Battle of Baton Rouge: Civil War on the Mississippi
American History Hit
History Hit
4.3 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 5 February 2026
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Civil War along the Mississippi was reaching a critical moment by the Summer of 1862. The Union had advanced and planted its flag in Louisiana’s state capital without firing a shot. To many observers, Confederate grip seemed to be slipping away for good. But before that was for certain, one desperate gamble remained...
Today, we’re telling the story of the lesser known Battle of Baton Rouge: why it happened, how it unfolded, and the accounts of those who witnessed it.
On today's show, Don welcomes Prof. Aaron Sheehan-Dean of Louisiana State University back onto the show. His works include ‘Why Confederates Fought: Family and a Nation in Civil War Virginia’ and most recently ‘Fighting with the Past: How Seventeenth Century History Shaped the American Civil War’.
Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tom Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The road to Baton Rouge lies quiet beneath a veil of fog and heavy summer air. |
| 0:08.0 | Soldiers, clad in gray, move stealthily through the darkness. |
| 0:12.0 | Boots sinking into the damp earth, their breath shallow and controlled. |
| 0:17.0 | Somewhere ahead, beyond the trees and the low fields are the Union positions. |
| 0:22.6 | Months earlier, disaster had unfurled for the Confederates. |
| 0:27.6 | New Orleans had fallen to Union gunboats, a loss that stunned the South. |
| 0:33.6 | With it went trade, confidence, and strategic control of the Lower Mississippi. |
| 0:39.4 | One by one, river towns had followed. |
| 0:42.2 | Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana, had been abandoned and occupied without resistance. |
| 0:48.9 | For these advancing Confederate troops, weeks of drilling, marching, and waiting have led to this moment. |
| 0:56.5 | They are to be supported by a powerful ironclad ship that will soon thunder down river, |
| 1:01.5 | aiding their attack. Together, as the Army and Navy strike, the Lower Mississippi will be |
| 1:07.0 | Confederate once more. In the humid silence, rifles are checked, |
| 1:11.4 | and officers whisper orders. |
| 1:13.6 | The men understand this plan |
| 1:15.2 | is a bold strategy, |
| 1:16.9 | but soon will come sunrise, |
| 1:18.9 | and with it, |
| 1:20.1 | the precious opportunity |
| 1:21.2 | to reclaim what has slipped away. |
| 1:26.2 | The The what has slipped away. |
| 1:39.0 | Hello and welcome to American history at. I'm Don Wildman. |
... |
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