Jean Reynaud Jacques Prosper Landry

Known as Prosper Landry, he lived in Paris and other European cities after graduating from Georgetown, then attended law school in New Orleans. He practiced his new profession briefly before the war and was Parish Attorney by 1861. He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant of the Donaldsonville Artillery about 13 September 1861.

He was with the battery in Maryland. At the ford near Shepherdstown, VA on 19 September:

The two Parrott guns remained in position until dark, and, when ordered to move back, could no longer pass through the road, it being commanded by the enemy's artillery. I was, therefore, obliged to cut across fields and fences and a country entirely unknown to me, without a guide, and, in the darkness of the night, the rear piece, with worn-out horses, lagged behind. Lieutenant R. P. Landry returned to bring it up, but lost his way, and having come before a thick wood which could not be crossed, it was there abandoned and spiked, the enemy shouting in the rear, and, as he believed, gaining upon him ...

He was promoted to Captain of the battery in July 1864. He and 3 other Landrys were surrendered with the battery and paroled at Appomattox Court House, VA on 9 April 1865.

In 1870 he was growing sugar on the family plantation "Souvenir" in Donaldsonville, Ascension Parish, LA, but was again a practicing lawyer and notary there by 1880. He was elected Parish Treasurer in 1880 and was in that office to at least 1905.

His basic service from Booth,1 as R. Prosper Landry. The quote above from Captain Maurin's Report of 22 October 1862. His presence at Appomattox from the Parole List. Personal details from a bio sketch in Goodspeed's Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Louisiana (1892), family genealogists, and the US Census of 1870 and 1880. His death and other details from the Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer of 20 April 1907. His picture from a photograph in Bob Grenier's Central Florida's Civil War Veterans (2014), original contributed by Victor E. Smith III.

He married Francoise Adele Pedesclaux (1830-1912) in February 1855 and they had 6 children by 1873. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Donaldsonville in 1905.

See the story of Landry and the Donaldsonville Artillery at Fredericksburg in a pair of very fine posts [part 1 | part 2] by Peter Glyer on his blog The swale at Mercer Square.

A collection including his wartime journal, photographs, and other personal items were sold by Heritage Auctions for $7,170 in 2012.

Landry-Pedesclaux family papers - including some of his letters - are in the collection of the Louisiana State University [finding aid (pdf)].

03/02/1826; Donaldsonville, LA

04/16/1907