MARDI GRAS MAPS

This magnificent, costumed, beaded and feathered carnival is rich with tradition and is all about having a good time. These fun events can be found right here in the Twin Cities. Updated information about each krewe’s events can be found through their Facebook pages @TwinCitiesKreweOfJanus and @krewederiviere

February 12th | 10AM

February 12th | 11AM

February 12th | 5PM

February 19th | 10AM

February 19th | 11AM

February 19th | 6PM

by Guy Miller, Vice Chair Emeritus, Chennault Aviation and Military Museum

The first black regiment to serve in the Civil War was not the famed 54th Massachusetts whose history was the basis for the movie “Glory.” The first black regiment of the war was not even a Union regiment, it was a Confederate regiment- the Louisiana Native Guards of New Orleans. As regards the first black regiment to serve in the Union Army, it was.... the Louisiana Native Guards of New Orleans.

With its French heritage, Louisiana had a large population of free people of color. Although hardly equal in a legal or social sense, the free blacks and mixed race people of Louisiana were more interwoven into the culture and economy than in even the most abolitionist parts of the North. The motivation behind the formation of the regiment is lost to history. What we do know is in April 1861 a group of influential free men of color met in New Orleans and formed a regiment they named the Louisiana Native Guards.

Neither Louisiana nor the Confederate government initially knew what to do with the regiment. As the Union Navy made its way up the Mississippi towards New Orleans, Confederate General Mansfield Lovell issued weapons to the Native Guard and ordered them to keep peace in the city while his regular troops gathered supplies to take for their retreat. When the Union Navy took the city on April 26, 1862 the Native Guards quietly disbanded.

Union General Benjamin Butler was assigned to govern New Orleans. Believing he needed more troops, Butler proposed raising troops from the local black population. The Army leadership did not respond to this request so Butler decided to proceed on his own. Butler met with prominent local black men to ascertain their thoughts about black volunteers joining the Union Army. The very men Butler approached were the same ones who had raised the regiment to serve the Confederacy the year before. Since that regiment had not been well used by the Confederacy, these men decided to fight for the Union; hoping to demonstrate that they were the equals of white soldiers.

Butler authorized the recruitment of black troops on August 22, 1862. His order received an enthusiastic response and within two weeks more than 1000 men had enlisted. Although only free blacks were allowed in the regiment, the recruiting officers often ignored this rule and many runaway slaves enlisted with no questions asked.

On September 27, 1862, the 1st Regiment, Louisiana Native Guards, officially became the first black regiment to fight for the Union. It was also the first and only unit in the Union Army that had black officers as well as white.

To the discouragement of the black soldiers, Butler planned to use them for garrison duty and labor. He wanted to free up his white regiments for actual combat duty. Adding insult to injury, many of the white Union soldiers treated the black soldiers very poorly. The Native Guards ended up spending the rest of 1862 manning defenses off of the Mississippi coast, guarding prisoners of war and guarding the passes from Lake Pontchartrain to the Gulf.

Butler’s successor, General Nathaniel Banks thought even less of black troops’ capabilities than did Butler but fate intervened. Again contrary to the impression given by the movie “Glory,” the 54th Massachusetts was not the first black regiment to see combat during the Civil War. Almost two months before the 54th was deployed to attack Fort Wagner in South Carolina, the Native Guards assaulted a similar Confederate fortification in Louisiana.

By May 1863, General Ulysses Grant was besieging Vicksburg. Wanting a secure southern flank, he ordered Banks to capture the Confederate stronghold at Port Hudson. On May 27, 1863, the First and Third Regiments of the Native Guards were part of Bank’s desperate and poorly led assault on these fortifications. Although the attack failed, the performance of the Native Guards proved that black soldiers were just as willing to die for their nation as their white counterparts. Like all of the attacking troops the Native Guards suffered massive casualties at Port Hudson. An illustration in The Harper’s Weekly August 1863 edition depicted the funeral of Lieutenant André Cailloux who died leading his Native Guard troops in the assault. This printed recognition helped influence national opinion in favor of the recruitment of black troops.

By the second half of 1863, the status of black troops in the Union Army began to change. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 removed any legal obstacles to recruiting runaway slaves for Army duty but there was still resistance within the Union Army itself. Like many Union officers, General Banks would accept black soldiers when he needed the manpower but he did not want black officers who had rank and authority over white troops. Accordingly, Banks and his subordinates began doing “effectiveness reviews” with the objective of purging all the black officers they could; including those who had bravely led troops at Port Hudson. Despite Union reluctance to have black officers, the Native Guards and other black regiments continued to play an important role in Civil War Louisiana including fighting in the Red River Campaign of 1864.

