Andre Cailloux facts for kids
Andre Cailloux (1825 – May 27, 1863) was one of the first black officers in the Union Army, and one of the first to be killed in combat during the American Civil War. He died heroically during the unsuccessful first attack on the Confederate fortifications during the Siege of Port Hudson. Accounts of his heroism were widely reported in the press, and became a rallying cry for the recruitment of African Americans into the Union Army.
His reputation as a patriot and martyr long outlived him. In an 1890 collection of interviews, Civil War veteran Colonel Douglass Wilson said, "If ever patriotic heroism deserved to be honored in stately marble or in brass that of Captain Caillioux deserves to be, and the American people will have never redeemed their gratitude to genuine patriotism until that debt is paid."
Images for kids
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A depiction of the last minutes of André Cailloux in battle. He is shown at the top of the image, looking back at his troops and with his sword raised. This portrayal places Cailloux and his men much closer to the Confederates than they were. From Frank Leslie's Journal, June 27, 1863.
