Port Hudson 1863

Often overlooked, Port Hudson on the Mississippi River was below Vicksburg and above Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Its possession by the Confederates ensured that commerce could flow to and from the Red River. Being situated atop a high bluff, it was a natural point to be fortified to control river traffic. Both Union and Confederate forces were late in recognizing this (and Farragut had sailed past it a year earlier to demand Vicksburg’s surrender) but its peaceful idleness would not remain long. The Confederates began fortifying it and the Union’s attempt to capture it became the longest siege of the American Civil War. It was also costly and largely unnecessary too and in terms of losses the Union suffered over 8,000 dead, wounded or died of disease. This fully illustrated book examines this campaign and its consequences.