BACKGROUND

After the fall of New Orleans in the spring of 1862, the center of blockade-running in the Gulf for the Confederates switched to the port of Mobile. The commander of the Federal West Gulf Blockading Squadron, Rear-Admiral David G. Farragut, was determined to put an end to this trade by capturing this major point of entry and departure for the blockade runners.

The city itself was located on the northern shore of Mobile Bay, thirty miles from the Gulf. Guarding the main entrance to the bay were two forts: Fort Morgan on the eastern side of the channel and Fort Gaines on the west. In the middle of the entrance channel, a line of submerged pilings stretched almost two miles long. These obstructions effectively channeled navigation to either side of the entrance and to the guns of the two forts. Furthermore, a triple line of moored torpedoes lengthened the barrier to within a quarter of a mile of Fort Morgan.

To defend Mobile, the Confederates had planned to build a fleet of seven ironclads. By the summer of 1864, only one, the Tennessee, was completed and ready for combat duty. All of the others were either incomplete or not fit to navigate in open waters. Along with the Tennessee, the Confederates also had a number of poorly armed and armored gunboats. Three sidewheel gunboats, the Morgan, the Gaines, and the Selma, were on hand to lend aid to the Tennessee and the two forts. The Mobile squadron was organized and commanded by Admiral Franklin Buchanan of Hampton Roads fame.

Prepare for Action

On July 12, 1864 the order was passed among Farragut's force to prepare for action against the enemy defenses. Coal stores were topped off, nonessential equipment was off-loaded, vital areas were reinforced with sandbags, and heavy anchor chains were draped over the sides of the wooden frigates for added protection.

With his fleet fully assembled, Farragut moved toward the entrance of the bay on the morning of August 5th. At 5:30 am the fleet got under way in two columns. The main column consisted of seven large ships, each with a gunboat lashed to the side. Moving to a position to the starboard side of the main column, the second column (made up of four monitors) moved closest to the guns of Fort Morgan. Farragut moved his fleet down the narrow shipping lane that was left unmined by the Confederate defenders and tried to skirt Fort Morgan. At 6:30 am the battle began when the lead monitor, the Tecumseh, fired her guns at Fort Morgan. The guns of the fort replied and by 7:00 am the Federal ships were exchanging broadsides with the guns of the fort as they passed by.

By this time Buchanan's squadron moved toward the action with the flagship, the Tennessee, in the lead. As the Tennessee drew closer to the enemy, the Tecumseh moved out of the shipping lane and headed straight for the Confederate ironclad.

"Damn the Torpedoes!"

At 7:30 am, two hundred yards away from the Tennessee, the Tecumseh struck a mine, reeled to port, and sunk in less than two minutes. The monitor went down bow first with the propeller still turning, taking ninety-three of her crew with her. With a cry of "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" Farragut, lashed to the rigging of the Hartford, ordered his fleet forward, past Fort Morgan and the minefield, and into Mobile Bay.

As the Federal ships passed into the bay, a short engagement ensued between the two navies. The Tennessee attempted to ram, unsuccessfully, the Hartford and the Brooklyn, and traded shots with the rest of the Federal line, before coming under the protection of Fort Morgan. The gunboats of the Confederate squadron put up a good fight, but eventually they were all either captured, sunk, or chased off.

By 9:00 am, Farragut's ships were recovering in the middle of the bay and the Tennessee (the only Confederate ship left at this point) was safely moored under the protection of the fort. As Farragut contemplated as to what he should do next, the issue was decided for him by "Old Buck." The Tennessee moved away from the fort and headed straight for the Federal fleet. As the ironclad approached, the Hartford signaled for the monitors and the larger vessels to attack. As the battle resumed, the Tennessee was rammed several times by Farragut's screw sloops, with more damage being inflicted on the wooden warships than on the Confederate ironclad.

Surrounded, the Tennessee was slowly pounded into submission as guns, ports, smokestack, and steering gear were shot away. The Manhattan, a single-turreted monitor, at point-blank range, fired a 440 pound solid shot backed by 60 pounds of powder from one of her 15-inch guns. Daylight was admitted into the Tennessee's casemate as this shot plunged through over two feet of solid wood and five inches of iron plating. It was the only shot to penetrate the Tennessee's armor that day.

With the Tennessee almost helpless, dead in the water, and unable to shoot back, Buchanan finally gave permission for the ship to surrender at 10:00am. Shortly thereafter, both Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines surrendered after a fierce naval bombardment. Farragut gained a great victory but at a high cost. Union losses were reported as 145 killed and 170 wounded, many of these from the ill-fated Tecumseh. Confederate losses amounted to twelve killed, twenty wounded, and the crews of the Tennessee and Selma captured. The victory at Mobile Bay gave the Union a boost to its morale as their armies were being roughly handled in the summer campaigns farther to the North.

The Battle of Mobile Bay Scenario and Order of Battle
The Battle of Mobile Bay Scenario Map
Overall Map of Mobile Bay (huge file: slow)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gibbons, Warships and Naval Battles of the Civil War, 1989.
Gibbons and Drury, The Civil War Military Machine, 1993.
Johnson and Buel, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol. IV, 1888.
Old Guard Wargamers, Inc., Conquest of Southern Waters, 1991
Silverstone, Warships of the Civil War Navies, 1989.
Still, Iron Afloat: The Story of the Confederate Armorclads, 1971.

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© Copyright 1996 The American Civil War Society

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