Bayou Lafourche Tour

Touched by War: A Tour of the Civil War Along Bayou Lafourche

Following the capture of New Orleans by Union forces in May 1862, the federals set their sights on controlling the Mississippi River, thereby splitting the Confederacy in two. The later July 1863 Union capture of Vicksburg and Port Hudson proved disastrous for the South. Meanwhile, in order to protect New Orleans and the west bank of the river below Donaldsonville, Louisiana’s bayou country had to be cleared of all Confederate opposition.

Fought between October 1862 and July 1863, Bayou Lafourche witnessed four battles, including Fort Butler, where black troops participated in the carnage. Blue, Gray, & Bayous offers an in-depth tour of Bayou Lafourche while visiting the battlefields and plantations that were “touched by war.”

Learn about the battles that took place here as you visit historical sites. Your tour guide is a great historian and is excited to share the stories of the people and places that were affected by the war.