USCW: Can New Orleans be saved?

[Hierophant]

How can the Confederacy maintain control of New Orleans longer?

 

[robertp6165]

How can the Confederacy maintain control of New Orleans longer?

Really, the only way is to prevent the Union fleet from passing the Mississippi River defenses. And about the only way to do that is to have one, or preferably two, powerful ironclads there to stop them. That's not impossible...if, rather than trying to build an ironclad on the hulk of the Merrimac, the Confederates had sent the salvaged engine, the guns, and the armor being used there to the shipyards at New Orleans, they might have had at least one, and maybe even two, such vessels up and running when Farragut attacked. Then if they can hold on to New Orleans for another year, the CSS ARKANSAS will be finished and can join the defense force.

Even then, they won't be able to hold it forever. If the Union fleet is stymied from attacking from the south, eventually a Union Army will come in the back door from the north. But they might hold the Mississippi open for another year or two, which could have interesting butterflies.

 

[lothaw]

I thought the main factor of the fall of New Orleans was the fact the bulk of it's garrison was sent north to fight at Shiloh when the Union attacked.

 

[robertp6165]

I thought the main factor of the fall of New Orleans was the fact the bulk of it's garrison was sent north to fight at Shiloh when the Union attacked.

It is significant that the city surrendered to the Union fleet, not the Union Army. This speaks volumes about the vulnerability of the city to attack from the river.

If the full garrison had been there, the city might have tried to withstand a siege, but I doubt it.

--There was nothing at New Orleans itself preventing the Union fleet from flattening the town via bombardment if it didn't surrender...the city depended on the defenses at forts Jackson and St. Philip to stop an enemy fleet from getting there in the first place.

--If the Union fleet bombards the city and destroys it, the city is rendered useless to the Confederacy, so why bother trying to defend it?

So if the Union fleet gets through the Mississippi River defenses to the city, the city will fall, regardless of whether the full garrison is there or not.