Hidden History: The Free and Independent Republic of Buzzard Island, Louisiana

BUZZARD ISLAND, La. ( KTAL/KMSS ) – An island in Cross Lake was a neutral zone for Southerners and Union Loyalists during the Civil War era.

This is the story of the Free and Independent Republic of Buzzard Island, where a saucy writer foretold this very moment when he wrote, in 1861, “Such were the scenes that transpired on the 25 ^th of February, in the republic of Buzzard island—a day which in time to come will furnish a beautiful theme for poet-painters or historians.”

Where the heck is Buzzard Island

What we know about Buzzard Island isn’t much. A few facts have been shoved together, certainly enough to write this article, and the facts are mostly related to a letter written by William Waite, the Secretary of State of the Free and Independent Republic of Buzzard Island.

For this story we’re going back to a time just before the Civil War, when a collection of people from Tennessee saw and felt the coming storm of the Civil War and took swift action to declare their neutrality and immediately cease to pay taxes.

(The ceasing to pay taxes, according to folklore, is the real reason the independent nation was formed.)

But either way, we know with certainty that the Civil War began only a month after the Secretary of State of the Free and Independent Republic of Buzzard Island publicly stated the following:

“We have received numerous solicitations to join the southern confederacy, but have refused them all—we intend to keep the republic free and independent. We don’t intend to retard its progress by becoming entangled with such old fogies as the southern confederacy or even the free state of Caddo,” wrote William Waite in The South-Western on Wed., Mar. 13, 1861.

Waite said the citizens of Buzzard Island answered the solicitations to the effect that the republic was at peace with all nations and likely remain so.

Then Waite said “Notwithstanding we thanked them for their offer and said that if old Tenneessee should be invaded (especially Cave hill) the republic would render all the aid in her power.”

The fear of invasion

“Never since the day we pitched into our yankee teacher for insinuating that a school in the neighborhood, where an old classmate of mine was a pupil was not respectable have we had our patriotism so aroused as when we thought we saw the free and independent republic of Buzzard island invaded by its foes,” wrote Waite.

And as far as we can tell, the little island was able to stay a neutral zone throughout the entire war.

This would have likely been a very different story if the Union had actually attacked Caddo Parish.

If you want to see Buzzard Island today, and if you need glasses and squint your eyes just right, you may or may not be able to see what was once known as the Free and Independent Republic of Buzzard Island from the sparkling coastline of Cross Lake.

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