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Sandoz, Joel H. and Spencer, William H. Opelousas courier. [Vol. 11, no. 43 (January 30, 1864)]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05959.15.03 Author/Creator: Sandoz, Joel H. and Spencer, William H. Place Written: Opelousas, Louisiana Type: Newspaper Date: 30 January 1864 Pagination: 2 p. ; 41.8 x 26.6 cm. Order a Copy

The front page is in French and the back page is in English. Includes announcement of Surgeons and Confederate Army, $600 Reward for Runaway Slave, Capt. Perrodin of the 10th Louisiana Regiment will Leave for Virginia and Deliver Letters to Soldiers. A report that General Nathaniel Banks, military commander of occupied New Orleans, has ordered an election for governor and state officers. E. Kirby Smith calls for citizens to turn in government arms. James E. Bradley, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church, plans to call on citizens for donations. Conscription notices are printed, and ads include notices of fugitive slaves. Opelousas was under Federal occupation at the time.

Named for a Native American tribe, Opelousas, Louisiana, was settled by French fur traders early in the eighteenth century, the third oldest city in the state. During the Civil War Opelousas briefly served as the Louisiana state capital in 1862. While only two battles occurred here, Federal occupation of the city in late 1863 resulted in several bloody riots through the war and Reconstruction.

André Meynier founded the Opelousas Courier in 1827, and it ran through 1910, suspended 30 April - 30 July 1870 and 11 January - 8 February 1873. This weekly newspaper was printed both in French and English on the reverse, often on "necessity" paper or wallpaper, as newsprint was scarce.

Smith, Edmund Kirby, 1824-1893
McClellan, George B., 1826-1885
Banks, Nathaniel Prentiss, 1816-1894

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