How long did the Siege of Port Hudson last?
The Siege of Port Hudson lasted 48 days, from the 22nd of May to the 9th of July 1863. It was the longest siege in United States military history at the time.
Questions about Siege of Port Hudson
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why was Port Hudson strategically important in the Civil War?
Port Hudson controlled the southern end of the last Confederate-held stretch of the Mississippi River. It guarded the mouth of the Red River, the Confederacy's primary route for moving salt, cattle, horses, and munitions between the eastern and western Confederate states. Losing Port Hudson severed that supply line permanently.
Who commanded the Confederate forces at the Siege of Port Hudson?
Major General Franklin Gardner commanded the Confederate garrison at Port Hudson. A West Point graduate from the class of 1843 who had commanded a cavalry brigade at Shiloh, Gardner arrived at the post on the 27th of December 1862 and surrendered the position on the 9th of July 1863 after learning that Vicksburg had fallen.
What role did Black soldiers play at the Siege of Port Hudson?
The 1st and 3rd Louisiana Native Guards, Black Union regiments, attacked Confederate positions on the 27th of May 1863 under Captain Andre Cailloux, a free Black citizen of New Orleans, who was killed leading the assault. Their bravery received wide coverage in northern newspapers and was cited in a New York Times editorial on the 11th of June 1863, helping to accelerate the recruitment of Black soldiers across the Union. By the end of the war, nearly 200,000 Black men had served in Union forces.
What happened to Farragut's fleet when it tried to pass Port Hudson?
On the night of the 14th of March 1863, Farragut's fleet of four principal warships and three gunboats attempted to run past the Confederate batteries. Only Hartford and Albatross successfully passed upriver. Three ships, Richmond, Monongahela, and Kineo, were disabled and drifted back downstream. The steam paddle frigate Mississippi was riddled with fire, abandoned, and exploded at 5:05 am in a blast visible nearly 80 miles away in New Orleans. The Union fleet lost 78 killed or missing and 35 wounded against 3 Confederate enlisted men killed.
Why did the Confederate garrison at Port Hudson surrender?
General Franklin Gardner surrendered on the 9th of July 1863 after receiving word that Vicksburg had fallen to Grant on the 4th of July. By that point the garrison had exhausted nearly all food and ammunition, and disease, starvation, and combat had severely reduced the number of men able to defend the trenches. Soldiers had been reduced to eating mule meat and rats.