Port Hudson State Historic Site

The Port Hudson State Historic Site is located on the Mississippi River north of Baton Rouge near Port Hudson, Louisiana. The site is the location of the longest siege in American history during the American Civil War from May 23 through July 9, 1863. The state of Louisiana maintains the site, which includes a museum about the siege, artillery displays, redoubts and interpretive plaques. Living history re-enactments are held each year.

National Historic Landmark
Port Hudson was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 30, 1974. New housing developments and utility lines within the landmark are damaging both surface features (trenches and earthworks) and subsurface archeological resources.

Addition
An addition to this historic site includes 256 acre where African American troops made their first major assault in the Civil War. This addition was made possible by The Conservation Fund using its Battlefield Revolving Fund established by grants from The Gilder Foundation and contributions from a number of partners.

Archaeology Surveys
A survey of Union Siege Battery 8 was conducted by archaeology students from Louisiana State University. Goals of the survey included locating the exact boundaries of the battery and finding evidence of a zigzag trench, or sap, that historical accounts say the Union troops dug from the battery to a short distance from the Confederate lines. The project will also produce a digital topographical map of the area so that park staff may overlay with historical maps.

Battery 8 is located in the northeast portion of the Union Siege lines (view 1864 map).