(Also known as 29th Louisiana Infantry Regiment) ¹⁶

A Brief History of the 28th Thomas'.

FORWARD

This project was begun, oddly enough, as the result of a Confederate headstone tracing given to this researcher by his mother. In January, 1997, this researcher began searching for the history of his family...the Richard/Hebert family of southwest Louisiana. No such record existed in this family thus far...except for a brief hundred year history relating the Hebert side of the family. P___ Hebert of Eunice, La., this researcher's uncle, conducted this research. During the initial interviews with this author's parents, the tracing of a Confederate headstone was produced beginning a long hunt, culminating in this project entitled, "The 28th Thomas' Regiment Louisiana Infantry : A Brief History and Roster of A Louisiana Unit that Fought at the Battle of Vicksburg".

This headstone is located in the St. Louis Cemetery south of Eunice (St. Landry Parish), Louisiana, on the old Richie Road. (currently known as LSU-E Drive). It lies on the ground, as if discarded, in the far north-west corner of this small rural cemetery...an odd location indeed, for a marker. As it turns out, it is doubtful that this marker is actually the spot where the soldier, "Paul Hebert, Co. A, 28th La. Inf. C.S.A" was interred.

Further research has shown that the soldier, Pvt. Paul (Augustine) Hebert...

"Hebert, Paul, Pvt. Co. A. 28th (Thomas') La. Inf. En. April 6, 1862, Opelousas, La. Roll to Aug. 31, 1862. Absent in Gen. Hospl. Rolls from Sept. 1862 to Feb. 1863. Present. Federal Rolls of Prisoners of War. Captured and paroled Vicksburg, Miss. July 4, 1863. On Roll of Prisoners of War. Paroled at Washington, La., June 17, 1865. Res. St. Landry Par., La." ¹

...is actually laid to rest in a small private cemetery just to the east of Louisiana Hwy. 1112 in the rural community of Robert's Cove (located in Acadia Parish, just north of Crowley). This information has been confirmed by the Pension Benefits Records of his widow, and 3rd wife, Ellen Laughlin. Be as it may, this researcher has visited both sites and there are two headstones, with documentation existing for only the headstone in Robert's Cove.

Further documentation of this location was provided to this researcher by another researcher of the Hebert family of southwest Louisiana, Ms. Garcie D. Daigle, of Church Point, Louisiana. She was instrumental in locating the burial site in Robert's Cove. With each continuing day of research, it soon became clear that records of the 28th Thomas' Regiment Louisiana Infantry were sketchy and hard to assimilate. This author felt that someone should compile a tribute to these valiant men in the belief that it may assist others in their ancestral quest.

Most of the companies of men participating during the American Civil War were composed of relatives, friends and neighbors who served, endured, and in some cases died together during this struggle. A roster of these companies of men furnish some insight as to how these units were organized and whom actually served in them. Many made the supreme sacrifice for what they believed in.

It is hoped that some small measure of assistance will be rendered to future Civil War researchers. Though, as in the case of any attempt at a historical project, some information may have been overlooked, for many of the records were lost or destroyed. With this thought in mind, one should remember : "you are only as good as your resources". This project, then, is lovingly dedicated to the memory of those valiant men of the 28th Thomas' Regiment Louisiana Infantry , in particular the late Pvt. Paul (Augustine) Hebert, of Co. A.

A Brief History: 28th (Thomas') Louisiana Infantry Regiment

During the American Civil War, about the time that New Orleans fell to the federal forces of Admiral David G. Farragut's fleet, there was much confusion , and a desire for a defense against the federal invasion. Reinforcements were recruited and formed into new fighting units. One of the units that was formed was the 28th Louisiana Infantry Regiment...with TWO separate units being formed, bearing the same designation...the 28th Louisiana Infantry Regiment. The first unit formed was by Col. Henry Gray...organized in May of 1862 with an ADDITIONAL 28th Louisiana Infantry Regiment being formed by Col. Allen Thomas on May 3, 1962. Both units were formed, at about the same time, without the knowledge of the other, on both sides of the Mississippi River. Gray's was formed first, and it retained the 28th designation while Thomas' 28th, became known as the 29th Louisiana Infantry Regiment (even though retaining the 28th (Thomas') designation.)

