Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 7.djvu/61

44 parts of the bay. Seven miles from the city, a line of defenses known as Spanish Fort protected the bay shore and Forts Gaines and Morgan stood at the entrance of the bay, four miles apart, the former under the command of Colonel Anderson and the latter under General Page. The ram Tennessee and the gunboats Gaines, Morgan, Selma and others contributed to the defenses.

Early in 1864, Farragut arrived off Mobile bay. The campaign against Mobile was planned to consist of an attack by water to be supported by an attack by land forces under General Banks.

It was impossible on account of Federal reverses in the Red River campaign to carry out these arrangements immediately. General Canby was placed in command of the West Mississippi division in May, 1864, but was obliged to send a large portion of his force to the defense of Washington, and the attack on Mobile was postponed. On August 2, 1864, Gen. Gordon Granger, United States army, arrived off Santa Rosa island with 1,500 men, proceeded to Dauphin island, and landed in spite of the resistance made by the fort guns and the gunboats.

At 6 o'clock, August 5th, fourteen vessels, with the Tecumseh in the lead, steamed toward Fort Morgan. The Tecumseh struck a torpedo and sank, but her place was filled by Farragut's flagship, the Hartford. This was engaged by the Tennessee, and a most desperate conflict ensued, until the ram was disabled and obliged to strike her colors. The Selma was captured, but the Morgan and Gaines escaped. Fort Gaines, shelled by the monitors on one side, and Granger's forces on the other, was compelled to surrender. Then followed the siege of Fort Morgan. Fire within the fort compelled the garrison to sacrifice most of their ammunition, and the interior of the fort was a mass of smouldering ruins in which lay the bodies of many of its brave defenders, when it was surrendered by General Page, August 23, 1864.

The Federal fleet now had control of the bay; and had