During the opening days of the American Civil War in 1861, Winfield Scott, Commanding General of the United States Army developed the Anaconda Plan for defeating the Confederate States of America. A major part of this plan was controlling the Mississippi River, in order to cut the Confederacy in two and provide a supply outlet for northern goods to reach foreign markets. In early 1862, the Union Army defeated Confederate forces in a number of significant battles, including Shiloh, First Corinth, Fort Donelson, and Island Number Ten. The city of New Orleans, Louisiana, also fell to Union troops in late April. Between the capture of New Orleans and the battlefield victories, much of the Mississippi Valley was in Union hands. Flag Officer David Glasgow Farragut commanded the United States Navy elements that had been present at New Orleans, and took his ships upriver to the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, which was considered to be strategically valuable as it connected the regions west of the Mississippi River with the eastern portions of the Confederacy. The naval force was accompanied by 1,500 Union infantrymen under the command of Brigadier General Thomas Williams. After reaching Vicksburg in mid-May, Farragut unsuccessfully demanded that the city surrender to his fleet. On May 20, the first Union shot towards Vicksburg was fired by USS "Oneida", and more bombardments followed on May 26 and 28 before Farragut decided to fall back to New Orleans, a move that proved to be politically unpopular.