Sunday, April 12, 2026
11:30 am – 3:00 pm
Free & Open to the Public, bring a friend!
*No Reservations required*
Historic St. John Theatre
115 West 4th Street
Reserve, Louisiana 70084
(on River Road)
click address above for Google map directions
2026 Program
Mary Desforges Engler Louis Corneille Hus Desforges: The “Golden Crowned Hero” | Session 1 – 12:00 NOON The Hus Desforges name is associated with music and theater in17th and 18th century Belgium and France. It is that family background that contributed to the musical proficiency displayed by Louis Corneille Hus Desforges as he pursued a career in New Orleans beginning in 1799. This is the story of one man’s departure from his musical entertainment family in 18th century France to pursue a new life in the New World in Louisiana. On January 1, 1815, a skirmish before the Battle of New Orleans interrupted a promising and distinguished musical career and thwarted repeated attempts to follow his dreams. This is his story. |
Stephen L. Kling, Jr. (Part 1) An Underappreciated Victory: Bernardo de Gálvez’s Mississippi River Campaign Against the British in 1779 | Session 2 – 1:00 PM Background to War, British Plans to Conquer Louisiana, the Junta de Guerra, the Hurricane, La Marcha de Gálvez, and the Makeup of Gálvez’s army |
Stephen L. Kling, Jr. (Part 2) book will be available for purchase / autograph | Session 3 – 2:00 PM the attack on Fort Bute, the Siege of Baton Rouge, the British Surrender, the Victory Parade, the War on the Lakes and Rivers, and the Defense of Upper Louisiana |