 

The 28th Louisiana Infantry Regiment (Gray's)
...First 28th to be formed, thus retaining the designation: the 28th

COLONELS. Henry Gray, promoted brigadier general April 15, 1864; Thomas W. Pool LIEUTENANT COLONELS. William Walker, Killed April 8, 1864; Issac W. Melton
MAJOR. Thomas W. Pool, promoted Colonel April 15, 1864

COMPANIES AND THEIR COMMANDERS

Company A, Bienville Stars (Bienville).	Issac W.Melton, promoted lieutenant colonel April 15, 1864; Daniel H. Sheppard
Company B, Marks Guards (Bossier).	John W. Rabb, resigned September 26, 1862;Thomas W. Abney.
Company C, (Jackson).	William F. Clark, resigned May 31, 1864; Edwin C. Kidd, resigned January, 1865.
Company D, Claiborne Invincibles (Claiborne).	Marcus O. Cheatham.
Company E, (Winn).	John T. Lewis.
Company F, Jackson Volunteers (Jackson).	Robert H. Bradford.
Company G, (Winn).	David Hardy.
Company H, (Bienville).	James Brice.
Company I, (Jackson).	Rufus S. Richards, resigned May 23, 1864; Virgil M. Eiland.
Company K, (Winn).	Darling P. Morris, resigned October 24, 1863; Austin C. Banks, resigned December 7, 1863; Benjamin F. Fort.

This regiment was organized at Monroe in April or May, 1862, with 902 men. The regiment moved to Vienna and drilled there for several months before going into camp near Milliken's Bend. In November, the regiment received orders to report to General Richard Taylor in south Louisiana. The men were in camp at Avery Island for a short time and then moved to Fort Bisland near Centerville. On March 28, 1863, a detachment helped capture the Federal gunboat Diana in a skirmish on the Atchafalaya River. Company K went aboard the gunboat when it was refurbished for active service. The regiment fought in the Battle of Fort Bisland, April 12-13, and was instrumental in the Confederate victory in the Battle of Irish Bend, April 14. With Taylor's army, the regiment retreated to Natchitoces but returned to south Louisiana in June. During the summer and fall, Colonel Gray commanded General Alfred Mouton's brigade in its various marches back and forth across the southern part of the state. The brigade marched to Monroe in December and remained there until January, 1864. At that time, it marched to Pineville and went into camp. When the Federals began marching up the Red River in mid-March, the brigade crossed over to Alexandria and began retreating toward Natchitoches. The regiment distinguished itself in the Confederate attack at the Battle of Mansfield, April 8. During the Battle of Pleasant Hill, April 9, the brigade remained in reserve until late in the day and saw little fighting. The regiment participated in the Battle of Yellow Bayou, May 18, and again suffered numerous casualities. In August, the brigade marched to Monroe and from there went into southern Arkansas until late in the year. It then returned to Alexandria via Minden. The regiment camped on Bayou Cotile until May, 1865, when it marched to Mansfield. There the men disbanded on May 19, just prior to the surrender of the Trans-Mississippi Department.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: ²
Harris, D. W., and B. W. Hulse. The History of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. New Orleans, 1886.
Jones, Terry L. "The 28th Louisiana Volunteers in the Civil War."
North Louisiana Historical Association Journal, IX (1978), 85-95.
Sliger, J. E. "How General Taylor Fought the Battle of Mansfield, La." Confederate Veteran, XXXI (1923), 456-58.

A companion Regimental Roster of 28th Gray' Regiment Louisiana Infantry
is availalble by contacting Steven Pipes of Nashville, Tennessee at:
28th Gray' Regiment Louisiana Infantry ³

29th Regiment (Thomas')
The Other 28th Louisiana Infantry Regiment

COLONELS. Allen Thomas, promoted brigadier general February 4, 1864; J.O. Landry LIEUTENANT COLONELS. J.O. Landry, promoted colonel February 4, 1864; Charles M. Pegues.
MAJOR. Charles M. Pegues, promoted lieutenant colonel February 4, 1864.

