guard the approaches to New Orleans." But Farragut's own
infinitely better plan was to run past the forts and take New
Orleans first. By doing this he would save the extra loss
required for reducing the forts and would take the weak defenses
of New Orleans entirely by surprise. Then, when New Orleans fell,
the forts, cut off from all supplies, would have to surrender
without the firing of another shot. Everything depended on
whether Farragut could run past without too much loss. Profoundly
versed in all the factors of the problem, he foresaw that his
solution would prove right, while Washington's would as certainly
be wrong. So, taking the utmost advantage of all the freedom that
his general instructions allowed, he followed a course in which
anything short of complete success would mean the ruin of his
whole career.

The forts were strong, had ninety guns that would bear once
fleet, and were well placed, one on each side of the river. But
they suffered from all the disadvantages of fixed defenses
opposed by a mobile enemy, and their own mobile auxiliaries were
far from being satisfactory. The best of the "River Defense
Fleet," including several rams, had been ordered up to Memphis,
so sure was the Confederate Government that the attack would come
from the north. Two home-made ironclads were failures. The
Louisiana's engines were not ready in time; and her captain
refused to be towed into the position near the boom where he
could do the enemy most harm. The Mississippi, a mere floating
house, built by ordinary carpenters, never reached the forts at
all and was burnt by her own men at New Orleans.

Farragut felt sure of his fleet. He had four splendid new