Mansura
Smith's Place, Marksville
Civil War Louisiana

American Civil War
May 16, 1864

As Major General Nathaniel P. Banks's Red River Expeditionary Force retreated down Red River, Confederate forces under Major General Richard Taylor attempted to slow the Union troops' movements and, if possible, deplete their numbers or, better yet, destroy them.

The Union forces passed Fort DeRussy, reached Marksville, and then continued east. At Mansura, Taylor massed his forces in an open prairie that controlled access to the three roads traversing the area, where he hoped his artillery could cause many casualties.

Early on the morning of May 16, the Union forces approached, and skirmishing quickly ensued. After a four-hour fight (principally an artillery duel), a large Union force massed for a flank attack, inducing the Rebels to fall back. The Union troops marched to Simmsport.

Taylor's force could harass the enemy's retrograde but was unable to halt it.

Result(s): Union victory

Location: Avoyelles Parish

Campaign: Red River Campaign (1864)

Date(s): May 16, 1864

Principal Commanders: Major General Nathaniel P. Banks [US]; Major General Richard Taylor [CS]

Forces Engaged: Banks's Red River Expeditionary Force [US]; District of West Louisiana [CS]

Estimated Casualties: Unknown


In Camp and Battle With the Washington Artillery of New Orleans
Describes all major actions from the First Battle of Bull Run to the final surrender at Appomatox. A must read for all Civil War buffs. First published in 1885, Reissued in a limited edition that is an exact reproduction of the original, with a few additions

Louisiana State Battle Map
State Battle Maps
American Civil War Exhibits
Civil War Timeline
Women in the War
Civil War Submarines
Civil War Cooking
History of the Confederate Flag
History of Colored Troops
Civil War Store

American Civil War Book Titles

Irish Rebels, Confederate Tigers: A History Of The 6th Louisiana Volunteers
A predominately Irish brigade from New Orleans. This regiment fought in Virginia during the entire Civil War, since New Orleans was captured so early in the war and the 6th Louisiana virtually became orphans in regards to State support.
Mutiny at Fort Jackson: The Untold Story of the Fall of New Orleans
Soldiers primarily recruited from large German and Irish populations. The Confederacy had done nothing to encourage poor white men to feel they had a place of honor in the southern republic. The mutineers actively sought to help the Union cause. Benjamin "Beast" Butler enjoyed the support of many white Unionists in New Orleans
When the Devil Came Down to Dixie: Ben Butler in New Orleans
Butler headed the federal occupation of New Orleans, where he quickly imposed order on a rebellious city. He also made out like a bandit, diverting an enormous amount of money into his personal coffers. High society scorned him for his infamous "Woman Order,"
The Capture of New Orleans, 1862
On April 24, 1862, Federal gunboats made their way past two Confederate forts to ascend the Mississippi River, and the Union navy captured New Orleans. A hard look at the selection of military and naval leaders, the use of natural and financial resources, and the performances of all personnel involved. .

The Night the War Was Lost
With the fall of the critical city of New Orleans in spring 1862 the South lost the Civil War, although fighting would continue for three more years. On the Mississippi River, below New Orleans, in the predawn of April 24, 1862, David Farragut with fourteen gunboats ran past two forts to capture the South's principal seaport.

Tirailleurs: A History of The 4th Louisiana and The Acadians of Company H
Soldiers from West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. This book follows them through the Civil War and uses diaries, letters, and memoirs to allow the soldiers to tell their own story. From a bloodbath at Shiloh's Hornet's, Nest, to the Battle of Nashville.
Louisianians in the Civil War
Red River Campaign: Politics and Cotton in the Civil War
Fought on the Red River throughout Central and Northwestern Louisiana, this campaign is a study in how partisan politics, economic need and personal profit determined military policy and operations in Louisiana and Arkansas during the spring of 1864.

Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles

Civil War Combat: America's Bloodiest Battles
The violent mayhem of the hornet's nest at Shiloh, the valiant charge on the sunken road at Antietam, the carnage in the wheat field at Gettysburg, and the brutal fighting at Cold Harbor
Civil War Journal - The Conflict Begins
These four programs from the History Channel series Civil War Journal cover critical aspects of the early days of the war.
Civil War Journal
Collector's Edition 4-DVD Set
Made exclusively for Books Are Fun. Discs include: · Stonewall Jackson · Sherman and the March to the Sea · West Point Classmates-Civil War Enemies · Robert E. Lee · Battle of 1st Bull Run · The 54th Massachusetts · John Brown s War · Destiny at Fort Sumter
Gettysburg / Gods and Generals
The tide of the war changes during three fierce days of combat at Gettysburg [Disc 1] the gripping saga of the tactics command errors and sacrifices behind the bloodiest battle ever fought on U.S. soil. Gods and Generals [Disc 2] reveals the spirited allegiances and fierce combat of earlier Civil War struggles

History Channel Presents The Civil War
From Harper's Ferry, Fort Sumter, and First Bull Run to Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. The most legendary Civil War battles in brilliant detail. A selection of the soldiers and legendary leaders.
The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns
Here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one
The Blue and the Gray
The Complete Miniseries
The Civil War proved a backdrop for this 1982 miniseries. Complete and uncut three disc set. Two families divided by the War Between the States. A Southerner caught when he becomes a war correspondent for the Northern newspaper. He finds himself  where history's in the making from the Battle of Bull Run to Abraham Lincoln's assassination
Blue Vs. Gray - Killing Fields
Relive the most vicious fighting of the Civil War, in which General Ulysses S. Grant forcibly reversed the tide of the conflict by paying with the blood of thousands. It was a desperate time for the Union

Baton Rouge Louisiana City History and current weather



Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.