War and battle Capture of New Orleans

flag officer david g. farragut commanded union fleet broke through new orleans



major general mansfield lovell, csa, not surrender city.

the union s strategy devised winfield scott, anaconda plan called division of confederacy seizing control of mississippi river. 1 of first steps in such operations imposition of union blockade. after blockade established, confederate naval counterattack attempted drive off union navy, resulting in battle of head of passes. union countermove enter mouth of mississippi river, ascend new orleans , capture city, closing off mouth of mississippi confederate shipping both gulf , mississippi river ports still used confederate vessels. in mid-january 1862, flag officer david g. farragut had undertaken enterprise west gulf blockading squadron. way open except water passage past 2 masonry forts held confederate artillery, fort jackson , fort st. philip, above head of passes approximately 70 miles (110 km) downriver below new orleans.

from april 18 28, farragut bombarded , fought way past these forts in battle of forts jackson , st. philip, managing thirteen of fleet s ships upriver on april 24. historian john d. winters in civil war in louisiana (1963) noted few exceptions confederate fleet @ new orleans had made sorry showing. self-destruction, lack of co-operation, cowardice of untrained officers, , murderous fire of federal gunboats reduced fleet demoralized shambles.

the enemy @ dock

major general mansfield lovell, commander of department 1, louisiana, left 1 tenable option after union navy broke through confederate ring of fortifications , defense vessels guarding lower mississippi: evacuation. inner ring of fortifications @ chalmette intended resist ground troops; few of gun batteries aimed toward river. of artillery, ammunition, troops, , vessels in area committed jackson/st. phillips position. once defense breached, there remained face union troops , warships 3 thousand militiamen sundry military supplies , armed shotguns. city poor position defend against hostile fleet. high water outside levees, union ships elevated above city , able fire down streets , buildings below. besides ever-present danger of weather-caused breaks in levees, greater threat new orleans ability of union military cause break in major levee lead flooding of city, possibly destroying within day.

lovell loaded troops , supplies aboard new orleans, jackson , great northern railroad , sent them camp moore, 78 miles (126 km) north. artillery , munitions sent vicksburg. lovell sent last message war department in richmond, “the enemy has passed forts. late send guns here; had better go vicksburg.” military stores, ships, , warehouses burned. considered useful union, including thousands of bales of cotton, thrown river.

the louisiana state flag removed city hall

despite complete vulnerability of city, citizens along military , civil authorities remained defiant. @ 2:00 p.m. on april 25, admiral farragut sent captain bailey, first division commander uss cayuga, accept surrender of city. armed mobs within city defied union officers , marines sent city hall. general lovell , mayor monroe refused surrender city. william b. mumford pulled down union flag raised on former u.s. mint marines of uss pensacola , mob destroyed it. farragut did not destroy city in response, moved upriver subdue fortifications north of city. on april 29, farragut , 250 marines uss hartford removed louisiana state flag city hall. may 2, secretary of state william h. seward declared new orleans recovered , mails allowed pass .