BATON ROUGE, bfitfon 1-7•5zh (Fr., red baton or stick). The capital of Louisiana, 89 miles by rail northwest of New Orleans, on the eastern bank of the Mississippi, and on the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley and the Texas and Pacific railroads (Map: Louisiana, D 3). It is a. picturesque city, built on the river bluff, and many of its houses arc quaint and old, of French and Spanish styles. Baton Rouge is the seat of the State University, organized in 1860, and contains State educational institu tions for the deaf and dumb and blind, orphan asylums, State penitentiary, and State Agri cultural Experiment Station. Other features of interest are: The State Capitol, the courthouse. city hall, post-office, high-school building, and a national cemetery. There are extensive manu facturing interests, including lumber. cotton seed products, brick, sugar, and artificial ice. The city is governed, a charter of 1898, by a mayor, elected every four years, and a city council, which has power of election in depart ments of police, improvements, finance, and ju diciary. Baton Rouge was one of the earliest
French settlements in Louisiana. At the be ginning of the Revolution it was strongly gar risoned by the English, but in September, 1779, was taken by a large Spanish force under Gov ernor Galvez. Baton Rouge became the capital of the State in 1849, and on January 26, 1861, the Louisiana ordinance of secession was adopt ed here. On August 5. 1862, a Union force, under Gen. Thomas Williams. was fiercely at tacked here by a strong Confederate force under Gen. John C. Breckenridge, the latter being re pulsed after two hours of severe fighting, though General Williams lost his life. Population, in 1890, in 1900, 11,269,