Quizzes
Quick Facts
- Date:
- April 25, 1862
- Location:
- Mississippi River
- New Orleans
- United States
- Participants:
- Confederate States of America
- United States
- Context:
- American Civil War
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans, April 24β25, 1862.
Battle of New Orleans
American Civil War [1862]
Battle of New Orleans, (April 24β25, 1862), naval action by Union forces seeking to capture the city during the American Civil War. A Union naval squadron of 43 ships under Admiral David G. Farragut entered the lower Mississippi near New Orleans and soon breached the heavy chain cables that were stretched across the river as a prime defense. Realizing that resistance was useless, Confederate General Mansfield Lovell withdrew his 3,000 troops northward, and the city fell on April 25. On May 1 General B.F. Butler led 15,000 Union troops into the city to take command for the remainder of the war. The permanent loss of New Orleans was considered one of the worst disasters suffered by the Confederacy in the western theatre of the war.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking βSign Upβ, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.