- Date:
- August 5, 1864 - August 23, 1864
- Location:
- Alabama
- Atlantic Ocean
- Mobile
- Mobile Bay
- United States
- Participants:
- Confederate States of America
- United States
- Context:
- American Civil War
- Key People:
- Franklin Buchanan
- David Farragut
Battle of Mobile Bay
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What was the Battle of Mobile Bay?
The Battle of Mobile Bay was a naval engagement during the American Civil War that took place on August 5, 1864. Union Admiral David Farragut was tasked with sealing off the port of Mobile, Alabama, from Confederate blockade runners.
Mobile Bay was heavily defended by two forts, rows of stakes, and many floating mines. As the Union fleet approached, the Confederate squadron opened fire. One Union ship, the Tecumseh, was struck by a mine and sunk. Despite this setback, Farragut urged his fleet forward with the famous command, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead". The Union fleet sailed into Mobile Bay and battled the Confederate fleet, eventually forcing the surrender of the Confederate admiral. The Union victory at Mobile Bay was a major blow to the Confederacy, as it closed one of their last major ports.
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When and where did the Battle of Mobile Bay take place?
The Battle of Mobile Bay occurred between August 5 and 23, 1864. During this American Civil War naval engagement, Union Admiral David Farragut successfully sealed off Mobile Bay, Alabama, from Confederate blockade runners. Farragut's mission was to close the port, completing the Union's shipping stranglehold on the South.
Mobile Bay is an arm of the Gulf of Mexico, that stretches 35 miles north from its outlet to the mouth of the Mobile River.
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Which sides fought in the Battle of Mobile Bay?
During the Battle of Mobile Bay, the Union, led by Admiral David Farragut, fought against the Confederacy. The Union fleet included four monitors and fourteen wooden steamships. The Confederate squadron consisted of three gunboats and the ironclad CSS Tennessee. The battle resulted in the Union gaining control of Mobile Bay by taking over Confederate-held forts.
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Why was the Battle of Mobile Bay important during the Civil War?
The Battle of Mobile Bay was a significant naval engagement during the American Civil War. Union Admiral David Farragut successfully sealed off Mobile, Alabama, from Confederate blockade runners. Mobile was the most important Confederate port left on the Gulf of Mexico in 1864, and its closure completed the Union's shipping stranglehold on the South. The Union victory placed the waters of Mobile Bay firmly under Union control. Farragut's success was achieved despite facing heavy defenses, including forts and mines, and is remembered for his famous order: "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead".
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Who were the key leaders at the Battle of Mobile Bay?
During the Battle of Mobile Bay, key leaders included Union Admiral David Farragut and Confederate Admiral Franklin Buchanan.
Farragut commanded the Union fleet, which consisted of four monitors and fourteen wooden steamships. He is famous for his order, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead," during the battle. Buchanan commanded the Confederate squadron, which included three gunboats and the ironclad CSS Tennessee. Despite being wounded, Buchanan fought until the Tennessee was disabled, and he was forced to surrender.
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How did the outcome of the Battle of Mobile Bay affect the course of the Civil War?
The Battle of Mobile Bay, fought August 5-23, 1864, saw Union Admiral David Farragut successfully seal off Mobile, Alabama, from Confederate blockade runners. Mobile was the last important Confederate port on the Gulf of Mexico.
Farragut's victory completed the Union's shipping stranglehold on the South and allowed them to use Mobile to supply forces moving south after the Battle of Atlanta. The Union victory significantly weakened the Confederacy by depriving it of essential supplies and further isolating it from international trade. Although the city of Mobile itself wasn't seized until April 1865, control of the bay was firmly in Union hands after the battle.
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Battle of Mobile Bay, naval engagement of the American Civil War on August 5–23, 1864, during which Union Admiral David Farragut succeeded in sealing off the port of Mobile, Alabama, from Confederate blockade runners.
During the Civil War, Union ships imposed a blockade on Confederate ports. One of the few ports to defy the blockade was Mobile in Alabama, the most important Confederate port left on the Gulf of Mexico in 1864. In August of that year, Farragut was tasked with closing the port, completing the shipping stranglehold on the South, and using Mobile to supply Union forces moving south after the Battle of Atlanta.
The anchorage in Mobile Bay was well protected by two forts, Morgan and Gaines, and rows of stakes blocking the shallows, as well as many floating mines, then known as “torpedoes.” Farragut planned his attack well. In the early hours of August 5 his fleet of four monitors and fourteen wooden steamships crossed the bar at the entrance to the harbor on the incoming tide. The four monitors steamed on the starboard side of his wooden warships to protect them from Fort Morgan’s guns.
Ahead of them, a Confederate squadron consisting of three gunboats and the large ironclad CSS Tennessee lay in wait. As the Union fleet approached, the 46 heavy guns of Fort Morgan opened fire. The Union fleet responded, the exchange creating such smoke that Farragut had to climb the mainmast of his flagship USS Hartford to see what was happening. Ahead, the Confederate fleet joined in the battle. Maneuvering to engage the Tennessee, the Union ship Tecumseh struck a torpedo and sank, with few survivors among its crew of 114 seamen and officers. As the Union squadron came to an uncertain halt, Farragut urged them on with a command that, though the exact words are much contested, has passed into history as “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead.”
Farragut’s careful plan threatened to unravel, but the attackers fought on. Narrowly avoiding collisions at the entrance, and with the Hartford in the lead, the Union fleet sailed on into Mobile Bay, where for three hours it battled the Tennessee while still being shelled from the two forts. After a long and hard fight, the Union ships finally succeeded in blowing a hole in the Tennessee’s iron armor. The wounded Confederate admiral, Franklin Buchanan, then ran up the white flag and surrendered.
Fort Gaines surrendered on August 8, and with no way to resupply it, on August 23 Fort Morgan surrendered as well, placing the waters of Mobile Bay firmly under Union control. The heavily defended city of Mobile itself was not taken until April 12, 1865, three days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox.
Losses: Union, 1 ironclad of 18 ships, 151 men killed, 177 wounded; Confederate, 1 ironclad and 2 gunboats of 4 ships, 13 men killed, 22 wounded, and (by the time the forts had surrendered) 1,500 men captured.
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