Battle of Georgia Landing

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Georgia Landing
partof=the American Civil War


caption=
date=October 27, 1862
place=Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
casus=
territory=
result=Union victory
combatant1= flagicon|USA|1861 United States (Union)
combatant2= flagicon|CSA|1861 CSA (Confederacy)
commander1=Godfrey Weitzel
commander2=Alfred Mouton
strength1=~4000
strength2=~1392
strength3=
casualties1=86
casualties2=229
casualties3=
notes=

The Battle of Georgia Landing (or Labadieville or Texana) was fought October 27, 1862, in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, as part of the Operations in LaFourche District (1862), during the American Civil War.

Background

Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, commanding Union forces in the Department of the Gulf, launched an expedition into the Bayou Lafourche region to eliminate the Confederate threat from that area, to make sure that sugar and cotton products from there would come into Union hands and to secure it as a base for future military operations. He organized a brigade of about 4,000 men under the command of his protégé Brig. Gen. Godfrey Weitzel to accomplish the missions.

Order of battle

The Union force consisted of the Reserve Brigade of the Department of the Gulf, 8th New Hampshire Infantry, 75th New York, and 13th Connecticut.

The Confederate force consisted of the 18th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, Crescent Regiment, Ralston's Battery, Detachment of Cavalry, 33rd Louisiana Infantry Regiment, Terre Bonne Regiment Louisiana Militia, Semmes's Battery, and 2nd Louisiana Cavalry Regiment (approx. 1,392 men).

Battle

On October 25, Weitzel and his men arrived at Donaldsonville, where the Lafourche meets the Mississippi River, and began an advance up the east bank of the bayou. The Confederates, under the command of Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton attempted to concentrate to meet the threat. By October 27, the Confederates had occupied a position on the bayou above Labadieville. A little more than half the force was on the east bank while the rest of the men were on the west bank near Georgia Landing, generally without means of concentrating on one side or the other.

As the Federal troops continued down the east bank, they encountered the Confederates at about 11:00 a.m. and began skirmishing. The Confederates fell back quickly. Weitzel then began crossing his men to the west bank to attack the troops there. For some time, these Confederate troops fought resolutely and brought the Union assault to a standstill, but they ran out of artillery ammunition and had to withdraw to Labadieville, opening up this portion of the Lafourche to the Union.

References

*
* Stanyan, John M., "A History of the Eighth Regiment of New Hampshire Volunteers, Including Its Service as Infantry, Second N.H. Cavalry, and Veteran Battalion in the Civil War of 1861-1865", L. C. Evans, 1892.