Donaldsonville, La.-- Part 3: No Good Confederate Rangers

"A citizens' committee met and decided to ask Governor Moore to keep the [Confederate] Rangers from firing on Federal boats.  These attacks did no real good and brought only crude reprisals against the innocent and helped to keep the Negroes stirred up."

A citizen complained that the Rangers were useless and lawless, and unable or unwilling to protect Confederate property.  The citizen added  that the Confederate people "could not fare worse were we surrounded by a band of Lincoln's mercenary hirelings.  Our homes are entered and pillaged of everything that they [Rangers] see fit to appropriate for themselves."

Union forces established a base at Donaldsonville for their occupation of river parishes.  They took over some plantations, running them as U.S. government plantations to supply the  forces and produce cotton.

--Old B-Runner