The New York Public Library, Mid-Manhattan Library, Picture Collection

Illustrated London News, April 6, 1861

New Orleans was a major hub of the domestic trade not only for Louisiana plantations in the interior, but also for other southern states. Several river cities in Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky that had direct access to New Orleans made a brisk business with the Crescent City. However, the Chesapeake ports of Richmond, Alexandria, and Baltimore sent the largest number of African Americans to the Louisiana plantations, via New Orleans, including through the coastal traffic. Once gathered in New Orleans, slaves were put up for sale at auction or were transported, often by steamer, to other cities or to rural areas.