The Burning of Alexandria: May 1864

On May 13, 1864, retreating Union soldiers set fire to Alexandria. The blaze destroyed most of the town — homes, churches, businesses, the courthouse — leaving only a few structures standing. The burning came at the end of the failed Red River Campaign, after Union forces were defeated at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. Retreating downriver, they found the Red River too low for their gunboats. Colonel Joseph Bailey engineered a temporary wing dam near Forts Randolph and Buhlow to raise the water level. The boats escaped. The town didn't. Almost nothing in downtown Alexandria predates 1864.