Men of the Secret Regiments From Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi

Profile manager: Gigi Tanksley [send private message]

The goal of this project is to locate and profile as many troops of the unauthorized regiments formed in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi that traveled to Cuba from 1849 to 1851 to overthrow the Spanish Government that was brutalizing the inhabitants.
These were called The Lopez Expeditions of which there were three.
One group of soldiers left from New York but were stopped by the US Government.
The second attempt failed due to lack of soldiers volunteering and because New York newspapers called into question the funding available, and cast doubt on whether the Creoles of Cuba would join the fight.
The third attempt left from New Orleans and was successful in at least reaching Cuba. The successful group all came from Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Kentucky had 240 men plus officers for the regiment.
Mississippi had 160 men plus officers.
Louisiana had 160 men plus officers.
This totals to 560 brave, daring men who sought to liberate Cuba's native people without permission from the United States Government. They took steam boats down the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and then took Steam Ships to the Yucatan to organize to prevent the government from knowing what they were doing. They told people they were going to the gold fields of California.

Right now this project just has one member, me. I am Gigi Tanksley.

Here are some tasks that I think need to be done. I'll be working on them, and could use your help.

• Search for and assist in locating the ships passenger list so names can be added.
• Researching the list of men on the ships sailing from Cuba.
• Finding their history and making a profile if one does not exist.

Will you join me? Please post a comment here on this page, in G2G using the project tag, or send me a private message. Thanks!

We are searching for about 760 men. Here is the partial list I have put together from records of FHL of those entering the Port of New Orleans.
John Barton Breckinridge John J Graven

Resources

The Lopez expeditions to Cuba, 1848-1851 By: Caldwell, Robert Granville, b. 1882. Published: (1915)

The Whigs and the Lopez Expeditions to Cuba, 1849-1851 - JStor