In January 1862 Farragut became Flag Officer in command of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron with instructions to capture New Orleans. On April 30, 1862, he captured New Orleans, passing the batteries at Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip. He received a promotion to rear admiral. On August 5, 1864, Farragut pursued a similar goal to his previous victory. He sailed to Mobile, Alabama, and slipped past the defenses, and although the city itself was not captured until April 1865, Farragut effectively closed the Confederacy's last major Gulf port. Between 1865 and 1870, Farragut was twice promoted, and he became the U.S. Navy's first four-star admiral
