Mobile Bay, AL

[The Battle of Mobile Bay by Louis Prang - Courtesy of Wikipedia]

Date(s): August 2-23, 1864

Campaign(s): Operations in Mobile Bay [1864]

Battles in Campaign:

• Mobile Bay, AL - August 2-23, 1864 A

Situation:

Commanders:

• Union: Adm. David G. Farragut and Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger

• Confederate: Adm. Franklin Buchanan and Brig. Gen. Richard L. Page

Principal Forces:

• Union: Farragut’s Fleet (14 wooden ships and 4 monitors) and U.S. army forces near Mobile 

• Confederate: Buchanan’s Flotilla (3 gunboats and an ironclad), Fort Morgan Garrison, Fort Gaines Garrison, and Fort Powell Garrison

Description:

• A combined Union force initiated operations to close Mobile Bay to blockade running.

• Some Union forces landed on Dauphin Island and laid siege to Fort Gaines.

• On August 5, Adm. David G. Farragut’s Union fleet of eighteen ships entered Mobile Bay and received a devastating fire from Forts Gaines and Morgan and other points. 

• After passing the forts, Farragut forced the Confederate naval forces, under Adm. Franklin Buchanan, to surrender, which effectively closed Mobile Bay.

• By August 23, Fort Morgan, the last big holdout, fell, shutting down the port.

• Mobile was not captured.

Photo Gallery:²

Strategic Situation August 22, 1864 - March 1865	The Battle of Mobile Bay - Phase I	Strategic Situation March - July 1864	View of Mobile, the Confederate obstructions guarding the city, and the Federal fleet from the upper bay
Union assault on Fort Gaines	"Damn the Torpedos!"	Union Assault on Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan
Movement to Battle July - August 1864	Union Assault on Fort Gaines	Battle of Mobile Bay - Phase I	Assault on Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Storm Clouds Gather - Fort Morgan - The Overland Campaign
Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan	Farragut's ships passing Fort Morgan	Eleven- inch forward pivot gun in action	Fort Morgan's water battery engages Federal fleet.
The CSS Tennessee attacks U.S. ships Richmond and Lackawana	The CSS Selma surrenders to the USS Metacomet	The CSS Ram Tennessee surrenders	Fort Morgan
The USS Lackawana rams the CSS Tennessee	CSS Tennessee
	Fort Morgan
	Feint to Fowl River by Union Gen. Moore's Brigade
			Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan	Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan	Plan of Fort Morgan
	Plan of Fort Morgan	March of XIII Corps to Bayou Portage	Strategic situation in the Gulf from August 22, 1864 to March 1865
Approaching Fort Gaines via the ferry from Fort Morgan	Fort Gaines - Established in 1821	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines
Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines
Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines		Fort Gaines
Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Shell hit from USS Chickasaw during battle of Mobile Bay - Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines
Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines
Fort Gaines	"Damn the torpedoes!"	Fort Gaines	Union bombardment of Fort Powell
Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines
Bastion Magazine - Fort Gaines	Bakery - Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines
Fort Gaines	Latrine - Fort Gaines	Latrine - Fort Gaines	Quartermaster Building - Fort Gaines
Quartermaster Building - Fort Gaines	Quartermaster Building - Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines
Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines
Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines
Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines	Fort Gaines
Fort Gaines

Slide Presentations³:

• Mobile Bay, AL - Microsoft PowerPoint

Classification⁴: A

Casualties⁵:

• Union: 322

• Confederate: 1,500

Results: Union Victory

Battlefield Website:

• Battle for Mobile Bay

• Battle of Mobile Bay - Wikipedia

• Historic Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island, Alabama

• Fort Morgan and the Battle of Mobile Bay

Recommended Resources:

¹ National Park Service summary.

² Please click on the image to enlarge it. You may copy the images if you include the following note and link with each image: "Courtesy of civil-war-journeys.org."

³ Slide Presentation Published on 8/19/07. Click on link to view as web-based slide show.

⁴ Classification:

• A - having a decisive influence on a campaign and a direct impact on the course of the war

• B - having a direct and decisive influence on their campaign

• C - having observable influence on the outcome of a campaign

• D - having a limited influence on the outcome of their campaign or operation but achieving or affecting important local objectives

⁵ Casualties are someone killed, injured, wounded, captured or missing.

Revised 08/27/2009