Return to: [Historic Sites of the U.S.-Mexican War]

Historic Sites of the U.S.-Mexican War
L O U I S I A N A

• Fort Jesup (Sabine Parish)
• New Orleans

RECONSTRUCTED HEADQUARTERS BLDG.

Photo by Bill Bozic. Used with permission.

FORT JESUP KITCHEN BLDG.

Photo by Bill Bozic. Used with permission.

Fort Jesup, Louisiana was established in 1822 by Lt. Col. Zachary Taylor, on what was then the far western frontier of the United States. It was here, some twenty-three years later, that General Taylor (who would later become President of the United States) first learned that the annexation of Texas was imminent and where he received orders to advance to the Texas frontier, to secure it against a possible invasion by Mexico. Many of the soldiers who subsequently made up Taylor's "Army of Occupation" at Corpus Christi were stationed with him at Fort Jesup.

Fort Jesup State Historic Site is located at 32 Geoghagan Rd., Many, LA 71449. Phones: 318-256-4117 or 1-888-677-5378. The site is about 30 minutes west of Natchitoches and Interstate Hwy. 49, and 6 miles east of the town of Many, just off Louisiana State Hwy. 6 (formerly the San Antonio Road). The facilities here include a museum, restrooms and a picnic area.

CHALMETTE BATTLEFIELD/MEXICAN WAR CAMPSITE

Photo by Bill Bozic. Used with permission.

During the war with Mexico, New Orleans was the place where many troops passed through on their way to and from Texas and Mexico. After General Taylor received word to advance to Texas, he brought his men first to New Orleans and it was here that they boarded the vessels that took them to Corpus Christi. New Orleans was also a major port from which supplies for the Quartermaster Corps were sent throughout the war. One of the most noteworthy sites associated with the Mexican War was the old Battle of New Orleans battlefield, at what is now Chalmette National Park. Thousands of troops camped here temporarily before leaving, including the well-known "rogue" Sam Chamberlain, who wrote about his New Orleans escapades in his book My Confession.

New Orleans was also the place where many returning soldiers were cheated out of their Mexican War land bounty warrants by unscrupulous land speculators.

Although it focuses primarily on the 1812 battle that made it famous, the National Park Service's web site on Chalmette Battlefield National Historic Site is worth a visit.