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Post by rebelreaper on May 14, 2008 20:10:34 GMT -5
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Post by annej on May 15, 2008 19:53:54 GMT -5
Nice pics. Can't quite make out what the voice says in that one clip. What's the story behind this cemetery? I haven't heard about it before.
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Post by rebelreaper on May 20, 2008 19:41:00 GMT -5
Well I can't really say exact history of the location but the cemetery is located either directly behind or near the actual Fort DeRussy. On certain nights you can hear cannon fire at teh cemetery and it sounds like its coming from the Fort (I know first hand). There is a supposed witch buried there aswell as a family in which the mother and daughter were victims of murder by their own father/husband and he committed suicide after. So being in the location of possible battle and with soldiers and whoever else is buried there IMO theres something going on. Maybe someone here can add onto the history of the place. Sorry I took so long to respond too my head is in 10 different directions right now lol.
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 20, 2008 22:12:34 GMT -5
LETS SEE IF I CAN ELABORATE A LITTLE:
The fort that was founded on this field received its name from Colonel Louis G. Derussy, commander of the 2nd Louisiana Regiment of volunteers during the Civil War. Colonel Derussy’s primary goal was to build a defense along the Red River in an attempt to stop the Union army, who were approaching from Simmesport via the Atchafalaya River. In May of 1863, Federal boats approached a near underwater Fort Derussy, destroying several of its cannons. The fort was only partially demolished, as the Union soldiers ran out of gun powder. The Confederacy soon returned and made repairs to the damaged fort. A year later, on May 14, 1864, the Union returned, now led by Colonel William F. Lynch and Colonel William T. Shaw, invoking a battle between both sides. Only two hours had passed, yet the Confederacy had surrendered, leaving five soldiers dead and four wounded. In total, 317 Confederate soldiers were taken prisoner, twenty-nine of them being officers. The Union then began to completely demolish the fort, using explosives to dismantle the sturdy base. During this process, it is said that three soldiers accidentally died, when an explosive literally blew their heads off. Nowadays, all that is left of the fort is a large dirt mound covered with trees and large brush. The cemetery is built right along the side of the actual fort and was erected in 1862. The rear portion of the cemetery is roped off due to unmarked graves of soldiers that died in the war.
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Post by annej on May 21, 2008 20:28:08 GMT -5
wow... thanks for the history... very interesting. Sounds like it would be a fun place to go "hunting."
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Post by rebelreaper on May 22, 2008 11:37:53 GMT -5
Thanks for the info Brad. I wasn't entirely sure of it myself.
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