January 1862 - New Orleans Holds - Union flag officer David Farragut attempted to take New Orleans, in accordance with Winfield Scott's "Anaconda Plan". Confederate installations at Fort Jackson and St. Philip hold. Thus the Union is not allowed to enter the Mississippi River and divide the Confederacy in half. The Confederate defense of New Orleans gave French Emperor Napolean III reason to intervene. Facing pressure at home from industrialists and politicians, who favored a quick Southern victory; along with his own imperial ambitions in Mexico. With New Orleans successfully defended, the French emperor officially recognized the Confederacy.