One of the most dramatic battles of the Civil War was fought for control of Mobile Bay,
Alabama. After waiting for more than three years, the Union navy assaulted Confederate forces at Mobile Bay in 1864, sparking a battle that shook the Gulf Coast.
The Battle of Mobile Bay was one of the most significant naval actions of the war. After assembling near the lighthouse on Sand Island offshore, the fleet of Admiral David G. Farragut steamed into the entrance of the heavily defended bay at 6:30 a.m. on August 5, 1864.
The fleet advanced via a channel that took it directly under the heavy cannon of Fort Morgan, a powerful masonry fortification on Mobile Point. The Confederate gunners in the fort opened fire with artillery barrages that shook the ground for miles around. Flame and smoke covered the fort and ships as Farragut returned fire and the battle raged.
