Editing Harrisonburg, Louisiana (section)

== History ==
Harrisonburg was named for the [[Harrison family of Virginia]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n150 151]}}</ref>

[[Fort Beauregard]], located on a bluff in the northern corner of the village, was a [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] stronghold during the [[American Civil War]]. In 1863, the fort successfully defended Harrisonburg from the attack of four [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] gunboats coming from the [[Black River (Louisiana)|Black River]] to the [[Ouachita River]]. After four days of bombardment, little damage was done, and the gunboats retired down river.<ref>[[John D. Winters]], ''The Civil War in Louisiana'', [[Baton Rouge]]: [[Louisiana State University Press]], 1963, {{ISBN|0-8071-0834-0}}, p. 197</ref>  Harrisonburg and fort were evacuated before [[Marcellus M. Crocker|Brig. General Crocker's]] considerable naval and army forces arrived on September 4, 1863.<ref>Robert Dabney Calhoun. (1932). ''A history of Concordia parish''. 	[Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified].  Reprinted from ''The Louisiana Historical Quarterly'' for Jan. 1932. p. 123.</ref> The Confederates lost eight significant artillery pieces although two large 32 pound cannons were preserved.<ref>Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr. "Fort Beauregard, Louisiana: Confederate Strongpoint on the Ouachita". ''Louisiana History''. v. 22. (Spring, 1981). no. 2. p. 184.</ref> On March 1 through the 4, 1864 the town was again attacked by Union gunboats, but the falling river level prevented the advance on Monroe.<ref>''Ibid'', pp. 127-9.</ref>

The village of Harrisonburg formerly staged reenactments at Fort Beauregard, also known as Fort Hill, but those ceremonies ended in the late 20th century. These reenactments were brought back to life for 2015, but halted in 2016, still planned for future years to come.

Harrisonburg was once a trade capital because of its location on the Ouachita River, with easy access to the [[Mississippi River]] and [[New Orleans]]. The [[Harrisonburg Road]] ran through the area as it crossed Louisiana between [[Mississippi]]'s [[Natchez Trace]] and [[Texas]]' [[Old San Antonio Road|El Camino Real]].