The massive records of the Freedmen’s Bureau (more formally, the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands) are now available online. FamilySearch, the National Archives, and the mobilization of thousands of volunteers made this effort possible. Among these records are … Continue reading →
The poster above is featured in the online portal for the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The broadside was issued on July 6, and prominently mentions both Port Hudson and Milliken’s Bend as examples … Continue reading →
In anticipation of my upcoming appearance at Chuck Beard’s ever-popular East Side Storytellin‘ event on Tues. June 7 – the 153rd anniversary of the battle – I thought I’d take this moment to provide a quick run-down on some of … Continue reading →
At one of my presentations, while speaking of the high proportion of slaves present in the river parishes in northeast Louisiana, I was asked about the Texas slave population in the regions where the regiments of McCulloch’s Brigade were raised, … Continue reading →
Although not present at the battle of Milliken’s Bend on June 7, 1863, the 1st Arkansas Infantry, African Descent, was posted nearby, just upriver a ways at Goodrich’s Landing. Like all the other black Union regiments forming at the time … Continue reading →