Preserving Louisiana’s Civil War Mansfield Battlefield

"The war in Louisiana--Battle of Mansfield, between Gen. Banks and General Dick Taylor, April 8," from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newsletter, Vol 18. 1864

Library of Congress

Recipient: Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission

Award Amount: $ 47,303.00
Acreage: 19.42

The Battle of Mansfield, also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads, was a turning point of the Red River Campaign of the Civil War. In the final stages of the war, the Union’s strategy was to capture Shreveport, split Confederate forces across Louisiana, and seize cotton from plantations along the Red River. The campaign would be a complete failure for the Union with none of the objectives achieved.

Confederate Major-General Richard Taylor chose Mansfield to make his stand along the Red River against the advancing Union army under General Nathanial P. Banks. Taylor concentrated his forces at Sabine Crossroads, knowing that reinforcements were nearby. On April 8, 1864, the Confederates surged forward and wrapped around the Union position. Hundreds of Union troops were captured, and the rest retreated. As the first Union line collapsed, Union Brigadier General Robert Cameron's division was arriving to form a second line. Confederate forces surged down Stage Road. Cameron’s men held their position against the assaults. Heavily outnumbered and suffering mounting losses, his division eventually ceased to exist as an organized unit. Taylor's attack turned into a Confederate rout, and the Union would continue their retreat to New Orleans. Yet the tides of the war had turned across the south and the Confederate surrender was nearing. This was the last Civil war conflict in Louisiana.

The Louisiana Parks and Recreation Commission with the American Battlefield Trust are joining together to protect this tract. With help from a Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program, they will preserve nearly twenty acres of the Mansfield battlefield, expanding previously preserved properties.

Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants empower preservation partners nationwide to acquire and preserve threatened Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War battlefields. In addition, the program administers three other grants: Preservation Planning Grants, which are open to all sites of armed conflict on American soil, the newly authorized Battlefield Restoration and Battlefield Interpretation grant programs. This financial assistance generates community-driven stewardship of historic resources at the state, tribal and local levels.

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Check out the American Battlefield Protection Program's website for more information about various grant offerings and eligibility.

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