Shreveport in the Civil War- a Timeline 1861 January 26 Louisiana secedes from the Union 1862 April 25 New Orleans is taken by Union forces April-May Louisiana’s State capital moved from Baton Rouge to Opelousas. It remains there for approximately nine months, from late 1862 through early 1863. August 5 Baton Rouge is taken by Union forces, though the Confederates maintain control of the nearby Port Hudson. 1863 March 7 Kirby Smith takes command of the Trans-Mississippi Department. Shreveport serves as the command center. May 18-July 4 Vicksburg is under siege, taken by Union troops May 22-July 9 After a siege, Port Hudson is taken by the Union. The Union now controls all of the Mississippi River, and the Confederacy is fully divided. Spring Louisiana’s state capital moved to Shreveport 1864 Jan. 25 Henry Watkins Allen becomes the Confederate governor of Louisiana . The Red River Campaign March 15 Confederate Major General Richard Taylor abandons Alexandria as the combined force of General Banks’ Union troops and Admiral Porter’s Naval brigade advance toward his location April 6 Bank abandons the support of Admiral Porter’s ships and follows the road away from the river April 8 Taylor attacks Banks’ troops. This becomes known as the Battle of Mansfield. It results in a Confederate victory and a Union retreat. April 9 Taylor chases Banks’ troops south, resulting in the Battle of Pleasant Hill and another Confederate victory. May 18 As Union troops continued to retreat southwards, Taylor continued to follow them, harrying the rear-guard. He no longer had enough men to stage a full assault. This resulted in the skirmish at Yellow Bayou. 1865 April 9 Robert E. Lee surrenders the Western portion of the Confederacy at Appomattox Courthouse May 26 Because Smith was in Houston, a lower ranking Confederate General surrenders the Trans-Mississippi department to the Union troops arriving in Shreveport. June 2 General Kirby Smith signed the surrender document, officially surrendering the Western portion of the Confederacy 1868 June 25 Louisiana rejoins the Union. Reconstruction is ended. .