Alabama has 53 miles of coastline and Gulf Shores/Orange Beach has some of the most beautiful beaches on the Gulf Coast and in the United States. It is no wonder why so many people travel to the area to enjoy the waters, resorts and the many things to do. The Alabama coastline was a popular place 160 years ago as well, only for a different reason. Mobile Alabama is only 55 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and connected by Mobile Bay. Then, as it is now, the Port of Mobile was an important shipping destination and needed to be guarded. The solution at the time was to build two defensive coastal forts for the harbor defense at the mouth of Mobile Bay. Those historic forts, Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines, stand today and give visitors a glimpse of what life was like for the soldiers who were stationed there.
Fort Gaines
Fort Gaines is located on the eastern tip of Dauphin Island at the west entrance to Mobile Bay. Named after General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, who is best known for capturing former Vice President Aaron Burr on treason charges. Established in 1821 by the United States as a defense for Mobile Bay, the fort was not completed until 1861 due to various problems. The tide water had a tendency to enter the fort during high tide, there were land disputes, cost overruns and various other issues.
Built in the shape of a pentagon, the original plans called for ten guns to be mounted on each of the five walls and each bastion had emplacements for four flank howitzers. While the majority of the work was finished in 1861, at the outbreak of the Civil War the Confederacy completed the finishing touches to the fort and it was completed in 1862.
There are brick arched tunnels connecting to the outer walls where gun ports are located and there were barracks and stores built outside the main gate for the soldiers. Walking through the fort, down the long tunnels, I could imagine what it must have been like on one of those hot, humid Alabama days in the summer being ordered to man the walls. Touring the fort, I could only imagine what was going through the soldiers minds when they looked out on Mobile Bay and saw enemy warships approaching and knowing the fact that they would soon be bombarded with cannon fire.
Fort Gaines saw action during the American Civil War when it became the site of one of the largest naval battles and the greatest Union naval victory of the war. Naval forces of the Union and Confederacy, including both gunboats and ironclads, along with land forces engaged in the Battle of Mobile Bay from August 2 to Aug 23, 1864.
The Union soldiers, under the command of Admiral David Farragut and General Granger had 12 wooden ships, 2 gunboats, 4 ironclads and 5500 men while the confederate forces under the command of Admiral Buchanan and General Page. The confederates had 3 gun boats, 1 ironclad and 1500 men. Fort Gaines was under the command of Col. Anderson with 818 soldiers.
Fort Gaines surrendered on 8 Aug after coming under siege and Col Anderson decided his 26 guns were no match for the Unions 199 guns.
After the end of the Civil War Ft Gaines was manned with a Coastal Artillery Unit during WW1 and an anti-aircraft gunnery school during and after the war. In WW2 Ft was a camp site for the Alabama National Guard a US Coast Guard unit was stationed there to patrol for enemy submarines patrolling the Gulf of Mexico.
The fort was finally abandoned by the military and sold to the city of Mobile in 1926 and is now owned by Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board. Today you can tour the fort. Walk down the tunnel systems and peek inside the magazines. There are letters written by both Union and Confederate soldiers to family members telling of the conditions and day to day life. Take a walk up one of the ramps to the top of the walls where the gun emplacements were located and look out on Mobile Bay.
There is a gift shop, also a small museum in one of the buildings inside the fort with artifacts and info on the fort. There are not too many civil war forts left and anytime you get up close to a piece of history it is worth it.
Fort Gaines has been recognized as one of Americas eleven most endangered historic sites by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The fort is located on Dauphin Island and is open from 9am-5pm, 7 days a week except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Admission is children under 5 free, ages 5-12 $5 and ages 13 and up $10.
Dauphin Island can be reached from I-10 by taking Highway 193 South to Dauphin Island or by taking a short ferry ride from Fort Morgan. You can check out the ferry schedule and pricing on the Mobile Bay Ferry website.
Ft Morgan
Full disclosure, my visit to Ft Morgan was sponsored by Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism
Fort Morgan is located on Mobile point 22 miles from Gulf Shores Alabama on the far western tip of the island. It is located directly across Mobile Bay from Fort Gaines. Fort Morgan occupies an area where in the 1700’s, the Spanish built a military fortification, and in the early 1800’s the US built a fort. The US fort, Ft Bower, was attacked and captured by the British during the war of 1812. In 1819 construction began on a new fort and in 1833 the fort was officially named Fort Morgan after Daniel Morgan, a revolutionary war hero.
Fort Morgan is another fort built in the pentagon shape, with a wide dry moat and thick exterior walls. At the outbreak of the civil war the Alabama State Militia seized both Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines from the Federal troops. At that time Fort Morgan had around 45 guns and had 640 confederate soldiers manning it under the command of Gen Page. Sitting on the edge of Mobile Bay they also laid a naval minefield in the waters consisting of 67 mines called Fretwell Singer torpedoes.
During the Battle of Mobile Bay on Aug 5, ships from the Union navy began passing the forts so as to get into position for naval bombardments and land attacks when one of the torpedoes went off underneath the Union ironclad monitor Tecumseh, causing it to sink. This caused panic among the captain of the following ship, and he signaled Admiral Farragut for new instructions. This is when Farragut spoke the famous quote “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead”.
After the surrender of Fort Gaines, the Union army laid siege to Fort Morgan. Fearing the bombardment would hit the 80,000 lbs. of gunpowder, Gen Paige ordered the powder to be flooded and knowing the end was imminent, on August 23 ordered the remaining guns to be spiked or destroyed and raised the white flag of surrender.
After the surrender of Fort Gaines, the Union army laid siege to Fort Morgan. Fearing the bombardment would hit the 80,000 lbs. of gunpowder, Gen Paige ordered the powder to be flooded and knowing the end was imminent, on August 23 ordered the remaining guns to be spiked or destroyed and raised the white flag of surrender.
In the late 1800’s the fort was expanded to include five concrete batteries with fire control, electricity and communications. The fort was active during the Spanish American War and used for a training base during WW1. The fort was abandoned after WW1 and fell into disrepair, but the onset of WW2 saw the fort once again pressed into use by the US Military. Five 155mm howitzers were installed at the fort and an airfield was built adjacent to the fort. In 1946 the War Department turned the fort over the the State of Alabama and completely abandoned the fort in 1947.
Today the fort is operated by the Alabama Historical Commission, which is responsible for the historic preservation of the fort, and is open to the public from 8am to 5pm every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. There is a museum directly outside the fort that is open 9am to 4pm daily as well. You can walk through the tunnel to the main entrances and into the fort and once inside walk around the fort exploring the various casemates, gun emplacements and batteries. Climbing on top of the walls you can view the entire fort and surrounding area from the viewing deck and get a really good feel for how large the complex is.
Fort Morgan is a national historic landmark and is located on Hwy 180 at the west end of the island and is about 23 miles from Gulf Shores. The Mobile Bay Ferry is adjacent to the fort.
The beaches of Alabama are popular with couples and families for their white sand, the great seafood, the nightlife and shopping, but the history of the area should never be forgotten.
Love all the historic pictures! Must be a great place to vist!
They are both really great historic sites to visit.