Looking @ this 1799 Ellicott map of the delta you can see how The Frist Battle of Ft. Bowyer proved Mobile Point's STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE. Through that pass an invading navy had land access to Natchez & New Orleans plus being able to take the turn into the Mississippi Sound & avoid the Mississippi River by entering Lake Pontchartrain through the Rigolets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bowyer





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigolets