The Union war fleet under Captain David Glasgow Ferragut opened fire on the fortifications of New Orleans. It had 302 cannons to counter the Confederate 166 guns, but they were much better protected by the earthworks. In four days of bombardment, it hurled 16,800 shells at the forts (2,000 tons, or 2,000 tons) without success, so it decided to force the river blockade without taking the forts and the city.
