Centenary State Historic Site

Centenary State Historic Site. "The Cemetery". Centenary College minutes dated October 7, 1861 read, "Students have all gone to war. College suspended and God help the right." From 1861 to 1866 the college remained closed. Both Union and Confederate troops used and misused college buildings and equipment. Many students lost their lives during the fighting. Despite this, it is unlikely that any Centenary students are buried here., The soldiers buried here are the unfortunate men who died at the Confederate hospital set up in Centenary's buildings. Over 6,000 soldiers garrisoned the rebel fortifications at Port Hudson. Over 2,500 of these soldiers were sent to five hospitals located in Jackson, Louisiana, Clinton, Louisiana, Woodville, Mississippi, and Magnolia, Mississippi. These soldiers were sent to Centenary because of the healthy atmosphere of the campus. There was a clean water source nearby and plenty of rooms for the soldiers to stay in., Archaeology places the number of graves at 75 to 100. Most of the men buried here died from malnutrition or infectious diseases., (caption) , The soldiers buried here came from all over the South. The soldiers in this picture are the Farris brothers, who are members of the 41st Tennessee Infantry. Although they survived the Siege of Port Hudson, other members of the 41st Tennessee are buried in this cemetery.