 Complete the following phrase:  Early in the war, Confederate strategists believed the primary threat to New Orleans would come from the north, and made their defensive preparations accordingly. As forces under Grant made gains in the Western Theater, much of the military equipment and manpower in the citys vicinity was sent up the Mississippi River in an attempt to stem the victorious Union tide. When Flag Officer David Farragut was able to force the Union Navys West Gulf Blockading Squadron past the Confederacys only two forts below the city in the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, New Orleans had no means to oppose 