# 7  DID YOU KNOW in the 19th century, New Orleans was the largest port in the South, exporting most of the nation's cotton output and other products to Western Europe and New England. It was the largest and most important city in the South, which made it an early target for capture by the Union during the Civil War. (The Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton). Part of the city is below sea level and it has been hit by more hurricanes than you can count. But it always comes back. When Covid caused Mardi Gras parades to be canceled, people decorated their houses to look like floats. Laissez les bons temps rouler!