COMPANIES AND THEIR COMMANDERS

Company A, Creole Rebels (St. Landry).	E. P. Doremus.
Company B, Elam Guards (DeSoto).	A. B. Harley. (Booth's records show spelling as A. B. Hailey.)
Company C, Watts Guards(?).	E. B. Sloan.
Company D, Carroll Rebels (Carroll).	William F. Norman.
Company E, Ascension Guards (Ascension).	D. Landry, absent without leave from January 4, 1863; J. M. Baldwin.
Company F.	Gustave Bredon, Jr. promoted assistant quartermaster December 22, 1862; J. L. Wemple.
Company G.	Francis Newman.
Company H, (Assumption).	Emile E. Lauve.
Company I, Calcasieu Tigers (Calcasieu).	James W. Bryan.
Company K, Sons of St. Landry (St. Landry).	Napoleon Robin, resigned November 30,1862; M. L. Lyons.

This regiment was organized at Camp Moore on May 3, 1862, by the addition of five companies to a battalion formed by Thomas for state service. The regiment left for Vicksburg, Mississippi, on May 20, and arrived the next day. During the first Federal attack on Vicksburg, May 18-July 27, the regiment did picket and guard duty near Warrenton, south of the city. The men remained in the Vicksburg area through the summer and fall, drilling and doing picket duty. On December 27, the regiment moved to Chickasaw Bluffs north of Vicksburg to assist in the defense of that area. The regiment repulsed enemy attacks on December 28 and 29; 9 men killed, 25 wounded, and 9 missing. Again the regiment went through a period of inactivity, until the beginning of the Siege of Vicksburg, May 19, 1863. The regiment originally occupied trenches on the Confederate left flank near Fort Hill. On May 22, the regiment moved to the support of General John H. Forney's division during one of the major Union assaults. After this attack, the men returned to their old positions. During the siege, 16 men of the regiment were killed and 57 were wounded. Paroled after the surrender on July 4, the remaining men marched to a camp at Enterprise. The men went home on furlough after several months in this camp. In the summer of 1864, the regiment was ordered into camp near Alexandria and returned to active duty. Many of the men chose not to return to duty and remained at their homes. The regiment remained in the Alexandria-Pineville area until May, 1865. At that time, it marched to Mansfield, where the men disbanded on May 19.

Sources : ⁴
Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units 1861-1865
by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr.
© 1989 by Louisiana State University Press Baton Rouge and London

22nd Consolidated Regiment
(Includes remnants of the 28th [Thomas'] Regiment)

COLONEL. Issac W. Patton.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL. J. O. Landry, transferred to the Trans-Mississippi Department May 26, 1864.
MAJOR. Washington Marks

COMPANIES AND THEIR COMMANDERS

Company A (Company A, 23rd Louisiana).	Emanuel Blum.
Company B (Company B, 23rd Louisiana)..	Edward Durrive, Jr
Company C (Company C, 23rd Louisiana).	Samuel Barnes.
Company D (Company D, 23rd Louisiana).	James C. Theard.
Company E (Company E, 23rd Louisiana).	A. Selle.
Company F (26th, 27th, and 31st Louisiana).	Walter S. Jones, detached February 9, 1864; William Wells.
Company G (17th and 29th [28th Thomas'] Louisiana).	Samuel Brewer.
Company H (3rd Louisiana).	C. A. Brashear.
Company I (Companies A & B, 22nd Louisiana).	Ambrose A. Plattsmier.
Company K (Companies C, D, and E, 22nd Louisiana).	James Gibney.

This regiment was organized at Enterprise, Mississippi, on January 26, 1864, from the remnants of the 3rd, 17th, 22nd (later 21st), 23rd (later 22nd), 26th, 29th and 31st Louisiana regiments in the parole camp there. The new unit had 780 men on its rolls. On February 3, the regiment received orders to report to Mobile, Alabama. There the men garrisoned several redoubts and batteries around the city. During the next few months, the men drilled as heavy artillerists and performed guard duty. The regiment moved to Pollard on May 22 to guard the railroad to Montgomery from Federal raids out of Pensacola. On July 22, the men moved to Pine Barren's Creek to meet such a raid, but the enemy retreated to Pensacola before any fighting could occur. The passage of the forts guarding the mouth of Mobile Bay by Admiral David G. Farragut's Union fleet resulted in orders on August 4 for the regiment to return to Mobile. Again the men occupied various batteries in the city's defenses. Later in the fall, the regiment moved to the Eastern Shore defenses. Two companies garrisoned Battery Huger on the Appalachee River, and three companies held nearby Battery Tracy on the Blakely River. Four companies participated in the defense of Spanish Fort, March 27 - April 8, 1865. The men at Battery Huger and Battery Tracy fired their guns in support of the earthworks at Spanish Fort. When the latter were evacuated, the men of the regiment united at Huger and Tracy until they too were evacuated, on April 12. The regiment moved to Meridian, Mississippi, and was surrendered there on May 8.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bergeron, Arthur W., Jr. "The Twenty-Second Louisiana Consolidated Infantry in the Defense of Mobile, 1864-1865." Alabama Historical Quarterly, XXXVIII (1976), 204-13

