One of the most famous statements in U.S. military history was from Union Adm. David Farragut during the critical Battle of Mobile Bay on Aug. 5, 1864.
After the dramatic sinking of the monitor USS Tecumseh caused a pause, Farragut said, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”
That prompted the Union fleet to steam through the torpedo field and enter Mobile Bay. The battle would go down as the bloodiest and consequential navel battle of the American Civil War.
Award-winning author, historian, lecturer John V. Quarstein, director emeritus of the USS Monitor Center will be the guest speaker for the Cumberland Mountain Civil War Roundtable meeting beginning at 6 p.m. May 14 in Christ Lutheran Church at 481 Snead Drive, Fairfield Glade.
Quarstein will take those in attendance into the incredible battle that seized Mobile Bay for the Union.
The city of Mobile, AL, along with the vital Mobile Bay, became the major Confederate port on the Gulf of Mexico after the fall of New Orleans, LA, in April 1862.
With blockade runners carrying critical supplies from Havana, Cuba, into Mobile, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant made the capture of the port a top priority after assuming command of all U.S. forces in early 1864.
Mobile had been the last important port on the Gulf of Mexico east of the Mississippi River remaining in Confederate possession, so its closure was the final step in completing the blockage in that region. The ultimate Union victory, together with the capture of Atlanta, was extensively covered by Union newspapers and was a significant boost for Abraham Lincoln’s bid for re-election three months after the battle.
This battle concluded as being the last naval engagement in Alabama in the War. The Battle of Mobile Bay was the capstone in the military career of Farragut, who joined the U.S. Navy at age 9.
Opposing Farragut’s force of 18 warships was a Confederate squadron of only four ships; however, it included the CSS Tennessee, said to be the most powerful ironclad afloat.
Farragut also had to contend with two powerful Confederate batteries inside forts Morgan and Gaines, which guarded the bay. His opponent was Confederate Adm. Franklin Buchanan.
Farragut assembled a joint Army and Naval force. Mobile Bay was guarded by Confederate forts – Morgan, Gaines and Powell plus a contingent of soldiers on land in the forts.
All three forts were flawed in that their guns were unprotected against fire from the rear; in addition, Forts Powell and Gaines lacked adequate traverses. The raw numbers of Confederate troops available did not indicate how effectively they would fight.
The war was already winding down, and assertions were made that morale of the soldiers was bad. The judgment is hard to quantify, but it would explain at least in part the poor performance of the Confederate defenders. There was a total of 7,000 of Union and Confederate forces. The Union had more than 5,500 versus the 1,500 of the Confederates.
Quarstein, retired from the Virginia War Museum after serving 30 years as director, eventually became director emeritus of USS Monitor Center at The Mariners Museum and Park.
He is the author of 21 books and has produced numerous articles, exhibits, and documentaries.
Quarlstein’s deep interest in all things related to the Civil War stems from his youth living on Fort Monroe, walking where icons like Lincoln and Gen. Robert E. Lee once stood.
An avid collector of decoys, waterfowl/maritime art, and Oriental rugs, John lives among them in his home, the 1757 Herbert House on Sunset Creek in Hampton, VA. On the National Register of Historic Places, this is the only house to have survived the Aug. 7, 1861, burning of Hampton.
Books written by Quarstein include his newest “The Battle of Drewry’s Bluff,” as well as earlier works “You say Merrimack, I say Virginia,” “Deserting USS Monitor,” ”Guns of USS Monitor,” “Guns of CSS Virginia” and “USS Pawnee: The Ship That Tried to Save The Nation.” Several of his books, as well as Cumberland Mountain Civil War Roundtable books, will be available for purchase during the meeting.
First-time visitors are admitted free; repeat guests are asked to contribute a $5 donation. Annual Roundtable memberships are available for $25 per person, $35 for couples.
Tickets will be available at $15 each for the July 16 “An Evening with Gen. Ulysses S Grant” at the Palace Theatre in downtown Crossville.
Cumberland Mountain Civil War Roundtable is an organization of Civil War enthusiasts. Presentations from authors, college professors, historians are normally presented the second Wednesday of the month at Christ Lutheran Church in Fairfield Glade. The purpose of the Roundtable is to educate, discuss and bring to focus the events and historical facts concerning the American Civil War.
Visit the group on Facebook, or call Ken Patton at 901-292-9312 or Dennis Flynn at 913-948-3499 for more information.
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Information for this article came from John V Quarstein, Wikipedia, The History Channel, American Battlefield Trust, The Civil War Siege of Spanish Fort and the Mobile Campaign by Paul Brueske, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism.