Reference Entry
SURRENDER OF FORTS JACKSON AND ST. PHILIP
During the American Civil War, these two masonry forts guarded the lower Mississippi River approach to New Orleans, anchoring Confederate defenses along the Gulf Coast. After a fierce bombardment and a daring nighttime run past their guns by Flag Officer David Farragut’s fleet, the forts were isolated and demoralized. Mutiny broke out among the Confederate enlisted men, and their officers were forced to concede that further resistance was impossible.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Surrender of Forts Jackson and St. Philip
During the American Civil War, these two masonry forts guarded the lower Mississippi River approach to New Orleans, anchoring Confederate defenses along the Gulf Coast. After a fierce bombardment and a daring nighttime run past their guns by Flag Officer David Farragut’s fleet, the forts were isolated and demoralized. Mutiny broke out among the Confederate enlisted men, and their officers were forced to concede that further resistance was impossible. The surrender cleared the last significant obstacle preventing Union warships and transports from fully controlling the river below the great port city. With New Orleans effectively lost, the Confederacy saw its largest city and key commercial hub fall, and Union strategy to split the South along the Mississippi moved a major step closer to reality. The capitulation at these forts showed how naval pressure and perseverance could overcome even seemingly formidable coastal defenses.
Read the complete weekly DispatchTrackpads Source Register
