Port Hudson National Cemetery, National cemetery in Port Hudson, Louisiana, United States

Port Hudson National Cemetery covers 19.9 acres (8.1 ha) in Port Hudson, about 20 miles north of Baton Rouge, and held over 12,000 interments by the end of 2020. It lies on the main battleground of the Siege of Port Hudson, and the breastworks, gun pits and trenches of that battlefield survive almost as they were in 1863. The cemetery is administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 20, 1999.

The cemetery occupies the main battleground of the Siege of Port Hudson, fought from May 22 to July 9, 1863. Nearly 4,000 Union troops fell there, and most were buried on the site, many as unknowns. After the war another 8.4 acres were set aside for those who died in local veterans' facilities. The 1st and 3rd Regiments of the Louisiana Native Guards, largely free men of color and escaped slaves, fought in the siege.

The cemetery holds deep meaning for understanding African American military service, as many Black soldiers rest here after fighting in one of the Civil War's longest sieges. Their graves represent an important part of the nation's military history that is often overlooked.

The grounds are open for visitors from sunrise to sunset every day of the year and are maintained by the Veterans Affairs department. You can walk the grounds on established paths and explore the preserved military features at your own pace.

The land preserves one of the few remaining Civil War battlefields with largely unaltered terrain features since 1863, allowing visitors to walk through original trenches and earthworks. This intact landscape offers a window into how the siege unfolded across the land.