The Battle of Fort De Russy was part of the Red River Campaign in the American Civil War and took place in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. On March 12, 1864, Brigadier General A.J. Smith and Brigadier General Joseph Mower led their men towards Shreveport, Louisiana, which they wanted to capture. The Union troops sailed down Berwick Bay and Bayou Teche with some difficulty because of obstructions Confederate forces placed there. Fort De Russy, however, blocked the Union advance, and was garrisoned with 350 Confederate soldiers. The fort also had a gun battery defended with iron armor in case of Union ironclad ships attacking them.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle of Fort De Russy