The capital of Louisiana during the Civil War wasn’t a single, fixed location, but rather shifted depending on the war’s ebbs and flows.
Baton Rouge served as the capital throughout the early months of the Civil War. But when Union forces captured New Orleans in April 1862, the capital briefly relocated the capital to Opelousas before moving on to Shreveport.
In this article, we delve into the intriguing history of Louisiana during the Civil War and its shifting capitals that played a key role in shaping the state’s fate.
1. Louisiana’s Secession from the Union
Louisiana’s secession from the Union was driven by the state’s desire to preserve slavery and its economic dependence on agriculture.
Preserving the institution of slavery was vital for maintaining Louisiana’s economic prosperity. The threat that Lincoln and the Republicans posed to slavery drove Louisiana and other Southern states to secede and form a new nation built on the foundation of slavery.
As a slave state, Louisiana’s economy relied heavily on agriculture, mainly cotton and sugar cane production. The labor-intensive cultivation of these crops was almost entirely dependent on the work of enslaved people
After Abraham Lincoln’s election as president in November 1860, the Southern states began to secede fearing Lincoln would limit or abolish slavery.
Louisiana Governor Thomas Overton Moore acted swiftly to begin Louisiana’s secession.
In December 1860, he ordered the state militia to seize the Federal arsenal in Baton Rouge as well as two forts guarding approaches to New Orleans. By occupying these Federal military posts, Moore sought to prevent Union reinforcements from arriving.
On January 8, 1861, an ordinance of secession was introduced at a state convention in New Orleans. Just four days later on January 12th, the ordinance was adopted and Louisiana formally withdrew from the United States.
The state soon joined the newly formed Confederate States of America in early February 1861.
2. Baton Rouge as the Capital of Louisiana
Baton Rouge gained strategic significance and became a contested city during the Civil War due to its capital status and location on the Mississippi River.
After becoming Louisiana’s state capital in 1849, Baton Rouge grew into an important inland port city and industrial center. It also housed key military facilities, including an arsenal and barracks.
When the Civil War erupted in 1861, both the Union and Confederacy recognized Baton Rouge’s importance as a capital city and river port.
The Union sought to capture Baton Rouge in order to control traffic on the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in two. The Confederacy relied on Baton Rouge as a vital military and governmental hub for Louisiana.
In May 1862, Union gunboats sailed upriver from New Orleans and began bombarding Baton Rouge.
Unable to defend the city, Confederate forces retreated and Union troops occupied Baton Rouge later that month.
This Union victory demonstrated Federal power along the Mississippi River and prompted the Louisiana state government to relocate its capital further inland to Opelousas.
3. Shreveport as the Capital of Louisiana
As Union forces increasingly threatened Confederate-held territory in Louisiana in 1863, the state government was forced to relocate its capital further inland.
After Baton Rouge fell to the Union in May 1862, the capital was initially moved to Opelousas.
However, the capture of Port Hudson on the Mississippi River south of Baton Rouge by Union General Nathaniel Banks in July 1863 put Opelousas at risk.
With Union gunboats now having full access along the Mississippi, Louisiana officials decided to move the capital further northwest to Shreveport.
The city was chosen due to its distance from Union-occupied territory and access to supplies of Texas cattle and provision Confederate troops.
As the new capital city, Shreveport became a vital military hub and administrative center for the Western Louisiana theater of the war.
It was far enough removed from the Mississippi River to be safe from Union gunboats. Several key Confederate military units charged with defending northern and western Louisiana were stationed at Shreveport.
Despite Union forces gradually occupying more territory in northern Louisiana throughout 1863 and 1864, Shreveport remained the capital for the remainder of the war.
Keeping the seat of state government there allowed Confederate Louisiana to maintain a level of governmental legitimacy and administrative continuity, even as its territory shrank.
Shreveport’s location inland on the Red River helped sustain the capital there until the very end of the conflict.
4. Legacy of Louisiana’s Changing Capitals
The capital of Louisiana proved to be an ever-moving target during the upheaval of the Civil War.
As Union naval and ground forces progressively occupied more territory along the coast and inland waterways, the Confederate state government was forced further inland.
Baton Rouge, Opelousas, and finally Shreveport served as Louisiana’s seat of government at various points during the war. Each relocation of the capital marked a Union advance and Confederate retreat.
Understanding where the capital was located during the war provides insight into the shifting frontlines and relative position of Confederate and Union forces in Louisiana.
It also demonstrates the Confederate state government’s continual effort to maintain legitimacy and administrative functions.
Further Reading
If you enjoyed this article, you may be interested to read more about Louisiana in the Civil War or other American Civil War events, such as battles in Maryland, North Carolina or more general American history.
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