Civil War Sites in Louisiana
Summer is here, and you want to find educational and fun things for your kids to do when they are out of school. How about a tour of some of Louisiana's Civil War Sites? We are a historic and unique state, with lots of antebellum sites and places still standing, and after so many years, that is pretty cool.
Our state tourism site, Louisiana Pick Your Passion, has a full list of Civil War Sites around the state, and all of them are worth the visit. Check some of our favorites out below!
New Orleans Area:
- Louisiana's Civil War Museum at Confederate Memorial Hall - 929 Camp St., New Orleans - the state's oldest museum, with a huge collection of war memorabilia
- Jackson Barracks - 6400 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans - served as one of the first Confederate posts after secession, and was later re-occupied by Union soldiers in 1862
- Old US Customs House - 423 Canal St., New Orleans - General Benjamin Butler’s headquarters, and later a prison for Confederate soldiers who had been captured
- Chalmette National Cemetary - 8606 West St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette - the old Chalmette Battlefield, and where General Andrew Jackson defeated the British in 1815, and Union soldiers were buried in 1864
Baton Rouge Area:
- Pentagon Barracks and the Old Arsenel - Capitol Park, Baton Rouge - these historic buildings are used today as apartments for state legislators, but were originally the site in which Confederates attempted to recapture the capital at Baton Rouge in 1862
- Capitol Park Museum - 660 N. Fourth St., Baton Rouge - a comprehensive guide to the Civil War in Louisiana, and includes rotating exhibits
- Port Hudson State Historic Site - 236 U.S. Hwy. 61, Jackson - part of the National Park Service, and where African American Union troops were used in major attacks on this land in 1863
- Fort Butler - downtown Donaldsonville - where General Thomas Green lead his Confederate troops in for an assault on Union occupied Donaldsonville
Acadiana Area:
- Shadows-on-the-Teche - downtown New Iberia - the only National Trust Property in Louisiana, and formerly occupied by both Confederate, and Union troops
- Governor's Mansion - 261 N. Liberty St., Opelousas - this location served briefly as the home of the Governor in 1862 and 1863 when Opelousas was the center of Confederate state government. The mansion was burned last summer, and arson is suspected.
- Chretien Point Plantation - 665 Chretien Point Road, Sunset - now a private residence, but was the scene of a Civil War battle right in the front yard!
- Academy of the Sacred Heart - 1821 Academy Road, Grand Coteau - supposedly protected by a Union General because his daughter was enrolled in a similar school up north
Central Louisiana:
- Alexandria National Cemetery - 209 East Shamrock St., Pineville - established in 1867 as a place of permanent rest for Union soldiers who died in Louisiana during the Civil War
- Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy - Highway 71 in Pineville, next to Kisatchie National Forest headquarters. - the original site of LSU, with the first superintendent being William Tecumseh Sherman, the infamous Union general
- Grand Encore Visitors Center - 106 Tauzin Island Rd., Natchitoches - an important staging and supply area for the Union Army, and was later used by Confederates after the red River battle of 1864
- Louisiana History Museum - 503 Washington St., Alexandria - a wealth of info about Alexandria's role in the Civil War, before and after the town was burned down in 1864
North Louisiana:
- Shreveport Confederate Monument - Caddo Parish Courthouse, 501 Texas St. -the site of the headquarters of the last Confederate Army
- Mansfield State Historic Site - 15149 Highway 175, Mansfield - an important location marking the Red River battle of 1864
- The Hermione Museum - 315 Mulberry St., Tallulah - run by the Madison Historical Society, this location honors the Battle of Milliken’s Bend and Grant’s March
- Lake Providence / Grant's Canal Overlook - 600 Lake St., Lake Providence. Overlook park on Lake Providence - Location where General Grant tried desperately to get troops through bayous and rivers to avoid the huge conflict in Vicksburg