"Damn the Torpedoes": The Battle of Mobile Bay and the Fall of the Gulf's Last Confederate Stronghold

On August 5, 1864, the Union Navy launched one of its most daring and consequential assaults of the American Civil War: the Battle of Mobile Bay. Led by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, the Union flotilla stormed through Confederate defenses guarding the entrance to Mobile Bay, Alabama, sealing off one of the last major Southern ports and delivering a strategic blow to the Confederacy's Gulf Coast operations.

The battle was not merely a naval engagement-it was a calculated assault on a fortified coastal system that had long defied Union blockade efforts. Mobile Bay was protected by a triad of Confederate forts: Fort Morgan on Mobile Point, Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island, and Fort Powell at Grant's Pass. These installations, along with a small Confederate fleet and a minefield of "torpedoes," formed a formidable defensive network designed to repel any Union advance.

The Fortified Gateway to Mobile

Fort Morgan, the largest and most heavily armed of the three forts, was a star-shaped masonry structure completed in 1834. Positioned at the eastern tip of Mobile Bay's entrance, it mounted 46 guns and served as the primary guardian of the deep-water channel. Brigadier General Richard L. Page, a former U.S. Navy officer turned Confederate commander, oversaw its defense.

Across the channel on Dauphin Island stood Fort Gaines, a newer installation with 26 guns and a garrison of approximately 600 men under Colonel Charles D. Anderson. Though smaller than Fort Morgan, Fort Gaines provided critical crossfire coverage and sheltered anchorage for Confederate vessels.

Further west, Fort Powell guarded the secondary entrance at Grant's Pass. Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James M. Williams, it was the smallest of the trio but still posed a threat to Union flanking maneuvers.

Together, these forts created a deadly gauntlet for any fleet attempting to breach Mobile Bay. To supplement the static defenses, the Confederates deployed a minefield of floating torpedoes-barrels packed with explosives-across the main channel. These devices were designed to detonate on contact, posing a lethal hazard to wooden-hulled ships.

Commanders and Strategy

Rear Admiral David Farragut, already a hero for his capture of New Orleans in 1862, was tasked with neutralizing Mobile Bay. His fleet consisted of 18 ships, including four ironclad monitors and 14 wooden steamers. Farragut's flagship, the USS Hartford, would lead the charge.

Supporting Farragut was Major General Gordon Granger, who commanded a contingent of Union infantry tasked with besieging the coastal forts once the fleet had passed. Granger's forces landed on Dauphin Island on August 3 and began operations against Fort Gaines.

Opposing Farragut was Admiral Franklin Buchanan, commander of the Confederate naval squadron. Buchanan had previously commanded the CSS Virginia during the famous clash with the USS Monitor at Hampton Roads. His flagship at Mobile Bay was the ironclad CSS Tennessee, supported by three gunboats: the Selma, Gaines, and Morgan.

The Battle Unfolds

At dawn on August 5, Farragut's fleet advanced in two columns, with the ironclads hugging the shoreline near Fort Morgan and the wooden ships lashed together in pairs to provide mutual support. As the fleet entered the bay, Fort Morgan opened fire, and the monitor USS Tecumseh struck a torpedo and sank within minutes, taking most of her crew with her.

The sudden loss caused hesitation among the Union captains, but Farragut, lashed to the rigging of the Hartford to see above the smoke, famously ordered: "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" The fleet surged forward, navigating through the minefield and past the forts.

Once inside the bay, Farragut turned his attention to Buchanan's squadron. The Union ships quickly overwhelmed the Confederate gunboats, capturing or destroying them. The Tennessee, however, proved a tougher opponent. Buchanan steered his ironclad into the heart of the Union fleet, engaging in a brutal slugfest at close range.

Despite its armor, the Tennessee was outnumbered and outmaneuvered. After hours of pounding, her steering was disabled, and Buchanan was wounded. The ironclad surrendered, effectively ending Confederate naval resistance in the bay.

Aftermath and Legacy

With the Confederate fleet neutralized, Union forces turned their attention to the forts. Fort Gaines surrendered on August 8, and Fort Powell was abandoned and destroyed by its garrison. Fort Morgan held out until August 23, when sustained bombardment and isolation forced the defender to relinquish the fort.