CHAPTER XVII.
RE-EMBARK FOR MOBILE BAY - CAPTURE OF FORT GAINES - FORT POWELL BLOWN UP BY THE ENEMY - OUR FLEET PASSING THE, FORTS - CAPTURE OF THE REBEL RAM TENNESSEE - SIEGE OF FORT MORGAN - BOMBARDMENT - THE FORT ON FIRE - ITS SURRENDER.
ON our arrival we found the city denuded of troops, as the forces were being sent forward to Dauphin Island, where active preparations were in progress under Com. FARRAGUT and Gen. GRANGER to get possession of the forts guarding the entrance to Mobile Bay. We received orders late on the same night of our arrival to be prepared to embark on the following morning, at 7 o'clock, and that hour accordingly found us again on the levee, in a severe rain storm, where transports were awaiting us. Owing to the rain much time was consumed in getting all the troops on board, but the embarkation was completed and we left the landing at 12 o'clock, M., turning our course once more down stream. We crossed the bar at South-West Pass on the morning of August 8th, and proceeded at once towards Mobile Bay, arriving at Dauphin Island on the same day, and a few hours subsequent to the surrender of Fort Gaines to Admiral FARRAGUT, where we came to anchor.
On the morning of Aug. 7th, preceding our arrival, Gen. GRANGER disembarked troops on the western extremity of Dauphin Island and moved up to assault Fort
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Gaines in the rear, while the fleet under Admiral FARRGUT opened a furious bombardment from the sea side. The result of these operations was correctly given in a Mobile paper two days subsequently, as follows:
"On Friday night Lieut. Col. Williams, commanding Fort Powell, evacuated and blew up the fort. Yesterday and to-day the enemy are shelling Fort Gaines. The people of Mobile are all ready for the fray. Great confidence prevails; the people are satisfied with the conduct of Lieuts. Buchanan, Maury and Burnett of the navy."
On Monday, Aug. 8th, the following account of operations up to that date was published:
"It is painfully humiliating to announce the shameful surrender of Fort Gaines, at 9:30 o'clock this morning, by Col. Chas. Anderson, of the 21st Alabama regiment. This powerful work was provisioned for six months, and with a garrison of 900 men. He communicated with the enemy's fleet by a flag of truce, without the sanction of Gen. Page, who inquired by signal what his purpose was, but received no answer. His attention was attracted by signal guns. Page repeatedly telegraphed, "hold on to your fort." The same night he visited Fort Gaines, and found Anderson on board the Yankee fleet, arranging the terms of capitulation. He left peremptory orders for Anderson on his return not to surrender the fort, and relieved him of his command. Fort Morgan signalled this morning, but no answer was received, except the hoisting of the Yankee flag over the ramparts of Fort
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Gaines. Anderson's conduct is officially pronounced inexplicable and shameful."
In order to convey a clear understanding of the obstacles overcome in the preceding operations by our fleet it will perhaps be well here to glance hastily at the locality. A vessel of any considerable size, in entering Mobile Bay, must pass between Forts Morgan and Gaines, and close under the guns of the former. Mobile Point on the western extremity of which stands Fort Morgan, is a long peninsula which juts out from the main land, extending due west a distance of seventeen miles. Fort Morgan, known as Fort Boyer in the war of 1812, is a pentagon tract, built upon regular angles, and protected upon the sea-front by a strong battery of masonry and turf. The ditch being protected by a low and close grove of the bayonet palm, forming a natural and almost impregnable abattis. Three miles north-west from Mobile Point across the strait which forms the principal ship entrance, is the eastern extremity of Dauphin Island, on which stands Fort Gaines. This is a less important work than Fort Morgan, although if it had been finished as originally designed by the National Government would have mounted twice as many guns as the latter.
The entrance to the Bay, between Forts Morgan and Gaines, was defended also by a strong abattis formed of "spiles" which extended across in such a manner as to leave a narrow channel on either side, through which vessels in entering were compelled to pass, thus bringing
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them immediately under the guns of the forts. These channels were also guarded by innumerable torpedoes, so placed, however, as to permit blockade running vessels, guided by pilots possessing a thorough knowledge of their locality, to pass in and out with perfect safety. An officer possessing less than iron nerves would have been dismayed by obstacles so formidable. The concentrated fire of sixty guns of the heaviest calibre, in easy range, and the network of torpedoes might be successfully overcome by wooden vessels, but when these obstacles were passed, there remained another and still more dangerous one in the iron monster - the double-turreted monitor Tennessee, covered with seven-inch wrought iron casing, armed with six 15-inch guns, and a huge iron ram capable of crushing in the sides of any ordinary wooden vessel - which lay beyond the entrance, exulting in conscious power, awaiting in silence the moment the fleet should pass the other barriers and enter the arena in which she held sway, when she would join in the fray, and carry death and destruction among her more frail antagonists.
