New Orleans and The Civil War

Other changes in New Orleans due to the occupation of Federal troops came to the school system.  Since secession from the Union, schools had been teaching Confederate History instead of U.S. History.  In place of “The Star Spangled Banner”, the music sung in classrooms was “Dixie” and “Bonnie Blue Flag”.  Students were also taught to refer to the Federal troops as “Yankee scum” and to keep their hopes up for rebellion.  School systems also continued to pay the salaries of male teachers that were away in service to the Confederate army (Doyle, 163).  Shortly after his arrival, Major General Butler issued Order No. 41 that required many local government employees to swear allegiance to the United States or lose their jobs (Doyle, 163).  Shortly afterward, the entire school system was reorganized to fit in with an ordinance by Military Commandant George F. Shepley.  English became the sole language taught, textbooks from the North were distributed everywhere, and teachers were not allowed to educate unless they had proof that they had taken the oath of allegiance.  A board of visitors was also assigned to watch over the teachers and make sure their loyalty did not come into question (Doyle, 164).

The new bureau of education also enacted strict guidelines for teachers, parents, and students.  Parents were required to get their children to school on time and keep a close eye on them after school hours.  Students were also required to return immediately to their homes after dismissal, as well as many other new rules, or be subjugated to punishments set by the board.  Parents were so angered at the new rules that many kept their children out of schools shortly after the new guidelines were set.  According to the Assessor’s Report of 1863, out of 37,664 educable children in New Orleans, only 12,511 were enrolled in the public schools.  The school system went through many arguments and firings until the summer of 1865 when the curriculum paced by Butler disintegrated and students finally began to return to the classrooms (Doyle, 167). 

New Orleans was and is a city built on diversity since its inception.  The city was originally settled by the French and has grown into a city of music, festivals, taste, and culture.  It is also well known, however, for its yellow fever epidemic, swamps, dangerous back alleys, and murderous past.  Ghost stories are numerous in New Orleans and the Civil War brought about a number of them.  Somehow, the “Big Easy” has survived it all and become one of the most famous cities in the world.  Federal troops could not change it, neither could Katrina!

Works Cited

Capers, Gerald M.  “Confederates and Yankees in Occupied New Orleans, 1862-1865.”  The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 30, No. 4. (Nov., 1964), pp. 405-426.  Jstor.org.  Edison College Library, Ft. Myers, FL.  4 February 2007.   http://links.jstor.org

Donaldson, Gary A.  “A Window on Slave Culture: Dances at Congo Square in New Orleans, 1800-1862.”  The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 69, No. 2. (Spring, 1984), pp. 63-72.  Jstor.org. Edison College Library, Ft. Myers, FL. 4 February 2007.   http://links.jstor.org

Doyle, Elisabeth Joan.  “Nurseries of Treason: Schools in Occupied New Orleans.”  The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 26, No. 2. (May, 1960), pp. 161-179.  Jstor.org. Edison College Library, Ft. Myers, FL.  4 February 2007.  http://links.jstor.org

Everett, Donald E.  “Ben Butler and the Louisiana Native Guards, 1861-1862.”  The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 24, No. 2. (May, 1958), pp. 202-217.  Jstor.org. Edison College Library, Ft. Myers, FL.  4 Feb 2007.  http://links.jstor.org

Messner, William F.  “Black Violence and White Response: Louisiana, 1862.”  The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 41, No. 1. (Feb., 1975), pp. 19-38.  Jstor.org. Edison College Library, Ft. Myers, FL.  4 February 2007.  http://links.jstor.org

Robert Ford is the author of Christlike and The World of Hek, Book One: Forever.  Both are available wherever books are sold.  Also available on Nook and Kindle.