News release
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Contact: Christina Chapple
Date: 2/16/05
 
Florida Parishes Confederate soldierClick on image for publication quality photo 
CIVIL WAR IN THE FLORIDA PARISHES -- The heroic efforts of local Florida Parish residents fighting in the Civil War are highlighted in “In the Course of the Storm:  Secession and the Advent of War,” the first of a two-part “Florida Parish Chronicles” series about the Civil War in the Florida Parishes to air on the Southeastern Channel, Charter Communications channel 18, at 7 pm. Wednesday, Feb. 23.  

CIVIL WAR IN THE FLORIDA PARISHES TO AIR ON SOUTHEASTERN CHANNEL
     HAMMOND -- Troops fire at each other from behind cemetery tombstones…a vicious Federal attack destroys the train depot in the sleepy village of Ponchatoula.
     These are just some of the fierce battles described in the first of a two-part episode on the Civil War in the Florida Parishes that will air on the Southeastern Channel, Southeastern Louisiana University ’s educational access channel on Charter Cable Channel 18.
     “In the Course of the Storm:  Secession and the Advent of War,” a new segment of the channel’s history series “The Florida Parish Chronicles” will debut at 7 pm. Wednesday, Feb. 23. The show will be rebroadcast at 4:30 pm., Saturday, Feb. 26; 11:30 am. Sunday, Feb. 27, and 9 pm. Monday, Feb. 28, said Southeastern Channel General Manager Rick Settoon.
     Settoon said the first installment of the Civil War series covers war activity in the region through the summer of 1863. Reenactments and vintage photographs and maps bring to life key battles from the period, including battles at Port Hudson, Baton Rouge and Ponchatoula. The capture of New Orleans and Confederate strategy at Camp Moore are also depicted.
     “Many area viewers might not realize the significance of some of the Civil War battles fought in the Florida Parishes,” said Settoon, who is also the show’s producer.
     Host Sam Hyde, director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies and Leon Ford Endowed Chair in Regional Studies, said that many are aware of the tragedy of the Civil War in regions such as Virginia and Georgia, but few people realize the magnitude of disaster the war brought to the Florida Parishes.
Hyde said the proximity of New Orleans and the long border with the Mississippi River ensured that the Federals would employ any means necessary to subdue southeast Louisiana.
     “This episode will highlight events that seldom appear in history books, but that should not be forgotten,” he said. “The tragic consequences that occupied the war in the Florida Parishes -- the starvation, brutality, and military operations, along with the heroic effort put forth by local residents -- are revealed in the words and recollections of the people who lived through them.”
     In a studio interview, Hyde talks with Mike Frearing, curator at the Port Hudson Historic Site, on the Battle of Port Hudson, the longest siege in American history. Hyde travels to Baton Rouge’s Magnolia Cemetery to interview Southeastern history instructor Charles Elliott, who recounts the Battle of Baton Rouge that featured a major skirmish in the cemetery.
     In the swamps south of Ponchatoula, Hyde talks with local historian Jim Perrin, author of “Hometown Ponchatoula:  A Community History of Ponchatoula, Louisiana,” about Federal advances from the south on Ponchatoula and the destructive, two-pronged attack on the town.     
     “The Florida Parish Chronicles,” which debuted last year, recently won two international Communicator Awards for its episode on the history of St. Tammany Parish.
     For additional information about the Southeastern Channel and for program schedules, visit www.selu.edu/tv.