Fort Morgan State Historic Site - Gulf Shores, Alabama

Flank Howitzers at Fort Morgan

If you've never been to Fort Morgan, you should add it to your list! It is one of the most fascinating places on the Gulf Coast.

The historic old fort was begun in 1819 and stands on the site of an earlier work named Fort Bowyer (see Fort Bowyer - Alabama's Forgotten Battle of the War of 1812). Named for General Daniel Morgan, a hero of the American Revolution, the fort withstood one of the fiercest naval attacks of the Civil War.

Land Face of Fort Morgan

In fact, Fort Morgan has touched so much history it is difficult to summarize its story in less than book form! To offer a few highlights, however, the fort served as a holding camp for unfortunate Creek Indian families making their way west on the Trail of Tears. The fort was seized by state militia forces in 1861 as Alabama seceeded from the Union and the first Alabamian to give his life in the Confederate cause died here.

Confederate forces strengthened the already powerful fort by adding earthwork batteries and other defenses. They even placed "torpedoes" (now called mines) in the ship channel leading past the fort into Mobile Bay and engineered the wires and other mechanisms needed to trigger them when enemy warships passed directly over the devices. This tactic proved deadly to the Union navy when it attacked Fort Morgan on August 5, 1864.

Main Gate of Fort Morgan

Admiral David G. Farragut lashed his ships together two by two and steamed them into the channel leading past Fort Morgan into Mobile Bay. The fort opened fire with fierce salvos of shot and shell and the Union warships responded. As the fleet surged forward, the ironclad USS Tecumseh moved into close range of Fort Morgan intending to batter it with its heavy guns. Instead it steamed directly over a "torpedo" that was triggered from the fort. The ironclad exploded up into the air, rolled over and sank, carrying dozens of U.S. sailors to the bottom with it.

Heavily Bombarded Channel Front of Fort Morgan

The stunning sight caused the other ships in Farragut's fleet to slow to a near stop, directly under the guns of Fort Morgan, as well as long-range fire from Fort Gaines across the bay. The story of what happened next is one of the most famous of the Civil War. Demanding to know what was happening, Admiral Farragut was told the lead ships had encountered torpedoes in the channel. "Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!" he ordered, and the fleet again picked up speed and surged past Fort Morgan into Mobile Bay.

Spanish American War era battery at Fort Morgan

The Battle of Mobile Bay, however, was just beginning. The ironclad CSS Tennessee then steamed out from a sheltered spot behind Fort Morgan and in a heroic defense, engaged the entire Union fleet.

The Tennessee was finally battered into submission and Fort Gaines fell not long after. Fort Morgan, however, held out and did not submit until the end of a long land siege by the Federal army.

In later years new fortifications were added to the old as the U.S. again worried about the possibility of foreign invasion just before and during the Spanish American War. Fort Morgan remained an important coastal defense site until the end of World War II when it was declared obsolete and turned over to the State of Alabama.

Today the site is an intriguing historic site where visitors can explore the history of more than 100 years of coastal defense. Our newly updated Fort Morgan page is now online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortmorgan. Be sure to take a look!

Forts of Mobile bay, Alabama - Fort Gaines

Built on the eastern tip of Dauphin Island, Fort Gaines (along with Fort Morgan) was one of two forts built by the U.S. Government to protect Alabama's Mobile Bay from foreign attack.

Begun in 1819, the fort was never really completed. A flaw in the original construction location caused the foundations of the brick citadel to overflow at high tide, sending designers back to the drawing board. It took 34 years for engineers to resolve the difficulties and come up with a better design for the fort.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Fort Gaines was considered a state of the art fortification and was quickly seized by Southern troops. Its heavy cannon cooperated with those of Fort Morgan across the channel to keep Mobile Bay open for Confederate blockade runners until August of 1864. That was when Admiral David G. Farragut's Union fleet stormed into the bay, running a gauntlet of artillery fire between the two forts.

The gunners in Fort Gaines watched helplessly as the courageous crew of the ironclad C.S.S. Tennessee was finally battered into submission about 1 mile north of their defenses. The fort itself then came under immediate attack and for three days was battered with artillery fire from both land and sea before its commander, Colonel Charles Anderson, finally raised the white flag. The 800 Confederates in Fort Gaines had desperately tried to defend their fort, but the Union ironclads could move to within point blank range to blast holes in the masonry fort, while their own shot bounced harmlessly off the iron of the Federal ships.

Modern batteries were added to the fort's defenses during the Spanish American War and it remained an important U.S. Army post through World War II.

Now a beautifully preserved historic site, Fort Gaines is open to the public daily. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortgainesal.

Summer Escapes #7 - Dauphin Island, Alabama

One of the true crown jewels of the Gulf Coast, Dauphin Island, Alabama, is one of the most beautiful spots in the Deep South for a summer escape. It also offers a fascinating history and some of the nation's most significant historic sites.

A charming barrier island bordering the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of Mobile Bay, Dauphin Island was visited by Native Americans for hundreds if not thousands of years before Spanish and French explorers first set foot on its white sand beaches. Massive shell mounds left behind by Indians of the Mississippian era once stood as tall as 50 feet high on the island, reminders of thousands of meals of raw oysters and other shell fish. One of the few surviving mounds can be seen today at Shell Mound Park on the north shore of the island.

