New Orleans was the largest city in the Confederacy and it was a gateway to the Mississippi River. Admiral David Farragut decided to run past the forts. He wrapped his ships in heavy chains to protect them and had sailors put mud on the hull to make the ships hard to see. On April 24, 1862 the ships sailed past. The Confederates shot at Farragut's ship but his fleet passed through. They took over the city on April 29. Farragut also took over Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Natchez.