The Union navy did not use artillery to capture New Orleans in 1862. The city was captured by a combined land and naval force under the command of Admiral David Farragut and General Benjamin Butler. The naval force consisted of a fleet of ships, including several steam-powered ironclads, which were able to defeat the Confederate defenses and sail up the Mississippi River to New Orleans. The land force, under the command of General Butler, then occupied the city without much resistance.