CALCASIEU INVINCIBLES -- LOUISIANA MILITIA

By Mike Jones

The Calcasieu Invincibles were part of King's Special Battalion, Louisiana Militia which were activated in April 1862 to counter a threatened invasion of their state by the northern army. The battalion was to report to New Orleans and a long the way, Captain Warren W. Johnson, commander of the Invincibles, dropped off a letter at the Opelousas Courier with a list of his muster roll. The letter, dated 9 April 1862, was published in the Courier on 12 April 1862. Added in brackets is information from the 1860 census of Calcasieu and/or from later Confederate military service from Booth's Records or "The Civil War Veterans of Old Imperial Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana" by the Southwest Louisiana Genealogical Society, Inc. :The letter reads:

Editors Opelousas Courier,
     Camp Overton, April 9, 1862.
     Sirs -- It affords me much pleasure to present you with a copy of my roll. Please insert in your valuable weekly; as the most of my men are men of families, their children, and wives will be pleased to see us advancing towards the post of our duty as good fathers and true patriots.
W.W. Johnson,
Capt. Cal. Inv.

CALCASIEU INVINCIBLES
Capt. Warren W. Johnson, [b. 1827, St. Landry Parish, La., married with 8 children,shoemaker]
1st Lieutenant John A. Spence, [b. 17 Jan. 1836, St. Landry Parish, La., married w/ 1 child, printer]
2nd     "              Sirius M. Pithon, [b. 18 April 1839, St. Landry Parish, La., single, beef trader]
2nd Jr. "             J.W. Wagnon, [b. 1819, Georgia, single, farm laborer. 1st. Lt. Co. F, 28th La. Inf., Captured Vicksburg.]
Orderly Sergeant -- R.A. Parker, [On special orders from Camp Moore, La. dated 8 May 1862, all men of King's Special Battalion honorably discharged from the service. Transportation to Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, La.]
2nd          "              E.L. Cole, [Ewell L. Cole, b. 1830, Louisiana, wife, 3 children, merchant]
3rd          "              Zephrinin Lebleu, [b. 1836. Louisiana, wife, farm laborer. Pvt., Cpl., Co. D, Miles' Legion Louisiana Infantry.On hospital rolls, Port Hudson, La. 20 June 1863, shell wound in army; left arm amputated above the elbow. POW paroled Port Hudson, July 1863]
4th          "              Jacob Seigler, [Jacob Sigler, b. 1826, Alabama, wife, 4 children, farm laborer]
5th          "              E.R. Seigler,  [Ellis Sigler, b. 1828, Alabama, wife, six children, farm laborer]
1st Corporal -- H.D. Clark,
2nd     "            Martin Lebleu [Martin C. Lebleu, 1833, Louisiana, wife, 4 children. Co. D, Miles' Louisiana Legion; Co. B, 1th Heavy Artillery; Paroled 10 May 1865, Meridian, Miss.]
3rd     "            John B. Lebleu [b. 1837, Louisiana, wife, farm laborer. Co. D, Miles' Louisiana Legion.]
4th      "           Joshua Huggins [Co. F, 27th Louisiana Infantry; died 17 June 1862 Vicksgburg, Miss.]
Privates
J.L.Alphin [Co. F, 28th Louisiana Infantry; 2 June 1862 in hospital in Vicksburg, Miss.]
Y.S.Bobo, [Pvt. Co. A, 28th Louisiana Infantry, captured and paroled Vicksburg, Miss. 4 July 1863. Paroled 12 May 1865 Meridian, Miss.]
Honor Cryer,
John Cryer, [Pvt. Co. D, Miles' Louisiana Legion, paroled Port Hudson, La. 9 July 1863]
James Coleman,
Benoit Cittie,
W.M. Davis,
T.F. Dohm (Thomas Donn) [b. abt. 1833, Tennessee, P.O. Box Sugartown, wife, one child]
Eli E. Desmarre, [Eli Demase, b. abt. 1833, Louisiana, wife, 3 children]
Alexandre Daigle Jr., [b. abt. 1835, wife, farm laborer]
J.A. Eason, [John A. Eason, b.  abt. 1825 Miss., wife, 3 children. Pvt. Co. A, Daly's (Ragsdale's) Bn. Tex. Cav. P.O.W paroled Alexandria, La. 10 July 1865.
Louis A. Ford,  [Lewis Ford, b. abt. 1846, Louisiana. Pvt. Co. F, 28th La. Inf. Appt. Cpl. 12 Feb. 1863, Captured and paroled Vicksburg, Miss. 4 July 1863.]
John L. Franklin, [John Lafayette Franklin, b. abt. 1838, Florida, wife, 1 child. Pvt. Co. K, 6th La. Cav.]
Zephirin Fontenot, (b. abt. 1842, Louisiana, farm laborer. Honorably discharged 8 May 1862 Camp Moore.]
Franklin Farris, [Franklin Pharis, b. abt. 1838, Miss. farm laborer.]
T.R. Garland,
James Goar,
Antoine Gaspar, [Co. I, 1st La. Heavy Artillery Reg. Paroled 4 July 1863, Vicksburg, Miss.]
Maurice Hebert, [b. abt. 1843, Louisiana. Co. F, 8th La. Inf. Captured Harrisburg, Va. 1864. Exchanged. Farmer. Married 1868.]