In total more than 180,000 black troops served in the Union Army. Black veterans formed the core of black leadership in the postbellum South. Most important, their voluntary military service, steeped in the tradition of republican values, encouraged Reconstruction politicians to grant black men citizenship and voting rights.

WHEN THINKING OF SPORTS MEDICINE, MANY THINK it only focuses on helping athletes improve performance, recover from injury, and prevent future injuries…. while that’s true, it’s not the whole story. Today’s sports medicine physicians treat people of all ages and fitness levels, from seniors to elite athletes, all with an array of common musculoskeletal issues. Val Irion, MD and Andrew Patton, MD are two of the fellowship trained orthopedic sports medicine physicians at Orthopedic Specialists of Louisiana. We recently asked them a few questions about why they chose the subspecialty of Sports Medicine and what a typical day looks like to them in their practices.

Irion: I always gravitated towards medicine… only secondary to my love of sports. Growing up, I played about every sport you could play. When I realized early in my life that I was probably not going to become a professional athlete, I realized that pursuing a career in sports medicine could allow me to stay in sports. In college I worked for an orthopedic surgeon and really enjoyed it- that experience reaffirmed my interest and today I am fortunate to make it my career.

Patton: In medical school, I really enjoyed orthopedics and following my orthopedic residency, the subspecialty of sports medicine was particularly appealing because I saw an opportunity within the orthopedic practice that would allow me to treat all types of patients- all ages, all backgrounds, all different levels of function and get to help them restore that level of function to where they want it to be.

Irion: I get asked that question a lot… Pretty much everyone can consider themselves an athlete. I see patients of all ages and all activity levels- whether it be the weekend warrior, the high school athlete or the patient suffering from overuse injuries that could be interfering with their work duties or their daily activities.

Patton: The thing I love about Sports Medicine is that it does allow me to see all types of patients- different ages, different levels of function, different goals. Really, anything can be a sport. In many ways, I believe that Sports Medicine doctors are the general practitioners of orthopedic health.

Irion: When I meet a patient for the first time, I listen! It’s so important that I understand what their issues are and what could have possibly caused these issues… how it is impacting their day-to-day activities. I will review and explain the radiographic results (X-ray, CT, MRI) with the patient – it’s important that the patient understand what is going on so that we can work together to create the best plan- whether it be surgical or nonsurgical. In my opinion, if we can treat the patient nonsurgically, that’s the best way to begin- whether it be physical therapy, medication, or injections. I know patients may be hesitant and a little nervous to see an orthopedic surgeon- thinking that surgery is the only option- definitely not the case- the most important thing to me is that my patient feels like I hear them, and they feel included in devising the best treatment plan for them.

Patton: It is so important that the patient is heard and to come up with a plan that is completely individualized. A rotator cuff tear in one patient may have a completely different treatment regime than a rotator cuff repair in another patient. I think having a team type mentality where you and the patient are coming together to achieve the same goals of where your treatment plan will go is essential to allow the patient to regain their desired level of function. I want my patient to be included in the process- the patient needs to dictate where they want their treatment to go. I think starting with a non-operative plan is usually best for the patient, unless they are suffering from an acute injury that could negatively impact them long term.

Irion: The main things I run into are general shoulder pain and knee pain. Certainly, I see a lot of the larger joints that have more of the weight bearing stresses, a lot of wear and tear injuries like rotator cuff tendinitis rotator cuff tears. In the knee, I see degenerative changes, meniscal injuries, and tears. In younger athletes, we will see more acute injuries, such as ACL tears or labral tears. However, the majority of my patients fall into the category of the weekend warrior… a lot of overuse injuries and they are just trying to get back to their normal activities.

Patton: I see anybody that needs to be seen with any injury or with any musculoskeletal pain. As a sports medicine doctor, shoulder and knee injuries are common as well as, wear and tear injuries including patients suffering from back pain.

Val Irion MD and Andrew Patton, MD are both committed to keeping their patients active and healthy. Both physicians are currently accepting new patients of all ages and all activity levels. To schedule an evaluation with Dr. Irion or Dr. Patton, please call or visit Orthopedic Specialists of Louisiana: (866)759.9679 or orthopedicspecialistsla.com.