Capture of New Orleans

Forts That Failed

Confederate leaders made a tardy effort to muster forces at the river barrier. Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip stood above the Head of Passes approximately 10 miles downriver below New Orleans. These masonry forts held Confederate artillery. Union ships were elevated above the city when high water existed outside the levees. They could fire down into the streets and buildings below. Major General Mansfield Lovell commanded Department 1, Louisiana. He faced only three thousand militiamen with sundry military supplies and shotguns once the defense was breached. Most artillery, ammunition, troops, and vessels committed to the Jackson/St. Phillips position left the inner ring vulnerable. The inner fortifications at Chalmette were intended only to resist ground troops. Few gun batteries aimed toward the river. Lovell loaded his troops aboard the New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern railroad. He sent them to Camp Moore 35 miles north. All artillery and munitions went to Vicksburg. Military stores, ships, and warehouses burned. Thousands of bales of cotton threw themselves into the river as anything useful to the Union.

What was the population of New Orleans in 1860?

New Orleans held a population of 168,675 people in 1860. This number made it larger than the four next-largest Southern cities combined.

When did Union forces capture New Orleans during the Civil War?

Union ships moved upriver on April 24 and Admiral Farragut sent Captain Bailey to accept the surrender at 2:00 p.m. on April 25. Major General Benjamin Butler occupied the city with an army of 5,000 men on the 1st of May 1862.

Who commanded Confederate defenses at Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip?

Major General Mansfield Lovell commanded Department 1, Louisiana and faced only three thousand militiamen when the defense was breached. Most artillery, ammunition, troops, and vessels committed to the Jackson and St. Phillips position left the inner ring vulnerable.

Why did General Benjamin Butler issue General Order No. 28 on May 15?

Butler issued General Order No. 28 after two weeks of occupation because residents of New Orleans did not accept the Union occupation very well. The order instructed Union soldiers to treat any woman who offended a soldier as a woman of the town plying her avocation.

What happened to cotton trade value in New Orleans between 1860 and 1862?

The value of goods passing through New Orleans dropped from 500 million dollars to 52 million dollars during the period 1860 to 1862. Cotton became a valuable export product after the invention of the cotton gin in 1793 but trade worth 500 million dollars passed through the city that year before the war disrupted it.

Capture of New Orleans.

Forts That Failed

The Fleet Breaks Through

The Beast Takes Command

Women Insulted

Black Soldiers Rise

A Political Exit

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