Polish Immigrants in Civil War Louisiana.

The American Civil War, it can be argued, was the most significant formative event in the nation's history after the Revolutionary War and Constitutional Convention. Although reams of books are published each year on the conflict, some of them centering on issues related to immigration and ethnicity, very few have examined in any detail the role of Polish immigrants. Especially absent is any detailed investigation of Poles residing in the South except for the Panna Maria agricultural colony in Texas. This is the first attempt to use data from the 1860 census, business directories, and other primary sources to draw a realistic portrait of the characteristics of the Poles in Louisiana and their relationship to the crucial political issues of the day. Among the questions addressed are: What were the demographic attributes of the Poles in Louisiana? Was there a recognizable Polish "community"? Did Poles, as early writers claimed, universally shun slavery and support the North in the war? Were there Polish slaveholders? Was there really a "Polish Brigade" raised to fight for the South? This article begins to address the dearth of information on Poles in the South during this crucial national watershed by examining the nature of Polish immigrants in New Orleans, their largest population center outside Texas, and their views during the national fratricide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]