Yankee Autumn in Acadiana

IN THE DARK autumn of 1863, Union forces launched a massive overland invasion of southwestern Louisiana aimed at planting the Stars and Stripes in Confederate Texas. The swaggering men in blue were going to rout the Rebels from Louisiana and Texas, or so they boasted, and take on Napoleon III and Maximilian as well.Through Patterson, Centerville, Franklin, and New Iberia, General Banks's huge Army of the Gulf snaked along, frequently battling giant mosquitoes, alligators, and mysterious swamp fevers. Constantly harassed by small but effective bands of mounted Texans and guerrilla Louisianians, the invaders eventually crossed the gentle Acadian prairies through Royville (Youngsville), Cote Gelee (Broussard), and Vermilionville (Lafayette), where they were momentarily halted by the retreating Confederates. From Lafayette they plundered, straggled, and sometimes burned a path to Pont des Breaux (Breaux Bridge), Carencro, Grand Coteau, Opelousas, and Barre's Landing on Bayou Courtableau.With the defenders growing bolder, the political generals who headed the invading army seemed unable to decide which route to choose toward the Lone Star State. Meanwhile, the destruction and violence spread across the treeless prairies as far as Abbeville in the west and to St. Martinville and Fausse Pointe in the east. In short, the Great Texas Overland Expedition became a sad and tragic Yankee Autumn in Acadiana.