4th Louisiana Infantry Battalion

AUG

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From Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units, 1861-1865 by Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr., 157-58:

LIEUTNANT COLONEL. John McEnery, detached August 18, 1864, because of wounds.

MAJORS. George C. Waddill, resigned December, 1861; John McEnery, promoted, lieutenant colonel May 20, 1862; Duncan Buie, detached after August, 1864; Samuel L. Bishop, temporarily.

COMPANIES AND THEIR COMMANDERS

Company A, Madison Infantry (Madison). W. J. Powell.

Company B, Ouachita Blues (Ouachita). John McEnery, promoted major, March, 1862; Frank N. Marks, killed September 19, 1863; A. B. Hardy, dropped June 28, 1864.

Company C, Franklin Life Guard (Franklin). Duncan Buie, promoted major May 30, 1862; J. Laurence Ward.

Company D, Carroll Rebels (Carroll). Edward L. Coleman, killed September 19, 1863; L. E. Stowers.

Company E, Natchez Rebels (Mississippi). Alfred V. Davis, resigned November 14, 1861; T. Alex Bisland.

Company F, Ouachita Rebels (Ouachita). James H. Walker, resigned April 23, 1863; Thomas N. Conner.​

This battalion was organized on July 10, 1861, in Richmond, Virginia, with five companies and 561 men. The battalion acted as President Jefferson Davis' bodyguard and as guards at Libby Prison until the fall. After being reorganized on September 19, the battalion moved to what is now West Virginia. There the men served in the Kanawha Valley and skirmished with the enemy at Cotton Hill, November 1-10. In December, the battalion returned to Richmond but remained there only a short time.

The battalion received orders to travel by train and report for duty in South Carolina. It was assigned to occupy Skid[a]way Island on the Georgia coast south of Savannah. On March 17, 1862, the battalion moved to the Isle of Hope, and on April 21, it moved to Camp Mercer near Savannah. About this time, Company F joined the battalion. On June 4, the battalion moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and was assigned to duty on James Island. The men fought in a skirmish on the island on June 10. They arrived on the field at the Battle of Secessionville, June 16, in time to repulse the second enemy attack. In the battle, 6 men of the battalion were killed and 22 were wounded.

On July 7, the battalion returned to Savannah and did picket and guard duty there until December 14. The men moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, where they stayed until February, 1863. Returning to Savannah, the battalion was once again on the move in May. Early in that month, the men went to Jackson, Mississippi. They fought in the Battle of Jackson, May 14, and then served in General Joseph E. Johnston's army to protect the city during the Siege of Vicksburg. The battalion participated in the Siege of Jackson, July 9-16, and in August reported to the Army of Tennessee in northern Georgia. At the Battle of Chickamauga, September 19-20, the men saw heavy fighting on the first day. Every commissioned officer present, except 1 lieutenant, was killed or wounded; and more than 50 percent of the enlisted men became casualties.

On November 12, the battalion was assigned to General Randall L. Gibson's Louisiana brigade and fought in the Battle of Missionary Ridge, November 25. The brigade spent the winter and early spring at Dalton, Georgia. During the Atlanta Campaign, the battalion participated in the battles of Resaca, May 13-16, and New Hope Church, May 25-28. At the Battle of Ezra Church, July 28, the battalion captured an enemy artillery flag. The men fought on August 31 in the Battle of Jonesboro. During the invasion of Tennessee, November-December, the battalion guarded a pontoon bridge over the Duck River and saw no fighting. In February, 1865, at Mobile, Alabama, the battalion was consolidated with the 25th Louisiana Regiment. The men participated in the Siege of Spanish Fort, March 27-April 8. Following the evacuation of Mobile, Companies A, B, and D of the battalion became Company F, and Companies C, E, and F became Company G of the Pelican Regiment. They surrendered as such at Gainesville on May 8, 1865.
There are a few accounts from members of the battalion in the Confederate Veteran which I'll post below.
 
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- CV 19 (1911), 542-43.
 
One member of the battalion in Reminiscences of the Boys in Gray, 1861-1865 comp. by Miss Mamie Yeary.

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Obituary of Samuel Gustine, Colorado, Texas.

Another gap was made in the fast fading gray lines with the death of Samuel Gustine at his home, in Colorado, Tex., on Decemebr 11, 1915. He was born in New Orleans, La., on the 26th of January, 1844, and enlisted in Company A, Madison Infantry, 4th Louisiana Battalion (Jack Powell, captain; John McHenry, colonel; Randall L. Gibson, major general), Army of Tennessee, Joseph E. Johnston, commander. For one year he was under General Floyd in West Virginia. He was captured in September, 1863, and was sent to Camp Chase, Ohio, for seven months. He was then exchanged and was on his way to rejoin his regiment when he met Wilson's command of cavalry making a raid through Alabama and Georgia and was captured at Selma, Ala, on April 2, 1865, with three thousand other Confederates. He remained for ten days in the stockade in Selma and was then taken out and marched toward a Northern prison. The second night out, while within twelve miles of Montgomery, he made his escape with two other comrades and was mustered out of service at Richmond, Va., May 25, 1865.

Returning to what had been his home, he found that his mother's plantation home, on Milligan's Bend, in Madison Parish, La., had been burned by the Federals, and his mother and sisters were living on Shreveport with her son-in-law, Captain Buckner, and in that city she made a home for her sons when they returned from the war. In 1872 Samuel Gustine moved to Colorado, Tex., and was elected treasurer of Mitchell County, resigning after some years on account of ill health. He married Miss Carrie Clark in 1880, and to them a son was given to bless the home for nine short years.

At the close of the war only Comrade Gustine was left of his company. He was a faithful soldier, honorable and brave, and in all relations of life he was good and true to his country, his family, and his friends. He was a son of Dr. Lemuel Gustine, who before the war was associated with Dr. Warren of New Orleans, a noted physician.

SOURCE: Confederate Veteran Magazine, October, 1916.

His Find A Grave memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/...Sst=46&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=48326706&df=all&
 
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Lt. Col. John McEnery.

Birth: Mar. 31, 1833
Petersburg
Petersburg City
Virginia, USA
Death: Mar. 28, 1891
New Orleans
Orleans Parish
Louisiana, USA
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Attorney and Confederate Civil War veteran. He attended Indiana's Hanover College, earned a law degree at Tulane University in 1853, and became an attorney in New Orleans. In 1857 he was appointed Registrar of the US Land Office in Monroe, serving until 1861. During the Civil War he served in the Confederate Army, joining Company B, 4th Louisiana Battalion as a Captain and attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before being discharged for wounds in 1864. In 1867 he was elected to the state legislature, but as a former Confederate, he was not allowed to assume his seat. In 1872 he was the Democratic nominee for Governor. The results of the general election were contested, with McEnery and Reconstruction Republican William P. Kellogg both claiming victory, and both taking the oath of office in January 1873. After armed disturbances had to be quelled by federal authorities, President Grant intervened. In September 1873 Kellogg was declared the winner of the election contest and allowed to assume office, after which McEnery returned to his New Orleans law practice. He was the brother of Governor and US Senator Samuel D. McEnery.

Find A Grave memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=43580145
 
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The first section of this book follows the Fourth Louisiana Battalion from Louisiana's secession through Richmond, South Carolina's coastal defense, Vicksburg, the campaigns of the Army of Tennessee, and the final surrender at Gainesville, Alabama. The second section is a detailed biographical register covering commanding officers, staff, color bearers and soldiers who served the battalion. Information for each man includes military record, civilian history, pension information and burial location.
 
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