The Confederate defenders of Fort Jackson, the main strongpoint on the Mississippi River defending New Orleans, had endured flood conditions and an almost constant naval bombardment for nearly ten days. When news that New Orleans itself had been captured reached them, much of the garrison mutinied overnight, spiked the fort's guns, and prepared to desert en masse. Powerless to stop them, their officers allowed them to leave but, when the sun rose, decided the fort was no longer defensible and surrendered. (By John Osborne)