David Farragut
The Union Navy partook in many major battles against the Confederate Navy. While the Union had a much larger navy, the Confederacy had the world's finest commanders. At the beginning of the war more than half the union naval officers left to join the confederacy, leaving few with battle experience to lead the navy. Winning land battles proved more challenging than the union originally thought. This made the importance of the navy grow. They captured major forts and ports, allowing the union to capture major cities . The union could not have won the civil war without the contributions of David Farragut and the navy he commanded.

David Farragut showed he was a capable leader from a young age. At the age of nine david Farragut …show more content…
After proving he wasn't going annywhere, they assigned him command of the blockade of the south's deepwater ports. The blockade weakened their infrastructure and their ability to import weapons and machinery. It also cut off their only source of money: the cotton trade. David Farragut faced many perils throughout the blockade. The Confederates would do many things to get their goods past. They set mines, and would try to ram the union ships with burning barges. All the while they would set “ghost ships” to draw the blockaders attention, so they could sneak …show more content…
His fleet of 17 ships included 4 ironclads. They were going up against a very powerful fleet of 18 including the world's most powerful ironclad and two forts. (civil war trust). In order to engage the rest of the enemy fleet they would have to sail through torpedoes, what we call mines nowadays. He rallied his men by shouting “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead”. Fortunately only one of his ships sank during the process. He managed to destroy all the confederate ships except the ironclad, the Mississippi, which surrendered after being heavily damaged. This victory gave the union control over the mississippi river, essentially cutting the confederacy in half,

Whether commanding the blockade or expertly maneuvering his ships through minefields, Farragut’s determination led the union navy to to victory after victory. He was in fact undefeated throughout the war. By shutting down their ability to make money and cutting their territory in half, he changed the outcome of the