the places, chimneys alone cusing Sherman of mak- the side of a small ferry- a short time in Virginia, John B. Magruder is- worst of the battle. Lid- indicated the locality ing “a mountain out of boat. The water was so but finding his brother sued a special order pro- dell had seen hundreds of habitations, both in a molehill about an ab- cold that my horse was directly opposed to him tecting Liddell’s slaves, of his men fall dead or town and country. The surd secret society.” chilled. I attempted to there on the Federal wagons and teams. wounded by the enemy, following winter, {Union Sherman wrote Liddell relieve him by keeping side, resigned and re- While in Texas, Liddell’s while using his weapon General William T.} about Moses: “He has him on the move the turned to Louisiana, tak- slaves would be used to kill and wound ene- Sherman’s raid nearly gone off without cause, remainder of the night. ing charge of the works by the Confederate gov- my soldiers. finished what remained, without reason, and in It took him nearly six named for him.” ernment feeding cattle The war had also tak- leaving behind him the the face of my earnest months to get over this According to the Nation- at depots in Houston en its toll on the Liddell mark of his traces that request and remonstra- cold bath and exertion al Park Service, DeRussy County.” family, including two of a century will hardly ef- tions, and this being a of swimming. “was the oldest West Liddell wrote that he his teenage sons. Wil- face. Sherman’s assur- state institution, the “Near the Atchafalaya Point graduate to serve “remained with my fam- lie was wounded at the edly determined to fix record will look bad, for crossing {at Simmesport in the Confederate Army ily” on Black River “but Battle of Murfreesboro his name in the memory it must be published to in Avoyelles Parish} I and a veteran of the War a few days, in which and died in Louisiana of the people.” the legislature and the met with a division of of 1812 and the Mexi- time I learned that one in 1863 after returning Liddell did not like world that he deserted {Confederate} Gener- can War. DeRussy was a Lieutenant Thomas O. home to recover. Anoth- Sherman. Prior to the … His course has been al John G. Walker’s in- prominent engineer in Selridge, U.S. Navy, had er son, Moses, had seen Civil War, Sherman neither consistent, dig- fantry. A pontoon had civilian life and thus be- visited the place the pre- heavy fighting, too. had served as superin- nified, nor free from been thrown across that came the engineering ceding spring with his In early December, Lid- tendent of the Louisi- prejudice – three essen- outlet of the Mississip- officer in charge of con- gunboat fleet, but had dell headed home by ana State Seminary in tial qualifications for the pi River, which enabled struction of the first for- refrained from doing in- horse and train, from Pineville, which eventu- control of young men.” the troops to operate tifications. Construction jury to it. He, however, Dalton, Georgia, to the ally became known as Liddell wanted to save against the Federal forc- of the fort at the deter- had burnt up the mill of Alabama towns of Jack- LSU after its relocation Moses from “the odium es near Morganza {in mined site began in No- a poor citizen (Captain sonville, Talladega and to Baton Rouge. Liddell’s of being placed upon Point Coupee Parish}. vember of 1862.” Skinner) at Trinity. Selma. son, Moses (nicknamed the record as a desert- “My road now lay in The National Park Ser- “On the first day of Janu- From there, he went to Judge), was a cadet er.” the river track of {Union vice notes: “Earthwork ary 1864, I got to Shreve- Jackson, Miss., where he there in 1860. He appealed Sherman’s General Nathaniel} fortifications, such as port and reported to saw the ravages of war According to historian decision to the LSU Bank’s Army on its re- Fort DeRussy, were wide- Lieutenant General E. following Union General Hughes, Liddell’s dislike Board of Supervisors. turn from Alexandria on ly used during the Civil Kirby Smith. He received U.S. Grant’s Vicksburg of Sherman began when The supervisors backed the Red River. The marks War … these earthworks me very cordially … De- Campaign, which ulti- he kicked Moses out of Sherman. and ravages of war were included entrench- moralization pervaded mately resulted in con- school. A similar thing MIDNIGHT plainly visible on every ments, rifle pits, earthen everybody, and confu- trol of the Mississippi had happened to Liddell CROSSING side.” He saw “standing fort walls, and batteries. sion generally prevailed River and splitting the when he was at West Liddell left Jackson for chimneys and wasted “The art of constructing in the administration, east and west sides of Point: He was booted Port Gibson, but he plantations” along the earthen forts really be- both civil and military. the Confederacy. out for his conflict with found the Union army way. “Who could have gan in 1863 and these “General Smith ordered Liddell’s trip home as another cadet which re- and navy guarding the imagined then that the earthen fortifications me to report to General well as his Civil War ex- sulted in either a duel or Mississippi River there. desolation of war would became more prevalent Richard Taylor at Alex- periences are record- discussion of a duel.