(A) it was the last Confederate fort on the Mississippi River
(B) ** it was a key port for the Confederacy
(C) it was considered the capital of the Confederacy
(D) it was where all Confederate military planning occurred
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -The largest city in the South at the time of the war, New Orleans provided thousands of troops and supplies to the Confederate cause. The city’s location at the mouth of the Mississippi River made it a strategic port for both the Union and Confederate militaries.
Concept note-2: -During the first half of the 19th century, New Orleans became the United States’ wealthiest and third-largest city. Its port shipped the produce of much of the nation’s interior to the Caribbean, South America and Europe. Thousands of enslaved people were sold in its markets, but its free Black community thrived.
Concept note-3: -The capture of New Orleans (April 25 – May 1, 1862) during the American Civil War was a turning point in the war, which precipitated the capture of the Mississippi River. Having fought past Forts Jackson and St. Philip, the Union was unopposed in its capture of the city itself.
Concept note-4: -The Confederate defeat at Vicksburg, and a second Union victory downriver at Port Hudson, Louisiana, ensured that the Union would have complete control of the Mississippi River. Lincoln reportedly referred to the successful Vicksburg campaign as “the key to the war."
Concept note-5: -Why was New Orleans so important to the Confederacy? New Orleans provided access to the Mississippi River. If the city were seized, the Confederacy would be crippled.