In A Day the War Stopped: The Story of a Civil War Truce, James Linden Hogg explores a remarkable yet lesser-known event in Louisiana’s past.
In June 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Lieutenant Commander John Elliot Hart of the USS Albatross received a Masonic funeral with the help of Confederate Freemasons in the cemetery of Grace Episcopal Church in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Now remembered in the town’s history as “The Day the War Stopped,” the unusual circumstances around Hart’s burial gave rise to a romantic legend, leading townspeople to commemorate his burial truce through an annual historical reenactment. In A Day the War Stopped, Hogg artfully unravels the tragic history behind the drama people enjoy yearly. With a master storyteller’s touch, Hogg paints a vivid picture of naval warfare on the Mississippi River, the fateful moments leading up to the Union commander’s death, and how the memory of this unique episode has become a symbol of brotherhood even in times of conflict.
The release of Hogg’s book coincides with the town’s annual reenactment which will occur on Saturday, June 7, 2025, where he will have a book signing. The book is available at the LSU Rural Life Museum gift shop.