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At dawn on August 5, 1864, an 18-ship Union fleet commanded by
Admiral D. G. Farragut steamed toward Fort Morgan and the entrance to Mobile
Bay. The Confederate defenders of the fort opened fire. At 7:30 AM, as cannon
fire reached a crescendo, the leading Union monitor, the Tecumseh, struck a mine
(known as a torpedo during the Civil War) and sank within a minute taking most
of the crew down with her. This sudden disaster threw the Union fleet into
confusion causing them to hesitate under the guns of Fort Morgan. At this
critical moment Farragut gave his famous order, "Damn the torpedoes, full
speed ahead" which led the remaining vessels past the fort, through the
minefield, and into Mobile Bay.
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HOURS
DAILY
Fort - 8:00 a.m. to sunset
Museum - 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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