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Sandoz, Joel H. and Spencer, William H. Opelousas courier. [Vol. 12, no. 23 (November 5, 1864)]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05959.15.04 Author/Creator: Sandoz, Joel H. and Spencer, William H. Place Written: Opelousas, Louisiana Type: Newspaper Date: 5 November 1864 Pagination: 2 p. ; 45.8 x 30.4 cm. Order a Copy

The front page is in French and the back page is in English. Armistice Pressed at Washington. Printed are a call for oil cloths and blankets for soldiers is printed here and an address of Colonel Alcibiade Deblanc on his return from Virginia. Speculative articles discuss the possibility of an armistice and Napoleon wanting to annex Texas. A notice to Confederate taxpayers is included, as well as a slave sale ad. Contains several official orders regarding slaves. Article comparing the army losses of Ulysses S. Grant as General of the Union armies to Robert E. Lee as General of the Confederate armies. 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.

Lee, Robert E., 1807-1870
Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885

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