From the U.S. Coast Survey. Surveyed in 1870 by John N. McClintock.]

The forts in question, forming the principal defences of New Orleans,
were heavy casemated works with traverses on top for barbette guns, some
ninety miles below the city at a point where the river makes a sharp
bend to the southeast. Fort St. Philip, on the left bank, mounted
forty-two guns, and Fort Jackson, including its water battery, had
sixty-seven guns in position, all of calibre from the long twenty-four
pounder to the heavy ten-inch Columbiad, and including several six-inch
and seven-inch rifles.

Stretching across the river from bank to bank to bar the channel, nearly
opposite Fort Jackson and exposed to the perpendicular fire of St.
Philip, were heavy ship's chains, supported and buoyed by hulks, rafts,
and logs, and half a dozen large schooners. The rebels had also
established some works on the banks of the river about four miles from
town, known as the McGehee and Chalmette batteries, the latter being
located at the point ever memorable in American history as the scene of
General Jackson's overwhelming defeat of the British in 1815.

Their reliance afloat was in the Louisiana, an ironclad, carrying nine
rifles and seven smooth bores of heavy calibre; the ram Manassas, one
gun; the McRae, seven guns; the Moore and Quitman with two guns each;
six river steamers with their stems shod with iron to act as rams, and
several iron-protected tugs.

Assembling the fleet at the head of the passes, after much difficulty in
getting the heavy ships over the bar, Farragut ordered the ships to
strip like athletes for battle. Down came mast and spar till nothing was
left standing but lower masts,--and even those were taken out of some of