Sources: ⁵
Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units 1861-1865
by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr.
© 1989 by Louisiana State University Press Baton Rouge and London

Engagements Involving the
28th (Thomas') Regiment Louisiana Infantry Volunteers,
Confederate States of America

Chickasaw Bayou

Other Names: Chickasaw Bluffs, Walnut Hills

Location: Warren County

Campaign: Operations against Vicksburg (1862-1863)

Date(s): December 26-29, 1862

Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman [US]; Lt. Gen. John C.
Pemberton [CS]

Forces Engaged: Right Wing, XIII Army Corps [US]; Department of Mississippi
and East Louisiana [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 1,983 total (US 1,776; CS 207)

Description: On December 26, 1862, three Union divisions, under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, disembarked at Johnson's Plantation on the Yazoo River to approach the Vicksburg defenses from the northeast while a fourth landed farther upstream on the 27th. On the 27th, the Federals pushed their lines forward through the swamps toward Walnut Hills, which were strongly defended. On the 28th, several futile attempts were made to get around these defenses. On December 29, Sherman ordered a frontal assault which was repulsed with heavy casualties. Sherman then withdrew. This Confederate victory frustrated Grant's attempts to take Vicksburg by direct approach.

Result(s): Confederate Victory

CWSAC Reference #: MS003
Preservation Priority: I.3 (Class B)
Source: ⁶


Vicksburg

Other Names: None

Location: Warren County

Campaign: Grant's Operations against Vicksburg (1863)

Date(s): May 18-July 4, 1863

Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant [US]; Lt. Gen. John C.
Pemberton [CS]

Forces Engaged: Army of the Tennessee [US]; Army of Vicksburg [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 35,825 total (US 4,550; CS 31,275)

Description: In May and June of 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's armies converged on Vicksburg, investing the city and entrapping a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered after prolonged siege operations. This was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. With the loss of Pemberton's army and this vital stronghold on the Mississippi, the Confederacy was effectively split in half. Grant's successes in the West boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies.

Result(s): Union Victory

CWSAC Reference #: MS011
Preservation Priority: I.2 (Class A)

National Park Unit: Vicksburg National Military Park
Source: ⁷

Additional Information With Regards to
the Formation and Movements of the
28th (Thomas') Louisiana Infantry Volunteers,
Confederate States of America

 

TWENTY-EIGHTH LOUISIANA VOLUNTEERS:
Mustered into service in April, 1862, for the war, 798 strong.
Colonel: Allen Thomas, promoted Brigadier-General, February 17, 1864 and succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel J. O. Landry.
Field and Staff Muster Roll of Thomas' 28th Regt, La Infty for May 3 to Aug 31, 1861 shows station: Camp Winn Near Vicksburg.
The 28th Louisiana Regiment was formed by the five (5) companies of THOMAS' BATTALION and five (5) other companies which joined it by the orders of Gen. Lovell comd'g Dept No 1-- on the 3rd of May 1862 at Camp Moore, La., which place we left on the 20th of May and arrived at Vicksburg on 21st of May, since then at Vicksburg, Mississippi. ⁸

Militia Arrivals
More Companies from Avoyelles the Steamer Dr. Batey reached the city yesterday from Gorton's landing bringing down the following companies from Avoyelles Parish.
The Creole Rebels, Captain J. J. Decota 81 men. ⁹

Hq. La. Army
Adj. Gen. Office
Alexandria,
Jany 6, 1864

R. L. Thomas

Superintendent, Army Intelligence Office
Shreveport, Louisiana

Sir:
The Governor directs me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 28th instant.

