Articles in L'Union were written in the French language, with the newspaper's primary readership being free people of color in the New Orleans area, especially in the faubourgs Marigny and Tremé.

[2] New Orleans was captured by Union forces early in the American Civil War because of the city's importance as a seaport at the time.

[5] For this reason, a group of prominent men of the middle-class African American creole community in New Orleans founded L'Union in 1862.

[2] As it came into existence, L'Union was organized with a board of directors selected from the local Creole community and re-elected every six months.

However, the publishers continued to receive threats, especially because of their stance against the Confederate States of America during the time of the American Civil War.

[8] L'Union endured financial difficulties from the start, due to inadequate advertising revenue and the fact that its readership was limited by its publication in the French language.

He then launched publication of The New Orleans Tribune, using many of the same facilities as L'Union but published with broader readership, rendering it more effective in its objectives.