Nothing daunted by the difficulties and dangers which lay before him in overcoming these obstacles, Admiral FARRAGUT, ever foremost where dangers were thickest, after forming his line of battle on the morning of the 7th, mounted to the rigging of his own vessel, where two small howitzers were placed to rake the enemy's water-batteries as he passed, and gave the signal for the fleet to advance. Gallantly and in silence they moved up to
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the work, amidst thunders of artillery from the forts - until the narrow pass under the enemy's guns were reached, when our gallant fleet also opened - slowly at first, but gradually increasing the rapidity of their fire, until the intervals of time were all filled by one continuous roar, as broadside after broadside was poured in upon the fort. A few minutes of suspense followed, as the fleet was obscured from view in clouds of smoke, through which the bright flashes of the guns alone could be seen, and the unflinching shouts of the gallant seamen heard, when suddenly the curtain of smoke was drawn aside, disclosing the heroic commander still in the rigging, with his two guns pouring their rapid discharges of grape-shot down into the enemy's water-batteries, while he swung his hat in the air, cheering on his already damaged fleet. Another moment and the fort was passed, when the Tennessee joined the melee. Firing her huge guns with great rapidity, she suddenly dashed her ponderous prow against the side of the Hartford, crushing it in as if it were an egg-shell. Again she drew back, gathering force to repeat the blow, when the flagship closed with her. Shots glanced harmlessly from her iron casing; the Brooklyn after closing with her lay close up - broadside against her - while she rained heavy two hundred pound solid shot point-blank on her roofing at a distance of only nine feet, without avail; our huge ships, with a full headway of steam, attempted again and again to run her down by forcing themselves on her back; she seemed invulnerable at all points, when by
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mere chance a solid shot from the Brooklyn struck the only exposed spot - (the opening through whioh her rudder chain passed) - jamming the iron casing in on the chain, and rendering her unmanageable - when she surrendered. Half an hour's work put her in complete repair, and within three hours from her capture she was manned by a crew from our own fleet, lying in easy range, and her guns working with great effect against the fort. The daring bravery and unflinching determination displayed by Admiral FARRAGUT, and his gallant officers and men, in this action were never surpassed. The admiration elicited by it from those who were mere spectators was unbounded, and we could not avoid a feeling of pride when we reflected that the feat was accomplished by our own gallant navy - destined, ere long, if not already, to be master of the seas.
The success of the fleet in passing these forts, and the surrender of one of them, gave us possession of the Bay.
Our transports, after the surrender of Fort Gaines, were enabled to pass the guns of Fort Morgan by running through the channel on the north-east side of the strait, by which the troops ascended to Pilot Town; six miles east of Fort Morgan, where our regiment, the 94th Illinois, and 20th Wisconsin landed on the 9th. A skirmish line consisting of the left wing of our regiment was at once thrown out, and we advanced towards the fort some distance, when we were relieved by the 94th Illinois and ordered to the rear on picket duty. During
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this time our monitors, assisted by the monitor Tennessee, were engaging the water-batteries, while the remainder of the fleet lay off some three miles in the Bay - occasionally firing broadsides at the fort.
The remainder of the troops having disembarked we moved down on the 11th within two miles of the fort, where we encamped, and immediately constructed "bomb-proofs" to protect us from the fire of the enemy's large guns. A "banquette" was then commenced within six hundred yards of the fort, extending across the peninsula from the sea-side to the Bay. This was completed on the 20th, and our batteries, consisting of sixteen mortars, ten heavy siege guns, and eight field pieces, being in position at short intervals in rear of the "banquette," the bombardment was ready to begin. During the construction of the "banquette" our camp was several times furiously shelled by the large guns of the fort, but most of the shots passed entirely over us, exploding some distance in our rear, and doing little damage beside frightening away our colored servants. Some, however, fell among our tents - one nearly demolishing the bomb-proof occupied by Company B.
On the morning of the 22d, at sunrise, the monitors were seen slowly approaching the fort, while the vessels of the fleet were quietly taking their position in line of battle. The night previous we had been unable to sleep, owing to the incessant fire from the fort, and were consequently on the qui vieve, as we knew the bombardment would soon commence, and thereby relieve us from the
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annoyance which we were suffering. Approaching with-in four hundred yards of the fort the Tennessee fired the signal shot, which was at once followed from all the land batteries and fleet. Moving up within easy range, the monitors, flag-ship, Roanoke, Brooklyn, Seneca, and other large vessels, poured in broadsides with a precision and effect we had never seen equalled. The bursting of shells inside and over the fort was constant, and during the day the rebel garrison received an average of two shells per minute. As night closed in the fort was discovered to be on fire, when the bombardment was re-doubled. The heavens were illuminated at times by the flash of guns and bursting shells, which fell like hail-stones in the works, while the earth trembled under the explosions.
On the morning of the 24th, at daybreak a white flag was seen displayed on the parapet, and the bombardment ceased. Gen. GRANGER at once ran down with his boat and received the surrender from Gen. Page, who was in command of the works. Two o'clock P. M. being the hour specified at which our forces could take possession, the rebel garrison were accordingly transferred to transports at that hour and sent off to New Orleans.
Four companies from our regiment, (B, E, F and K,) were detached to take command and moved down to the fort the same evening.
The works were found badly damaged by our batteries - portions of the fort being nearly demolished. A few days subsequent to the surrender two English
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vessels, not being aware of events which had recently transpired in the vicinity, supposing the rebels still held the fort, came in with large cargoes, on their way to Mobile, and were quietly taken possession of by our vessels, much to the surprise and indignation of the owners, who of course indulged in some laughable threats of vengeance by the "English Lion." The growls of that animal, however, had long since lost the power of terrifying our "jolly tars," who proceeded at once to estimate the probable amount each would be entitled to as "prize money."
During the bombardment of Fort Morgan, Capt. M. L. THOMSON, of our regiment, with Company C, worked a battery of four mortars, and were highly complimented by Gen. GRANGER for the efficient manner in which they performed their work.