- Joined
- Apr 8, 2018
- Location
- Coffeeville, TX
This thread is for me is mainly a discussion, for knowledge and or just laughs at "Cajun Diplomacy" as I like to call it, when the Union Army of the Gulf began the Red River Campaign. When the Union Army began to move up the Red there seems to have been a great fear of the Union burning and confiscating property, (that fear seems to have justified when the historical record of events is read), but the citizens of Avoyelles Parish in Louisiana, also seemed to lack faith in the Confederate Army's ability to protect them. While I'm using the term "Cajun" a little freely, especially as there were some actual French immigrants in the area, the majority were most likely Cajuns, and Union accounts refer to them as French immigrants, which indicates to me, the efforts of the citizenry payed off.
Here are some interesting accounts of the French speaking citizenry the Union encountered when they entered Avoyelles Parish. Both of these accounts being excerpted from the excellent book "Earthen Walls, Iron Men: Fort Derussy and the Defense of the Red River" by Steven Mayeux
Brigadier General Thomas Kilby Smith:
"We suddenly emerged in one of the most beautiful prairies imaginable, high-table land, gently undulating, watered by little lakes, with occasional groves, the landscape dotted with tasteful houses, gardens and shrubberies. This prairie, called Avoyelles, is settled exclusively by French immigrants, many of whom, as our army passed, sought shelter of the tricolor of France."
Captain William Burns of the 24th Missouri:
"Nearly all the citizens were French, and at almost every house the French flag was flying to protect them, which annoyed many of us, considering the French performances then being enacted in Mexico."
These are just two accounts of the French flag being used as a "shelter", and almost all Union accounts describe them as recent French immigrants, which the vast majority were not, and I must say as someone who has spent a lot of time in Louisiana, I can't say I'm surprised this stroke of genius on the part of South Louisiana citizenry. There's a lot more to this story, for the sake of discussion, I'll leave it at this for now.
Please discuss. Lets get the new Trans-Mississippi Forum thriving on it!
Here are some interesting accounts of the French speaking citizenry the Union encountered when they entered Avoyelles Parish. Both of these accounts being excerpted from the excellent book "Earthen Walls, Iron Men: Fort Derussy and the Defense of the Red River" by Steven Mayeux
Brigadier General Thomas Kilby Smith:
"We suddenly emerged in one of the most beautiful prairies imaginable, high-table land, gently undulating, watered by little lakes, with occasional groves, the landscape dotted with tasteful houses, gardens and shrubberies. This prairie, called Avoyelles, is settled exclusively by French immigrants, many of whom, as our army passed, sought shelter of the tricolor of France."
Captain William Burns of the 24th Missouri:
"Nearly all the citizens were French, and at almost every house the French flag was flying to protect them, which annoyed many of us, considering the French performances then being enacted in Mexico."
These are just two accounts of the French flag being used as a "shelter", and almost all Union accounts describe them as recent French immigrants, which the vast majority were not, and I must say as someone who has spent a lot of time in Louisiana, I can't say I'm surprised this stroke of genius on the part of South Louisiana citizenry. There's a lot more to this story, for the sake of discussion, I'll leave it at this for now.
Please discuss. Lets get the new Trans-Mississippi Forum thriving on it!