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Encounter History at Fort Morgan Sponsored Links
Encounter History at Fort Morgan
The cannons of Fort Morgan on Alabama's scenic Gulf Coast still stand guard over the clear blue waters of Mobile Bay, witnesses to a bygone era when naval might was crucial to victory and seacoast defenses protected ports from invasion.
By april boone
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The cannons of Fort Morgan on Alabama's scenic Gulf Coast still stand guard over the clear blue waters of Mobile Bay, witnesses to a bygone era when naval might was crucial to victory and seacoast defenses protected ports from invasion. Fort Morgan was completed in 1834 and, along with Fort Gaines, its sister fort on Dauphin Island, was tasked with protecting Mobile Bay through four wars: the Civil War, the Spanish American War and both World Wars. Today it serves as a reminder of our military past and of the men and women who continue to serve in our naval and armed forces. Fort Morgan provides visitors an in-depth look at of one of the most critical naval battles of the Civil War: The Battle of Mobile Bay, where Union naval forces fought victoriously against the 46 guns of Fort Morgan in the summer of 1864 to take the Bay. Mobile Bay was one of the Confederacy's last big ports available for conducting necessary European trade (the other was in Savannah, Georgia), so the Union's victory here contributed greatly to the economic crippling of the Confederacy -- and helped pave the way for Abraham Lincoln's re-election later that year. One aspect of the Battle of Mobile Bay eventually entered into American cultural consciousness. The Union lost their lead ironclad, the USS Tecumseh, early in the battle when the ship struck one of the naval mines (which at the time were known as "torpedoes") strewn about the Bay. Union Admiral David Farragut, under heavy fire from the guns of Forts Morgan and Gaines and the Confederate fleet -- and now without his lead ship -- chose to mount an advance on the mainland rather than stage a retreat. So it was that Farragut first issued those now-legendary orders: "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" Fort Morgan remains a great place to feel connected to America's past while enjoying all that the Gulf Coast has to offer for outdoor enthusiasts: world-class golf courses, birding and wildlife encounters, and miles and miles of sugar-sand white beaches for swimming, boating, and just relaxing. And you can find out all the best ways to enjoy Alabama's Gulf Coast by visiting www.thebeachiscalling.org. Fort Morgan is at the end of the Dixie Graves Parkway in Fort Morgan State Park, due west of Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Fort itself is open from 8am until 5pm from November through March and from 8am until 7pm April through October, while the Fort museum is open from 9am until 5pm year-round.
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