Over 50,000 Louisiana men served in the various armies of the Confederacy; about 24,000 men of color from the state fought in the Union’s forces. During the course of the four-year war, over five hundred skirmishes occurred in Louisiana; twenty of them are considered major battles. The main targets for the Union were the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans. The Union’s superior navy immediately blockaded the mouth of the Mississippi River, cutting Louisiana’s main supply line and discouraging planters from exporting their crops. Union Admiral David Farragut took the City of New Orleans in 1862, and Union troops occupied the city until the end of the war. From New Orleans, Union soldiers took advantage of waterways throughout south Louisiana to transport men and supplies. After 1862, two state governments existed in Louisiana: one for the area occupied by the Union and another for the area occupied by the Confederacy.Delta Rifles and Tirailleurs: Fighting Men of West Baton Rou...
