Fort Desperate — Port Hudson

Confederate soldiers named this position themselves: Fort Desperate. The southernmost defensive line at Port Hudson, it held against repeated Union assaults during the 48-day siege that ran from May 22 through July 9, 1863. The name tells you what they knew about their odds. On the morning of May 27, General Nathaniel Prentice Banks ordered two units composed entirely of African Americans—the 1st and 3rd Louisiana Native Guards—to attack the Confederate positions south of Foster Creek. These were among the first units to include African-American field commanders, and there was question in Union military circles about how they would perform. The units reached to within 50 feet of the Confederate batteries three times before being repulsed. Out of just over 1,000 men deployed, 37 were killed, 155 wounded, and 116 went missing. They remained in the field until ordered to retreat at 4:00 pm. The siege was part of a concerted Union effort to gain full control of the Mississippi River. It ended only when Confederate General Franklin Gardner surrendered after learning of the fall of Vicksburg. The earthworks here are among the best-preserved fortifications from the siege. In 1974 the site was designated a National Historic Landmark, significant as the first place where African-American military units fought for the Union Army under African-American field leadership. Walk the interpreted trail at the Port Hudson State Historic Site to read Fort Desperate in context—the redoubts, the artillery displays, the museum about the longest siege in American history.