Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 12.djvu/97

Rh The officers of the Morgan were Commander George W. Harrison, with Lieut. Thomas L. Harrison as executive; of the Gaines, Lieut. Com. J. W. Bennett, Lieutenant Payne, Assistant Surgeon Iglehart, Assistant Engineer Dubois, Gunner Offut, and Paymaster's Clerk Wilson; of the Selma, Lieut Com. P. U. Murphy, Lieut. J. H. Comstock, Assistant Surgeon Booth and Midshipman Robinson. The squadron was commanded by Admiral Franklin Buchanan, who had been promoted for his memorable victory at Hampton Roads.

The entrance to Mobile bay was protected by the powerful Fort Morgan at Mobile Point on one side, and Fort Gaines on Dauphine island on the other. There were also a large number of torpedoes planted in the bay, and a line of piles. But the defense of Mobile rested principally on Fort Morgan.

The United States fleet destined to make the attack was under the command of the celebrated Admiral David Farragut, and consisted of the Hartford, Brooklyn, Richmond, Lackawanna, Monongahela, Ossipee and Oneida, all heavily armed steam sloops; the gunboats Metacomet, Octarara, Port Royal, Seminole, Kennebec, Itasca and Galena, averaging eight guns each ; with the monitors Tecumseh, Manhattan, Winnebago and Chickasaw, the two former armed with two 1 5-inch guns each, the last two with four 11-inch guns each. Altogether the fleet carried 160 heavy guns.

At 5:30 on the morning of August 4, 1864, Farragut made signal to his fleet to get under way. His plan of attack was in two columns, the monitors forming the right column, and the corvettes the left, each corvette having on her port side a gunboat to assist her in case of necessity a capital arrangement. The Tecumseh led the line of monitors, and the Brooklyn the line of corvettes. The flagship Hartford was the second in the line.

At 7 minutes past 7 a, m., Fort Morgan opened fire, and the Tecumseh fired two shots at the fort, while Buchan-