By the summer of 1864, Mobile Bay was the only major port east of the Mississippi River still in Confederate hands. Although blockaded by the Union navy, blockade runners continued to move trade in and out of the port. Rear Admiral David G. Farragut was given the task of sealing off the entrance to the bay, stopping such trade. On 5 August 1864, the Admiral, in command of 18 vessels of the Union navy, assisted by a small force of army troops, attacked a small Confederate fleet of four vessels and three forts guarding the entrance to Mobil Bay. After a brief intense battle, two of the Confederate ships were captured, one destroyed and one fled back to the City of Mobile. One of the forts was captured, the other two rendered ineffective and later captured. This account describes in detail the actions of the twenty-two gunboats involved in the battle. I provide the exact times of movements and actions of the gunboats, detailed descriptions of the damage incurred by each of the Union gunboats, as well as the number and types of shells each fired and a list, including names, of the casualties on each ship.
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Text Copyright 2020 by Lowell L. Getz. All Rights Reserved
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