Fort Proctor looms on the horizon, like a castle rising from the choppy waters of Lake Borgne.

Young men filed in and out of the building at 14 Canal Street. Some stood around outside and discussed the latest news of the war or compared enlistment details.

The Battle of Bayou Bourbeux. The Civil War was entering its third year, Vicksburg had fallen, and the Union had control of the Mississippi. Gettysburg would produce the most significant loss of life…