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 →
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 →
One hundred years after the battle at Milliken’s Bend, black veterans again found themselves fighting for basic rights of citizenship. We often think of the Civil Rights Movement as a youth-led movement. But in the case of Madison Parish, a … Continue reading →
It didn’t take long after the end of the Civil War for the white leaders of Monroe, Louisiana, to enact repressive measures against blacks in their midst. Just two months after Lee surrendered at Appomattox, blacks were faced with the … Continue reading →