Dauphin Island received its name from the French, who arrived there in 1699. They found piles of human bones (probably washed from an ancient burial mound) on the island and believed that a massacre had taken place there, prompting them to call it Massacre Island. They soon renamed it after a member of French royalty. Hurricanes and other disasters drove the main French settlement from Dauphin Island in just a couple of decades, but for a brief time it was the home of the Governor General of Louisiana.

The island was also held by the British and Spanish over time, before passing into the hands of the United States when American troops took Mobile during the early 19th century. By 1819, construction was underway on Fort Gaines at the eastern tip of the island. With Fort Morgan across the channel on Mobile Point, the massive brick fortress was designed to protect Mobile Bay from enemy invasion.

Southern troops seized both of the forts in 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War. Fort Gaines played a critical role in the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864, one of the key actions of the war. It was within site of its walls that Union Admiral David G. Farragut uttered his famous orders, "Damn the torpedoes! Full Speed Ahead!" The anchor of his flagship, the U.S.S. Hartford, is on display today at Fort Gaines, which is now a beautifully preserved historic site.

Dauphin Island is also known for its outstanding beaches, slow-paced coastal life and outstanding fishing. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dauphinisland.

The Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama

One of the most dramatic battles of the Civil War took place on Alabama's Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. The Union fleet of Admiral David Farragut steamed into the mouth of the bay, ending Mobile's three year status as one of the most successful ports for blockade runners in the Confederacy.

The Battle of Mobile Bay is remembered today at Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan at the entrance to the bay and on an extended driving tour of Civil War sites in the bay area.

The battle began at 6:30 a.m. when the ships of Farragut's fleet, lashed together in pairs and guided by four ironclad monitors, steamed within range of the Confederate guns at Fort Morgan. The Southern artillery opened fire, the Federal ships responded and the battle was under way.

The Confederates had planted mines or "torpedoes" (as they were known in those days) in the main channel leading from the Gulf of Mexico into Mobile Bay. As the ironclad monitor U.S.S. Tecumseh steamed into the bay, Southern troops on shore set off one of their torpedoes. It exploded directly under the Tecumseh, which then capsized and sank to the bottom of the bay with dozens of sailors still on board.

The shocking sight caused the fleet to stall while still in point blank range of the cannon in Fort Morgan. Seeing what had happened, Admiral Farragut gave his famed orders to "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" The ships began to move faster and soon passed out of the range of the dangerous Confederate guns. Had they not done so, the Battle of Mobile Bay might have ended in disaster for the U.S. Navy.

Once in the bay, however, the ships were challenged by the Confederate ironclad C.S.S. Tennessee and a few small wooden gunboats. Although the Federals easily drove away the wooden boats, the Tennessee was a different matter. Admiral Franklin Buchanan steamed the ship directly into the midst of the Union fleet in a courageous but hopeless fight against overwhelming odds.

At one point, the Tennessee fought seven Union warships at once. In the end, however, the vessel was battered into submission. Immobile and barely able to return fire, she surrendered about one mile north of Fort Gaines.

The battle effectively ended the use of Mobile Bay by blockade runners. It would take months of fighting and a major campaign before the city itself fell, but the Battle of Mobile Bay was one of the most dramatic naval battles of the Civil War.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/mobilebay.

Fort Gaines - Dauphin Island, Alabama

Located on the eastern tip of Dauphin Island, Fort Gaines was one of two huge masonry forts built during the first half of the 19th century to defend Alabama's Mobile Bay from foreign attack.

Occupied by Southern troops in 1861, the fort was the focus of heavy fighting during the Battle of Mobile Bay and it was within sight of its walls that Admiral David Farragut yelled his famed command, "Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!"

Imposing fortifications, Fort Gaines and its sister work, Fort Morgan on Mobile Point, kept the Union navy at bay for more than three years, allowing Mobile Bay to remain a major port for blockade runners for much of the Civil War.

On August 5, 1864, however, the fleet of Admiral Farragut attacked in one of the great land/sea battles of the war. Despite the loss of the U.S.S. Tecumseh to an underwater mine or "torpedo," the Union fleet forced its way into Mobile Bay. The accomplishment was no longer achieved, however, than the lone Confederate ironclad C.S.S. Tennessee steamed out to engage Farragut's warships. In a tremendous battle, the Tennessee was literally battered into submission, at times engaging as many as seven Union ships at once. A smoking wreck by the end of the battle, she surrendered about one mile north of Fort Gaines.

A three day siege of the fort followed, resulting in the surrender of the 800 man garrison on August 8, 1864. It would take another eight months and a major campaign, however, before the U.S. flag was raised again over the city of Mobile.

The old fort today is a major landmark on Dauphin Island, a beautiful barrier island just south of Mobile, Alabama. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortgainesal.

Fort Gaines, Georgia - History on the Chattahoochee

This is a photograph of a Confederate cannon at Fort Gaines, Georgia, framed by Spanish moss and still located in its original battery more than 140 years after the end of the Civil War.

Fort Gaines was the site of three different forts during the 19th century. The first fort, a square log stockade with two blockhouses, was built by the U.S. Army in 1816. The second fort, built during the Creek War of 1836, was held by Georgia militia forces for a few months. The third fort, built by Confederate forces, was occupied until the end of the Civil War.

One of the batteries of the Confederate fort is very well-preserved and the cannon in place there is an original, left behind and forgotten at the end of the war.

In addition to its military history, Fort Gaines offers a wide variety of historic sites and is a charming small town deeply imbedded in the frontier history of Georgia. If you would like to learn more about this fascinating community, please visit our new Fort Gaines, Georgia pages at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortgaines.