LOUISIANA VOLUNTEERS OPELOUSAS GUARDS-CO. F 8th REGIMENT St. Landry Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Debbie Carpenter ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** LOUISIANA VOLUNTEERS OPELOUSAS GUARDS-CO. F 8th REGIMENT SOURCE: OPELOUSAS 1720 - 1970 Opelousas 250th Anniversary Edition June 1970 Daily World FIRST OPELOUSAS CIVIL WAR CO. "It will be interesting to many of our readers to know who composed the Opelousas Guards, the first company that left Opelousas in 1861 for the seat of war," wrote editors Leonce and L.A. Sandoz in the Opelousas Courier of March 20, 1886. Well, just as it was interesting to Opelousas newspapers 25 years after the boys marched away, so should it be 109 years after the date. For judging by the names, a powerful lot of ancestors of today's residents of St. Landry and Evangeline parishes were in that bold company. The Opelousas Guards, after being mustered into the Confederate service, were sent first to nearby Camp Moore. They left there on June 24, 1861, the Courier reports, for Richmond VA., as Co. F. 8th Regiment, Louisiana Volunteers. Co. F remained in Virginia "taking active and honored part in the many terrible engagements that occurred there up to the close of the war in 1865," The Courier relates, "when the remnants of that gallant company returned home." The term "remnants" was used advisedly, we gather, because after The Courier reprinted the original company's roster, it also reprinted a report, man by man. 14 months later, in August 1862, and a shocking number had been killed. Anyhow, here is the roster of The Opelousas Guards who marched away 109 years ago to do battle for the Cause of the Confederacy: OFFICERS James C. Pratt, Captain Geo. W. Hudspeth, 2nd Lt Thos. D. Cooke, 1st Sergeant John P. Offutt, 3rd Sereant John Waldrun, 1st Corporal Karl E. Hoy, 3rd Corporal Dr. John Taylor, 1st Lt. Albert DeJean, 3rd Lt Aaron Prescott, 2nd Sergeant Clinton B. Andrus, 4th Sergeant E. Sumter Talor, 2nd Corporal John t. Healey, 4th Corporal PRIVATES James D. Allen Seth Andrus Albert D. Andrus Robt. M. Andrus A.K. Anselm Goe. Anselm Joseph P. Bay O. Bourgeat S.H. Briley F.C. Carriere Louis Carriere Gilbert H. Cohran S.S. Cole B.E. Clark J.E. lark A.B. Chachere Jas. A. Demaret Oscar Dawson Andre Derosier Lucius David E. L. Estillette Rosemond Fisette Louis Fisette Isaiah Fogleman Geo. Fogleman E. Fogleman A.J. Fontenot L. Fontenot Onile Forest A. Fremont Ulyssee Fruge Lastie Fruge Ernest Fruge W. E. Gray Edmond P. Guidry Arcade Guillory Aristide Guillory A. Greffil E. Harmon Benjamin Henry Bernard Henry Chas. S. Hollier Richard Hightower Thos. Higginbotham S.D. Hill Uriah Hayes John P. Hudson E. Jenner Wm. H. Judge W.M. Keller Thos. Kelley Wm. C. Lewis C.F. Lutz Wm. H. Mayo L.J. Montgomery Albert G. Moore (Ensign) W.L. Moss Chas. Moore B.M. Morrow B. Muebath Jules McBride T.G. McGinty Wm. J. Offutt Arthur Perrault Wm. T. Perry Willis P. Quirk John D. Richard Wm. Rhettberg Theodore S. Robin Louis Roy Louis Rousseau John Sandefer O. Savant A.L. Singleton John Sherwood R.H. Slaughter A.J. Smith Leonce Sandoz Claiborne Smith David Smith Antoine Soileau Benoit Soileau Jules Sittig J.T. Strother Simon Taylor H.B. Taylor Jewell J. Taylor Adam Tate J.A. Taylor H.H. Umphries T. Vidrine Elmus West James West H.J. Wynn There they are, the 12 officers and 94 men who first marched off to the Civil War in body from Opelousas. In his report of August 1862, Lt. John Taylor listed the following recruits who had enlisted in the company in the spring of 1862: