In touring the Port Hudson battlefield recently I discovered what appears to be cannons on display that matches disabled cannons in photos taken shortly after the surrender of Port Hudson.
Stamped on the 32-pounder: FPF No. 229 422.04
Stamped on the 8-in: 171 62 2 12
There are similar defects in both cannons, but they are not exact matches. It is possible that some repair work was done in an attempt to make the guns once again usable. Or additional damage occurred after the photos were taken. In the one hundred plus years that intervened between the Battle of Port Hudson and the opening of the Port Hudson State Park many things could have happened to these guns.
Most of the battlefield of Port Hudson remains in private ownership. The only public part, outside the State Park, is the Port Hudson National Cemetery.
