"Andre-Cailloux"(1825-May 27,1863)

Andre funeral.

Was one of  the first  African-American  officers in the  Union Army to be killed in combat during the American Civil War.He died heroically during the unsuccessful first attack on the Confederate fortifications during the Siege of  Port Hudson,Louisiana.Accounts of his heroism were widely reported in the press,and became a rallying cry for the recruitment of  African-Americans into the Union Army.

His reputation as a patriot and martyr long outlived him.In an 1890 collections,of
interviews,Civil War veteran Colonel Douglass said, "If ever patriotic heroism deserved to be,and the American people we have never redeemed their gratitude to
genuine patriotism until that debt is paid."

Born a bi-racial slave in Louisiana,Andre lived his entire life in and around  New Orleans.As a young man,Andre had been apprenticed in the cigar-making trade.He was owned by members of the Duvenrnay family 1846,when his petition for Manumission,which was supported by his master,was granted by an all-white police jury in the city of New Orleans.

In 1847,he married Felicie Coulon,a free Creole of  Color, who had been born into slavery,but freed when her mama paid her purchase price.Andre & Felicie had four children born free,three of  whom survived to adulthood.

Felicie's mama Feliciana had been an enslave mulatto woman.She had participated in the local placage system as the common-law wife of a white  planter,Valentin Encalada,for several years.Felicie was not Valentin's daughter,she was born into slavery because of  her  mama's status and his "property" as the child  of  her mama.(This was according to the principle of  partus sequitur ventrem in slave law.)
Feliciana brought her daughter's freedom from Valentin in 1842.

Upon gaining  his freedom,Andre earned his living as a cigar maker.Prior to the beginning of the Civil War he established his own cigar-making business.His financial circumstances were modest,Andre became recognized as a leader within the free Afro-French Creole community of New Orleans.Established during the French colonel
years,the  free people of  color had become a distinct community,existing as a third class between the white colonist and the majority of enslaved Africans.In New Orleans culture,white daddies had sometimes. acknowledged their mixed-race children and paid for their education,especially sons,or arranged apprenticeships.
Sometimes they settled property on them.

An avid sportsman,Andre was admired as one of the best boxers in the city.He was also an active supporter of the Institute Catholique,a school for orphaned African
American children,as it also taught the children of  free people of color.After manumission,Andre learned to read,probably with the assistance of the teachers at
the Institute Catholique.He became fluent in both English & French.

By 1860,was a well-respected member of the 10,00 "free men of  color" Afro-Creole
community in New Orleans.At the time,New Orleans was the largest city in the South,
and the sixth-largest city in the United States,with a population of about 100,000.

At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861,Andre became a lieutenant in the Native Guard,a Confederate regiment organized to defend the city of  New Orleans.Free men of  color had participated  in the local militia since the time of French colonial 
rule.He was one of the first African-American officers of  any North America unit.

The regiment then was made up  entirely of  free men of  color who resided in and
around New Orleans.The regiment was organized primarily as a public relations move by the Confederate Government of the state of Louisiana,provided no financial
support to its members,Andre took his responsibilities seriously,and his unit was observed to be well drilled and well trained.

The Confederate Native Guard were never called to active duty,and were disbaned before Union Admiral David Farragut captured the city of  New Orleans in April 1862.

In September 1862,Union General  Benjamin Franklin Butler,military commander of 
the Department of  the Gulf,who made his headquarters in New Orleans,organized  an all-African-American Union Army 1st.Louisiana Native Guard regiment.Unlike the
Confederate unit,this regiment had a minority of free men of color;the great majority were African-Americans who had escaped from slavery.

Andre joined  this regiment and  was made  captain of  Company E.His  Company was
considered  one of the best  drilled  in the Native Guard.Andre gradually earned  the
respect of  Colonel  Spencer Stafford,the white officer who commanded  the regiment.When General  Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks replaced Benjamin as
Commander of the Department of the Gulf in December 1862,he brought with him an
additional 30,000 troops,bringing the total strength under his command to 42,000.

By this time,the all African-American Native Guard had grown to three regiments,as 
slaves continue to  escape to the Union lines to join the cause.Althought the  officers
(lieutenants & captains ) were African-Americans,including future Governor P.B.S. Pinchback who was  a Company Commander of the 2nd Regiment,the commanding officers (colonels,lieutenants colonels,and majors) were white.Nathaniel set out to remove all African-American officers from their positions,and generally accomplished this with the 2nd and 3rd Regiments,was unable to do so with the with
the 1st.Regiment,to which Andre belonged.

The 1st.Regiment of the Native Guard was assigned primarily to fatigue duty (chopping wood,digging trenches) until May 1863,when Nathaniel moved most of his army (35,000 men) in a position to surround the Confederate fortifications at  Port Hudson. Louisiana.Port Hudson was a strategically located fort on a bend in the Mississippi River just mines north of  Baton Rouge, Louisiana.At the time,the Confederacy controlled the two-hundred-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between Vicksburg,Mississippi,in  the north  and Port Hudson in the south.The  Union wanted  to gain control of  Vicksburg and the river.

While General  Ulysses Grant laid siege to Vicksburg,Nathaniel conducted  the  Siege of  Port  Hudson.

On May 27,1863,Nanthaniel launched a poorly coordinated attack on the well-defended,well  fortified Confederate positions at  Port Hudson.As part of the attack

the first day,Andre  was ordered to lead  his company of 100 men in almost suicidal

assault  against sharpshooting Confederate troops.Despite  his company suffering heavy casualties,Andre,Shouting  encouragement to his men in French and English,led
several charges.On his last charge,a  Minie Ball tore through his arm,leaving it useless at his side.Severely wounded,Andre continued to lead the charge until a
Confederate artillery she killed him.His actions were described by Rodolphe Desdunes,whose brothers,Aristide,served  under Andre: "The eyes of the world  were indeed  on this American Spartacus [Callioux].The hero of  Ancient Rome displayed
no brave heroism than this officer who ran forward to his death with a smile on his lips,and crying,"Let us go forward O comrades!" six times he threw himself  against the murderous  batteries of  Port Hudson,and in each assault he repeated  his urgent
call," Let us go forward,for one more time!" finally,falling under the mortal blow, he
gave his order to his attending officer,"Bacchus,take charge!" If anyone should say the knightly Bayard did better or more,according to history,he lies.

Despite a truce the next day asked for by Nanthaniel,and granted by the Confederate  commander Frank Gardner,to recover the Union dead from the field of
battle,rebel  sharpshooters kept northern soldiers from collecting African-American
casualities.Andre's decomposing body lay on the ground for 47 until Port Hudson finally surrender to Nathaniel  July 9,1863.

Most of the Union dead were buried in the area.This was later designated as Port Hudson National Cemetery,designated  in 1974 as a National Historic Landmark.

The story of  Andre's heroism preceded  the return of  captain's body to New Orleans.When  his funeral  was held  there on July 29,1863, Andre  was honored  by 
a long  procession and  thousands  of attendees.He was buried  in Saint  Louis  Cemetery.His heroism  achieved mythic  proportions during  the  Civil War and was frequently recounted.He was often referred to as example by leading proponents of 
African American soldiers serving in the Union Army.

After Andre's death,his widow,Felicie,struggle to receive the financial  benefits promised to veterans by the United States Government.After several years of  effort,
she received a small pension,she died in poverty in 1874.Felicie was working at the time as a domestic servant for  the  Catholic priest who had  preached the eulogy at her husband's funeral.