Donaldsonville
Other Names: None
Location: Ascension Parish
Campaign: Operations against Baton Rouge (1862)
Date(s): August 9, 1862
Principal Commanders: Rear Adm. David G. Farragut [US]; Capt. Phillippe Landry [CS]
Forces Engaged: Three Navy ships [US]; a few partisans [CS]
Estimated Casualties: None known
Description: A number of incidents of artillery firing on Union steamers passing up and down the Mississippi River at Donaldsonville influenced the U.S. Navy to undertake a retaliatory attack. Rear Adm. David G. Farragut sent the town notice of his intentions and suggested that the citizens send the women and children away. He then anchored in front of the town and fired upon it with guns and mortars. Farragut also sent a detachment ashore that set fire to the hotels, wharf buildings, and the dwelling houses and other buildings of Capt. Phillippe Landry. Landry, thought to be the captain of the partisan unit, purportedly fired on the landing party during the raid. Some citizens protested the raid, but, generally, firing on Union ships ceased thereafter.
Result(s): Union victory (inconclusive)
Please link to this page
If you found this page useful and informative, please link to it from your website, blog, etc. or tell others about it so that others may be able to find it and thus benefit from it. To provide a link to this page, simply copy and paste the following link code (in red) and modify to suit your needs:
<a href="http://www.civil-war-battles.com">Civil War Battles: Repository of information about Civil War battles, people, a timeline, and a summary.</a>