All the Regiments of Louisiana Volunteers in Infantry Army are known by their numbers. There are two numbered 28th, COL. THOMAS and COL. GREY. They were both formed immediately after the fall of New Orleans, and on different sides of the River and each assumed that number, in ignorance of the formation of the other. Both were mustered into Confederate Service, without passing through this office as due permission of Secretary of War. Information daily expected from the War Office will enable me to give you the numbers and commanders of all the Louisiana Troops.

In the Louisiana Troops on this side of the River are ________ over to the Confederate Generals. Gen Taylor's Office will be able to give you a list of all the commands.

I will furnish you a list of all the Louisiana Troops by numbered Regiments as soon as I hear from the Secretary of War.

I am very______________________________________________
Manning
Adj. General Note appended as follows:
Col Grey's Regt was formed before Col Thomas and had the right to Regt 28 and no difficulty would have arisen from transferring to Col. Grey.

GRIVOT

Gov. Moore's approbation ¹⁰

Note: Blank spaces and/or underlined words or phrases not legibly written in the document!

 

4 July 1863

28th (29th) Louisiana, Col. Allen Thomas
is indicated as a part of Shoup's Brigade.

Partial extract from Report of Brigadier-General
F. A. Shoup dated, 8 July 1863 (Vicksburg, Miss.)

July 4: Capitulation ordered. At 10 A.M. we moved out of our trenches by battalion, stacked arms, and then returned to our old quarters in town. Then men were full of indignation. Though they have had very scant fare, and had been exposed to a merciless and almost continuous fire, remained at their post in the trenches without relief, I have rarely heard a murmur or complaint. The tone has always been "This is pretty hard, but we can stand it." Too much praise cannot be given to officers and men.

...Col. Allen Thomas, TWENTY-EIGHTH (TWENTY-NINTH) REGIMENT LOUISIANA VOLUNTEERS, was constantly at his post. He was vigilant and energetic. ¹¹

 

ALLEN THOMAS, appointed and confirmed Brigadier General
17 February 1864
Col. HENRY GRAY, of the 29th LOUISIANA, was nominated by General Kirby Smith for Brigadier General in May, 1864, and assigned, designated and paid as such until the close of the war, but, for unknown reasons, President Davis throughout failed to approve nomination, and thus Col. Gray never became a complete Confederate General. ¹²

 

28th La Regiment (Thomas')

Company A.	Oct 31, 1862 to Feb 28, 1863. Camp Lee. Record of Events. The company was engaged in the Battle of Chickasaw bayou and in the skirmish with the enemy on the 28 Dec 62. Lost one man killed and one missing. [Young, Alfred] There was one lost, killed [Stelly, J. B.] in the charge made upon our center, Monday, Dec 29, 62. This company was not mustered at the end of December 1862 in consequences(?) of the action of same time as Chickasaw Bayou in which it was engaged. It has thus far [not] been mustered now for four months. [Information added on 6 December 2002]
Company B.	30 April to 31 Aug 1862 company stationed at Camp Pegues, near Vicksburg. Sept & Oct 1862 at Camp Winn, Vicksburg 31 Oct 1862 to 28 Feb 1863 at Camp Thomas. The Company was engaged in the battle of the Chickasaw Bayou on 28th of December. Its casualties on that day was two wounded and on the 29th one killed. The Company was not mustered at the end of December 1862 in consequence of active operations at Chickasaw Bayou in which it was engaged. It has therefore been mustered on this roll for four months.
Company C.	Engaged in operations at Chickasaw Bayou.
Company D.	Engaged in operations at Chickasaw Bayou.
Company E.	This Company having been ordered out on Friday, 26th Dec 1862 to meet the enemy landing four miles above our Camp and on Yazoo River took part in the engagement on 28th and 29th Dec 1862, after which it remained in the entrenchments until 2nd January 1863 we were relieved and marched to camp.
Company F.	The company was in a skirmish in front of our lines near Chickasaw Bayou on Dec 28th 1862. Also participated in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou the following day and were there until the enemy embarked on board their boats Jany 2, 1863.
Company G.	Battle of Chickasaw Bayou on the 28th and 29th of Dec 1862. Henry Turner wounded severely, John Serpas wounded slightly, James Morris wounded slightly.
Company H.	Since last muster this co was engaged in the battle of Chickasaw Bayou on the 28th and 29th of Dec 1862. There were five men wounded in the action. Privates Oleus Daigle, Abraham Levy, Felix Babin, J.B. LeBlanc & Zephirin Guillot.
Company I.	Engaged the enemy on the 28th December 1862 in the Swamp at Chickasaw Bayou from daylight until about 1 o'clock p.m. in skirmish when we retired from the Swamp. Also engaged in the action at Chickasaw Bayou Dec 29, 1862. Total loss of the co in these two engagements 2 men killed; 5 wounded; 2 missing. TOTAL nine.
Company K.	The company was engaged in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou near Vicksburg, Miss. on the 28th and 29th December 1862. Distance from Camp about five miles. Started from Camp on the 26th Dec and came back Jan 2, 1862. The following is the list of men killed in the battle: Lt August N. Robin killed on the 28th. Private J. Claude killed on the 28th. Pvt. E. Mallet died from wound received there on the 14th January 1863. 13

