New Orleans in 1862. – The federal fleet at anchor in the river, April 25. Cotton and shipping burning along the levee.

Title

New Orleans in 1862. – The federal fleet at anchor in the river, April 25. Cotton and shipping burning along the levee.

Description

Bird's eye view of the city of New Orleans in 1862 with the Federal Fleet at anchor.

ca. 1865

Artist

Anonymus

Historical Description

New Orleans was founded in 1718 by the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. In 1722, the city became the capital of Louisiana. Beginning no later than 1721, German-speaking colonists were settled in close proximity to New Orleans by the French colonial administration. n 1795, Spain granted the United States the right of settlement in the Pinckney Treaty and allowed Americans to use the city's port. Under the 1800 Treaty of San Ildefonso dictated by Napoleon Bonaparte, the territory west of the Mississippi River granted to Spain in 1763 reverted to France. In 1803, Napoleon sold the entire colony to the United States for $15 million in what became known as the Louisiana Purchase. From its early days, New Orleans was known for its cosmopolitan and polyglot population and the many cultures that existed there. The city grew rapidly with influences from France, America and the Creole Caribbean.