Bayou Sara, The Town That Was (LA)
Never, Ever Get in the Way of Vengeful yankee Troops
Prior to the Civil War, Bayou Sara was one of the busiest, most prosperous of the many river ports on the Mississippi. It was located on the Mississippi river between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. It was situated close to the present day town of St. Francisville. Bayou Sara functioned essentially as the port for St. Francisville. As one contemporary described it:
“It is a thriving and bustling place, and contains some of the most extensive and heavily stocked stores in Louisiana, outside of New Orleans and there are few in New Orleans even which can surpass in value of stock . . .”
As early as 1820, many of the merchants were Jewish, refugees from anti-Semitism in the German states and Alsace-Lorraine. Those early families included names, such as Levy, Stern, Mann, and Dampf. Before the war, the town included 540 souls (360 white persons, 152 slaves and 28 free persons of color). Bayou Sara encountered the war soon after the Federals occupied New Orleans in April, 1862. The Federals controlled the lower Mississippi after the fall of New Orleans. [1]
A Federal Side-Hustle
In August, 1862, a Federal ironclad, the USS Essex, anchored near Bayou Sara. Ostensibly, it came to replenish its coal. Yet, it began shelling the shore, mostly at the road near the ferry. Probably not a coincidence, a transport vessel arrived an hour later. The transport docked at the same ferry landing that had been shelled by…