This Regiment is composed of fragments of the 3rd, 14th, 21st, 22nd, 27th, 28th and 31st LOUISIANA REGIMENTS, CONSOLIDATED BY SPECIAL ORDER NO. 16, DATED 16 JANUARY 1864. HEADQUARTERS DEPT. MISS. & E. LA.

Colonel Issac W. Patton¹⁴

Louisiana Civil War Camp(s)
As Referred to in Above Regimental Descriptions:

Camp Moore, Louisiana

Moore, Camp (CW). This camp, named for Governor Thomas Overton Moore of Louisiana, was located about 78 miles from New Orleans on the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad (now the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad) about one-half mile above Tangipahoa Station. The site is in irregular Section 59 of Township 2 South, Range 7 East, in Tangipahoa Parish. Prior to 1869 it was in St. Helena parish.

In this camp were assembled, organized and trained the larger part of the volunteer regiments and battalions which brought fame and honor to the State of Louisiana in the Civil War. Among these were the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th Regimens of Volunteers and the 1st Special Battalion of La. Volunteers (Wheat's Bn.) which went to the Army of Northern Virginia. Also there were the 4th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 22nd, 26th, 28th (Thomas') and 30th Regiments of Volunteers which were sent to Confederate commands in the western part of the Confederacy. The numerical units listed following the 17th were generally organized at other parts of Louisiana but brought to Camp Moore after the capture of New Orleans in April 1862 for reorganization. Miles' Legion and several artillery units also followed this pattern.

Conscription by the Confederate States government did not start until April 1862 and the initial numbers members of these units were volunteers. In April 1861, the Confederate government made a call for 8,000 volunteers and other calls were made later. These volunteers were told to organize themselves into companies and report to New Orleans where the State would form them into 10-company regiments to be mustered into Confederate service. So many volunteers responded that Camp Walker at the Metairie Race Course in New Orleans could not accommodate them.

On May 9, 1861 Governor Moore through Adjutant General Grivot ordered Lt. Col. Henry Forno and Captain J. H. Wingfield to report to Grivot's office to select a camp site with water along the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad. Two days later by Order No. 325 Col. Forno was sent with Captain S. L. James and his Co. A of the Irish Brigade to the Tangipahoa Station on the Jackson railroad to select a site and lay out a camp.

Order No. 330 dated May 12, 1861 of the Adjutant-General's office ordered Brig. Gen. Elisha Tracy, commanding Camp Walker, to begin the following morning moving all troops there, except the 3rd Inf. Regt., in increments of 1000 men to the new camp. Upon completion of the movement Tracy was to proceed there to take command. The movement was complete by May 15th. Order No. 342 dated May 13, 1861 gave the camp the name "Camp Moore."

During the first three weeks after the camp was opened individual order sent about forty individual companies to Camp Moore to join those sent from Camp Walker. At Camp Moore companies were brought to full strength, elected their officers and formed groups of ten companies willing to serve in the same regiment. These were brought into State service and elected their regimental officers. The State through General Tracy arranged for the regiment to be mustered into Confederate service. The first units agreed to serve for twelve months but the later units were mustered in for the duration of the war. Regiments usually left for the battle areas a day or so after they were mustered. In the meantime new companies of volunteers were coming to the camp and going through the same routine.

