Battle of Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay, Alabama, USA (entrance guarded by Fort Morgan)
What happened
A Union fleet under Rear Admiral David Farragut fought a Confederate squadron under Admiral Franklin Buchanan and the forts guarding Mobile Bay. During the American Civil War, Farragut's fleet set out to close Mobile, one of the last Confederate ports on the Gulf of Mexico. As the ships entered the bay, the ironclad USS Tecumseh hit an underwater mine, then called a 'torpedo', and sank. Farragut pressed on through the minefield, defeated the Confederate ships, and the forts fell within weeks.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It closed the last major Confederate port on the Gulf east of the Mississippi. Together with the capture of Atlanta, it boosted Abraham Lincoln's chances of re-election.
What came next
Fort Morgan surrendered on 23 August 1864 after two weeks of bombardment. It is now a historic site and a National Historic Landmark.
Did you know?
Farragut's famous order, 'Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!', may not have been said in exactly those words.
Timeline
- 5 August 1864Farragut's fleet enters Mobile Bay.
- 5 August 1864The CSS Tennessee surrenders.
- 23 August 1864Fort Morgan surrenders.
- 1960Fort Morgan becomes a National Historic Landmark.