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WARS AND THEIR EFFECT ON BAY ST. LOWS HANCOCK COUNTY WAS FORMED DURING THE WAR OF T8T2, BECAUSE OF TROUBLE WITH THE CHOCTAW INDIANS IN THE SIX TOWNSHIPS, ONE OF THE TOWN9\ IPS BEING SHIELDSBORO, NOW BAY ST. LOWS*
THERE WERE TWO CAMPS LOCATED HERE AT TWIS TIME, ONE CAMP GOODE, FOR THE PROTECTION OF THIS AREA AGAINST THE BRITISH, THERE ARE BRIEF ACCOUNTS OF A NAVAL ENGAGEMENT FOUGHT OFF THE COAST OF BAY ST. LOUIS. GENERAL JACKSON ORDERED A LIEUTBVANT JONES TO ffMW UP HfiS SMALL FORCE OF GUNBOATS BETWEEN CAT ISLAND AND SHIP ISLAND* TH|!S WAS THE LAST DEFENSE, BEFORE NEW ORLEANS, AGAINST -THE ADVANCE OF GENERAL EDWARD PAKENHAM. BEFORE THE ENGAGEMENT , LT . JfONES SENT A BOAT INTO THE SHORES OF THE BAY TO DESTROY SOME GUMS AND STORES «F AMMUNITION TO KEEP THEM OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE BRITISH. THE AMffMCAN FORCES WERE DEFEATED, BOATS DESTROYED, EUT THE BRITISH SUFFERED HEAVIER LOSSES THAN WE DID,
AS FAR AS MEN WERE CONCERNED.
DURING THE CfiVIL WAR TWO COMPANIES WERE FORM ED IN HANCOCK COUNTY, ONE CALLED THE HANCOCK REBELS AND THE OTHER THE SHIELDSBORO RIFLES. AND THERE WERE ENCAMPMENTS OF SOLDIERS STATIONED HERE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE AREA, BUT NO BATTLES WERE FOUGHT IN THE AREA. THE TWO COMPANIES FROM THE AREA DID NOT TAKE PART IN ANY ACTIVE FIGHTING;,
BUT SPENT MUCH TIME DRULLING; AND THE SOLDIERS STATIONED HERE WERE ENTERTAINED LAVISHLY BY THE LOC*. POPULACE. ONLY A SCATTERED FEW UNlPON SOLDIERS ON FORAYS FOR FOOD WERE SEEN IN THE AREA. DURING THIS TIME THE CITIZENS BOILED WATBR FROM THE GULF OFF OF PASS CHRISTIAN TO OBTAIN SALT, WHICH THEY TOOK INTO THE FARMING AREAS AND TRADED FOR SWEET POTATOES, CORN, ETC. THEY ALSO TANNED HIDES, MADE THEIR Om SHOES, AND WOVE CLOTH FROM COTTON AND WOOL. THEFE WAS A SHORTAGE OF COTTON frN THI S SECTION SO CLOTHING WAS RATHER SCARCE, BUT GAME AND FTSH WERE PLENTIFUL. ONLY INDIAN COFFEE MADE FROM CORN WAS AVAILABLE AND 3JGAR WAS SCARCE, BUT THE PEOPLE HERE D£D NOT SUFFER NEARLY SO