Letters from soldiers and visitors at the camp describe it as being a half-mile or so above Tangipahoa Station and being bounded on the west by the N. O. J. and G. N. Railroad, on the south by Beaver Creek and on the east by the woods and the Tangipahoa river. Copies of the 1861 lithograph of Camp Moore made by A. Persac are in the Camp Moore Museum and in the Historic New Orleans Collection. A copy of this print is reproduced in the 1973 Memoirs and Favorite Receipts published by the Camp Moore Chapter No. 562 U. D. C. and on page 155 of Huber's Louisiana: A Pictorial History.

A letter from Camp Moore dated August 24, 1861 published in the N.O. Crescent on August 28 describes the camp. General Tracy's headquarters was near Beaver Creek and along the creek were a coffee-house and restaurant, a grocery, the Post sutler, soda and refreshment shops, a barber-shop, a photographers salon, a butcher shop and "old black Mary's restaurant." In the center of the camp was the parade ground clean and trodden hard with a flag pole with the stars and bars. The writer mentions swimming in the Tangipahoa River and comments on the camp cemetery with from 30 to 40 graves. Another soldier writing a month later mentions measles in the camp. In October 1861 an inspector recommended that the camp hospital be enlarged or that other hospitals be built.
The parade ground split the camp and the upper portion was called Camp Tracy by the soldiers though no order fixed that name on it.

Camp Moore was on private property but no lease to the State of Louisiana has been found. Most of Section 59 was owned by George P. McMichael and Ralph S. Smith, the latter of Alexandria, La., but a twenty acre tract about 1000 feet from the railroad was owned by Peter Kaiser of New Orleans. A 12.75 acre tract was sold by McMichael and Smith to John Steib of New Orleans on June 14, 1861 after the camp had been opened for one month. Some of the private businesses may have been on these two tracts.

Maj. Gen. Mansfield Lovell, commander of Military Department No. 1 at New Orleans, visited Camp Moore in October 1861 and finding the three regiments and about six companies in training there without sufficient arms moved them within a month to camps close to New Orleans. Only a few soldiers were left in Camp Moore. Things changed rapidly on April 25, 1862 when the Federal fleet appeared in the river at New Orleans.

All the troops at New Orleans and elsewhere in the surrounding area were ordered to move to Camp Moore. This movement of troops, guns and supplies continued for several days until Federal units took charge of the city. Among the units moving were remnants of the brigades of Louisiana militia under Generals Buisson, Tracy and Wetmore who had been called into service for ninety days. These brigades had an aggregate of about 4700 men in New Orleans but the number who came to Camp Moore is unknown. They were generally unarmed and since the camp had no arms they were released and most returned to New Orleans while the trains were still running. The other troops were reorganized and sent to Vicksburg. One of the regiments sent away from Camp Moore was a Mississippi unit which had been under General Lovell.

Governor Moore came to Camp Moore early in May 1862 and remained there for about ten days before moving the State capital to Opelousas. Camp Moore was made a camp of instruction for conscripts from the area in Louisiana east of the Mississippi River. It was also used as a prisoner of war camp where Federal prisoner's were held pending exchanges. Brig. Gen. Daniel Ruggles who then commanded the Florida Parishes area and a portion of South Mississippi made Camp Moore his headquarters.

On July 28, 1862 Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge arrived at Camp Moore with about 4000 men and took command of another 1000 men there under General Ruggles. They were encamped in and around Camp Moore and though greatly reduced in effectiveness by illness were organized into two divisions which left on July 30 to attack Federal forces holding Baton Rouge. On August 5, they fought an unsuccessful battle to regain possession of Baton Rouge. Shortly thereafter the brigades of Brig. General John S. Bowen and John B. Villepigue came by rail to Camp Moore and marched to join Breckinridge's forces. They arrived at Baton Rouge too late for the battle. Later they returned, with several units, to Tangipahoa, Louisiana, and Osyka, Mississippi to take the railroad cars back to central and north Mississippi.

After the fortification of Port Hudson the small Confederate infantry and artillery units which has been in or around Camp Moore were moved to Port Hudson. Left in the Florida parishes were cavalry organizations many of which made their headquarters at Camp Moore. Some conscripts were there for training and supplies were stored in the camp.

In late April 1863 Federal cavalry under Grierson came down the length of the Jackson R. R. but turned westward toward Baton Rouge at Osyka. The 1st Bn. of Choctaw Indians, a Confederate cavalry unit from Mississippi was at Camp Moore with about 200 members but they were defeated by a larger force of Federal troops at Tangipahoa and the Battalion was disbanded May 9, 1863. Some of the Federal troops may have been part of Grierson's forces.

