By Claire Taylor | The Acadiana Advocate
The statue of Confederate Gen. Alfred Mouton that was removed from city property in downtown Lafayette in July appears to have found a new home.
A source tells The Acadiana Advocate the controversial statue has been relocated to Camp Moore Museum and Cemetery in the Tangipahoa Parish town of Kentwood. The source provided a photo showing the statue at the new location. The museum’s director declined to comment Saturday when asked if the Mouton statue was now at Camp Moore.
Camp Moore was established in 1861 and was one of the the largest Confederate induction centers and training camps in Louisiana, according to the museum website. The camp was named after Gov. Thomas Overton Moore, Louisiana’s 14th governor who served prior to and during the Civil War.
With Confederate volunteers gone from the camp by late 1862, for the next two years Camp Moore was mainly used as a place where drafted men were organized and sent to Louisiana regiments. The camp also was used as a staging area for troop movements in Southeast Louisiana, such as the preparation for the Battle of Baton Rouge on Aug. 5, 1862.
“It saw as many as 35,000 men cross this ground and then on to places such as Shiloh, Sharpsburg, Manassas, Malvern Hill, Franklin, Atlanta, Mobile, Chattanooga, Cedar Creek, Chantilly, Fredericksburg, Spottsylvania, Murfreesboro, Mansfield, Williamsburg, Gettysburg, Port Republic and Petersburg, to name a few, the website states.
Mouton’s grandfather was one of the founders of Lafayette and his father served as governor. Alfred Mouton, like his father, was a landowner and slave owner. Born in Opelousas, he died in 1864 fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War in the Battle of Mansfield, part of the Red River Campaign. He is buried in Lafayette.
[read full article]
