American Civil War
The United States Army occupied the Baton Rouge Barracks and Arsenal until January 1861, when the State of Louisiana seized the post and turned the operation of the arsenal over to the Confederate States of America. The Confederacy held Baton Rouge until its evacuation during the Battle of New Orleans in April 1862. Union troops retook and reoccupied the Baton Rouge complex in May 1862.
The Confederates attempted unsuccessfully to retake Baton Rouge Battle of Baton Rouge (1862) (in August 1862). Union forces renamed the Pentagon Barracks and Baton Rouge Arsenal as Fort Williams after Union General Thomas Williams, killed in the battle. Union soldiers built earthworks to protect the complex, incorporating an old Indian mound into the defenses.
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