Port Hudson in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)

Union Sap

Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, July 30, 2016

1. Union Sap Marker

Inscription.
"...on the front of another division commander, I find another serpentine approach, which has been dug very wide, and yet could not admit more than four or five men abreast. It ends near the rebel parapet..."
Lieutenant Colonel Edward Bacon
6th Michigan Infantry Regiment

Following their failure to take Fort Desperate on June 14, Union troops began digging a deep sap or trench that zigzagged from one ravine to another across the ridge in front of Fort Desperate. Work on the sap had ceased by July 5 because the effectiveness of Confederate sharpshooters. After the Confederate surrender on July 9, occupying Union troops filled in the sap. No trace of it remains today.

(caption)
Federal troops digging sap Illustration by Don Smith

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.

Location. 30° 41.293′ N, 91° 16.561′ W. Marker is in Port Hudson, Louisiana, in East Feliciana Parish. Marker can be reached from U.S. 61, one mile north of Plains-Port Hudson Road, on the left when traveling north. Located within the Port Hudson State Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 236 US Hwy 61, Jackson LA 70748, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker.

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Confederate Tunnel (a few steps from this marker); Union Trench (a few steps from this marker); Exterior Rifle Pit (a few steps from this marker); Sharpshooter Tower (a few steps from this marker); Fort Desperate Artillery (a few steps from this marker); Fort Desperate (within shouting distance of this marker); Subterranean Torpedoes (within shouting distance of this marker); Union Batteries 7 and 8 (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Hudson.

Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, July 30, 2016

2. Union Sap Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2016. This page has been viewed 247 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 15, 2016. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.