Capture of New Orleans
Poets involved
What happened
On April 25, 1862, Union Admiral David Farragut captured New Orleans, Louisiana, the Confederacy's largest city and most important port. Farragut's fleet ran past the Confederate forts below the city, forcing the city's surrender. The capture gave the Union control of the lower Mississippi River and dealt a severe blow to the Confederate economy and morale.
Literary impact
The fall of New Orleans inspired a range of poetic responses, including George H. Boker's 'The Battle of New Orleans' and poems by free Creoles of color in New Orleans who wrote in French about democracy and emancipation. The event also featured in Henry Howard Brownell's 'The River Fight' and Herman Melville's 'The Battle for the Bay.' These poems reflect the diverse perspectives on the war's meaning for freedom and union.
Source: Wikipedia
