U.S. Navy at New Orleans in 1862

In 1860, New Orleans was one of the largest port cities in North America. After the secession of Louisiana in 1861, not only was the city the largest in the new confederacy, its location made its occupation essential if the U.S. government hoped to regain total control of the Mississippi River.?Read more in my latest contribution to the NHHC Civil War Series: Forts Jackson and St. Philip.