Louisiana Monument

On April 8, 1864, Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor rode before the Louisiana Brigade of Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton's division to prepare them for the impending battle, later writing that because they were fighting in defense of their own soil, he wanted the Louisiana troops to draw the first blood. Louisiana troops both drew and shed the first blood as they made a gallant charge to halt the Union advance. A few hours later, several hundred Louisiana troops lay dead or wounded on the battlefield, including field officers killed in action Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton, Col. James Beard, Col. Leopold Armant, Lt. Col. James Walker, and Lt. Col. Franklin H. Clack. Louisiana units at the Battle of Mansfield included infantry, cavalry, and artillery formations from across the state.

Louisiana · United States