Belazair Hebert, [b. abt. 1837, Louisiana. Pvt. Co. A, Daly's (Ragsdale's) Bn. Texas Cav.Transferred to Yellow Jacket Bn. 22 Nov. 1864.]
Solomon Hargrove, [Pvt. Co. D, Miles Louisiana Legion.]
Joseph Hogan, [Pvt. Co. C, 27th La. Inf., Medical Discharge 17 Aug. 1862]
Jefferson Hogan, [Co. C, 27th La. Inf., Captured and Paroled at Vicksburg, Miss. 4 July 1863]
James M. Hanchee, [b. 24 Oct. 1837, Alabama; married in 1868. Pvt. Co. A, Crescent Regiment.]
Froizin Humphreys,
John J. Holiday,
James T. Kent, [James Thompson Kent, b. 12 Nov. 1841, Miss. Co. A, Crescent Regiment. POW paroled 10 July 1865]
Belizer Lasage, [Co. D, Miles Louisiana Legion]
Arsen Lebleu, [b. 1835, Louisiana, married w/children. Co. F, 8tth Louisiana Infantry, bit by snake 18 May 1864 disabling him. ]
John B. Lebleu Jr., [b. 1837, Louisiana. Co. D, Miles Louisiana Legion.]
Narcisse Lebleu, [b. 2  July 1840, Louisiana. Miles Louisiana Legion, POW Paroled 10 May 1865 Meridian, Miss.]
A.M. Lindsey, [Asberry Monroe Lindsey, b. 7 Nov. 1843, Sabine Co., Ark. Co. F., 28th Louisiana Infantry. POW paroled 20 April 1865 Alexandria, La.]
Edward Landry, [Pvt. Co. B, 16th Bn. La. Inf.. Wounded and captured at Bayou Teche 14 April 1863. Sent to New Orleans to be exchanged.]
James Marge,
Howell Myers, [married. Pvt. Co. F, 28th Louisiana Infantry, captured and paroled at Vicksburg, Miss. 4 July 1863. POW paroled July 1865 Alexandria, La.]
S.C. Miller, [Samuel C. Miller, Pvt. Co. F, 28th Louisiana Infantry, captured and paroled Vicksburg, Miss. 4 July 1865.]
Wm. McCollough,
Smith McCollough, [Pvt. Co. G, 18th La. Inf. Paroled July 1865, Alexandria, La.]
Lougan McConathy,
Chatau Nouh,
Edie Nastran,
John W. Payne, [Honorably discharged 8 May 1862. Transportation paid to Opelousas, St. Landry Par. La.]
Antoine Peloquin, [Pvt. Co. F, Miles Louisiana Legion. Deserted 27 May 1862 from Camp Moore.]
Octave Peloquin, [Pvt. Co. D, Miles Louisiana Legion. Deserted 27 May 1862 from Camp Moore']
John W. Pierce, [Pvt. Co. C, 1st La. Heavy Artillery.]
Cabin Salter,
A.I. Scarborough,
E.M. Springer, [Pvt., Co. A, Crescent Regiment; Detailed as a wagoneer. Died in hospital, New Iberia. Remarks, had no effects at time of death.]
E.R. Sims,
Benjamin Whitman, [b. 7 March 1841, Perry Co., Ala.. Married, children. Pvt. Co. E, Spaight's Regiment, 11th Texas Inf.. Fought in Battle of Sabine Pass, Texas. Hospitalized at Houston, Texas with typhoid fever. Paroled 1865.]
C.M. Woolem, [Sgt. Co. F, 28th La. Inf., captured and paroled Vicksburg, Miss. 4 July 1863]
J.W. Wagnon, [Jasper William Wagnon, b. 1819, Morgan Co., Ga. Married, children. 2nd Lt. Co. F, 28th Louisiana Infantry. Resigned, received by company commander, 5 Jan. 1863, Vicksburg, Miss.
Henry M. White, [Co. F, 28th La. Inf.captured, paroled Vicksburg, Miss. 4 July 1863.]
Simon Walker, [b. abt. 1845, Married, children. Co. F, 28th La. Inf. captured and paroled Vicksburg, Miss. 4 July 1863.]
W.J. Walker, [b. abt. 1839, Miss. Co. C, 27th La. Inf. captured and paroled at Vicksburg, Miss. 4 July 1863.]
W.J. Wagnon. [Jasper William Wagnon, b. 1819, Morgan Co. Ga. Married, children. Sgt. 1st Lt., Co. F, 28th La. Inf. captured and paroled Vicksburg, Miss. 4 July 1863]

      Upon the invasion of Louisiana and the fall of New Orleans, the Invincibles were disbanded and told to report to Camp Moore in Tangipahoa, about 80 miles to the north. Apparently the company did not remain intact, as some of the men were assigned to or joined other units such as Miles Louisiana Legion, the 27th and 28th Louisiana Infantry regiments, and the 8th Louisiana Infantry. However others appeared to have returned home, or at least no further records of their military service have been found.
    Captain Johnson remained in command of the Calcasieu Militia and when a northern revolutionary gunboat raided his hometown of Lake Charles in October, 1862, he again mustered the remaining militiamen to fight the raiders. However when the militia was about to fire on the ship the northerners had stolen, they discovered the raiders had taken 10 hostages from the town and tied them up around the helmsman, thus using them as human shields. Johnson's men held their fire in spite of being fired upon the the raiders' boat howitzer. The raiders completed their rampage of theft and terror and went back out to the Gulf of Mexico.