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At the start of the Civil War, Louisiana was the only Confederate state with a large immigrant population. These articles look at the conflict between nativist Know Nothings and Irish and German immigrants in the city, the formation of the Louisiana Tigers and other immigrant Confederate units, and the role ethnic divisions played in the Union’s capture of the city.
1. Immigrant America on the Eve of the Civil War – Take a swing around the United States and see where immigrants were coming from and where they were living in 1861.
2. The Irish Tigers From Louisiana– The most famous ethnic unit in the South.
3. Immigrant Regiments on Opposite Banks of Bull Run -The Fighting 69th and the Louisiana Tigers
4. Did Immigrants Hand New Orleans Over to the Union Army?
5. Did New Orleans’ Immigrants See Union Soldiers As Occupiers or Liberators?
6. Union Leader Ben Butler Seeks Support in New Orleans-When General Ben Butler took command in New Orleans in 1862, it was a Union outpost surrounded by Confederates. Butler drew on his experience as a pro-immigrant politician to win over the city’s Irish and Germans.
7. Union General Ben Butler Leverages Immigrant Politics in New Orleans
8. The Irish 9th Massachusetts Cut Off During the Seven Days Battles
9. Union Defeat and an Irish Medal of Honor at the End of the Seven Days
