Louis Benecke

Due to obstacles created to deter African American Civil War widows from filing pension claims, many of these former slaves sought the legal help of Louis Benecke.

Unable to read or write, filing for Civil War pensions was all but impossible without a lawyer.

Unfortunately, these vulnerable women who sought support for their orphaned children were robbed by lawyers, including Louis Benecke.

After her husband Daniel Outlaw (United States Colored Infantry Reg 65, Company K) died of smallpox while on duty in Baton Rouge, LA., Roseanne sought the legal services of Louis Beneke.

The African American widows lost due to a post reconstruction Supreme Court.