On October 7, 1864 Col. John G. Fonda of the 188th Illinois Mounted Infantry with a force of about 100 picked men from the 11th N.Y. Cavalry and the 45th Wisc. Cavalry separated from a larger force at Greensburg to raid Camp Moore. They captured two conscripts reporting that forty or fifty more there escaped in the darkness. The Federals destroyed a large amount of clothing and grey cloth in the camp and dispersed about five hundred head of cattle collected there for Confederate use. They also destroyed many hides and a tannery but the tannery may have been outside of the camp.

Three officers and several enlisted men were captured in and about the village of Tangipahoa. The garrison flag of Camp Moore was captured and later turned over to the Brig. Gen. J. W. Davidson of the Federal Cavalry.^[26] The raiders were part of a larger group which came from Baton Rouge under the command of Brig. Gen. Albert L. Lee.

General Davidson led 5000 Federal cavalrymen with twelve pieces of artillery and ninety-six loaded wagons through Tangipahoa on the morning of November 30, 1864 on an expedition from Baton Rouge to the Pascagoula River. They dispersed the conscripts at Camp Moore and burned the camp and outbuildings. The column left in the direction of Franklinton.^[27]

For the purpose of the war, Camp Moore was now finished. The countryside was poverty stricken and Camp Moore forgotten except by those who had relatives buried in the cemetery there. Perhaps those who lived nearby removed the remains of their kinsmen to a family cemetery. In time the crude wooden markers placed on the graves by comrades decayed or were destroyed by woods fires which swept the area.

Miss Norma Lambert of Tangipahoa, former Register-General of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the first curator of the Camp Moore Museum, prepared a list of soldiers from Booth's Records who might have died at Camp Moore. Some accounts say that 400 Confederates are buried there but a figure of 250 is more likely to be correct as the largest mortality occurred from measles between August and November 1861. After that date there were no large number of troops at Camp Moore except for the short period after the fall of New Orleans in April 1862 and during the assembling of Gen. Breckinridge's forces there in July 1862 for the attack on Baton Rouge. There was much sickness among Breckinridge's troops and those who died in the area may have been buried at Camp Moore.

In the1888 session of the Louisiana Legislature bills were introduced to have a committee investigate whether the land were the Confederate and Federal soldiers were buried at Camp Moore could be purchased. An appropriation bill for $1000 for this purpose was reported without action. It has always been the local tradition that two of the graves at Camp Moore, outside the cemetery fence, are those of Federal soldiers.

On August 20, 1891 at Tangipahoa the United Confederate Veterans Encampment No. 60, Camp Moore, was organized with over one hundred members many of whom had been at Camp Moore during the Civil War. One of their chief purposes was the care of the graves at Camp Moore. It was however the Camp Moore Chapter No. 562 United Daughters of the Confederacy, organized in 1902, and their descendants who are primarily responsible for restoration of the old cemetery and the creation of the Camp Moore Museum there.

The United Daughters were responsible for the donation of the two acres cemetery site by R. H. Day and other co-owners of the property to the State of Louisiana and for the passage of Act 105 of the La. Legislature for 1902 creating the five member Board of commissioners of the Camp Moore Confederate Cemetery. Using appropriations from the State Legislature a wall and fence were built in 1904. On June 3, 1905 Governor Newton Blanchard accepted the cemetery on behalf of the State during extensive ceremonies. On October 24, 1907 the Confederate monument, made by the Magnolia Marble Works at Magnolia, Miss. was dedicated. On May 30, 1975 a building to house the Camp Moore Museum was dedicated. In the museum are many artifacts from the Civil War period of Camp Moore. Some of the early records of the Board of Commissioners of the cemetery are in the John Walter Lambert M.D. Collection in the L.S.U. Archives. Dr. Lambert was a member of the Board from its creation in 1902 until his death in 1932.

Act 31 of 1940, Act 47 of 1940 (held unconstitutional) Act 295 of 1964, Act 4325 of 1972, Act 592 of 1975, and Act 83 of 1977 of the State legislature have dealt with the administration of the cemetery and the museum. The Board has been abolished and its functions transferred to the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.¹⁵

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