DeSoto Parish, Louisiana; Civil War --------------------------------- Submitted by Gaytha Carver Thompson Typed by Trudy Marlow ************************************************ Submitted to the LAGenWeb Archives ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** "In March, 1864, Banks entered upon his raid, although the Confederate, Taylor, learned of the proposed raid in February, and advised Kirby Smith thereof. The latter commenced to bring in his detached commands, and when Gen. A. J. Smith came up Red River and Banks up the Teche the Confederate forces were well prepared. The Federals captured Fort De Russy, just below Al- exandria, and then proceeded up the valley, Tay- lor's command falling back gradually. At Mans- field, on April 8,1864, he resolved to fight, and sent a message to Kirby Smith to that' effect. He posted his 9,000 men one-quarter of a mile from the town and sent the gallant Mouton with the Louisianians forward to begin the attack. The Federals held the steep hill over which ran the public road, and capped it with Nimm's battery, and this battery Mouton sought to capture. He lost many officers in this twenty-five minutes' at- tack, among them Armand, of the Creole regiment. The Eighteenth Louisiana Infantry pushed for- ward, led by Polignac and Mouton, and captured the battery. Mouton was killed while trying to save thirty-five Federal prisoners (or, as some would have it, after a flag of truce was hoisted) by one of the men he would have saved, but the surviving officers led the pursuit of the Union troops to Pleasant Hill. At Pleasant Hill, on April 9, the Federals were reinforced and gave battle until dark- ness enabled them to withdraw. Kirby Smith ar- rived on the field that night with his command, too late, of course, to participate in the honors, but not too late to prevent Taylor and Polignac from following up their victory. At Mark's Mills Smith won a questionable victory over Steele; Taylor re- turned to pursue Banks, but the wily Federal es- caped, and his assistant, A. J. Smith, when on the point of losing 10,000 men, got away across the Atchafalaya, after burning Alexandria. De Soto was represented in the field by the Pelican Rifles, De Soto Blues, Keatchie Warriors, Henry Marshall Guards, Elam Guards, Dixie Rebels, Shelly's Bat- talion (Eleventh Louisiana), Company A. Capt. J. D. Yarbrough, Jordan's command and the Young Greys, while at home was Capt. Hatcher's Home Guards. Recruits from this parish were found in almost every Louisiana command. At Mansfield Gen. Mouton, Cols. Armand, Beard and Walker, Maj. Canfield, Lieut. -Col. Clark, Col. Noble and many other officers fell. The Federal loss at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill was about 2,300 killed and wounded, and the Confed- erate loss 2,200. The Federals lost 2,500 taken prisoners at Mansfield, 20 guns, colors, small arms and 250 wagons, while at Pleasant Hill the losses were increased. T. J. Williams acted as guide during the movements here against Banks. John E. Hewitt, who at the age of thirteen years witnessed the terrible scenes at Mansfield in April, 1864, prepared an historical paper on the subject. From this paper the following memor- anda are taken: The town hall, the Methodist Church and the Mansfield Female College build- ings, as well as many residences, had been hastily converted into hospitals for the Confederate wounded, while the Campbellite Church and most of the storehouses were prepared for the wounded Federal soldiers. The old Baptist Church had been set aside for the most serious cases, and there Confederate and Federal soldiers lay side by side waiting the aid which the surgeons of both armies could offer. At dark, on the evening of the 10th, one of the nurses lighted a candle, and holding it in one hand attended the patient with the other; but the delirious patient struck down the candle, and the light catching the loose cotton used as bedding set it on fire, and in a moment the flames filled the building. To save the wounded from death by burning, the men who were in Mansfield rushed in, and by carrying the patients through the fire or casting them out of the win- dows saved about 200 soldiers from a horrible death. As the rescuers were about to abandon the work a young Creole Confederate soldier suffering from slight wounds and a young Union surgeon arrived upon the scene and answered the wild calls for help from within. The fatigued rescuers joined them, and another dozen of men were saved from the flames. The battle-field was designed by nature for the terrible war scene which opened and closed there on April 8,1864. Though now partly overgrown with young trees, openings remain where the greatest carnage was effected, and from Honeycutt Hill to the last position held by the Federals all the land is in cultivation." Pg. 242