American History 101: The Battle of Mobile Bay
August 5, 1864
The Civil War is filled with stories of extraordinary courage, crushing defeats, brilliant strategy, and tragedy on a scale that can be difficult to comprehend today. But few episodes in American military lore are as dramatic—or as thoroughly mythologized—as the Battle of Mobile Bay.
The larger campaign unfolded throughout August 1864, but the moment that made it famous occurred on August 5, when Rear Admiral David Glasgow Farragut led a Union fleet directly into one of the Confederacy’s most heavily defended harbors.
It was here that Farragut supposedly shouted the immortal command:
“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”
It is one of the most recognizable quotations in American military history. There is just one problem. He probably never said it, at least not exactly that way.
But we’ll get to that a little bit later. Onward!
Why Mobile Bay Mattered
Mobile Bay sits where the Mobile and Tensaw rivers empty into the Gulf of Mexico. At the entrance to the bay, Mobile Point forms a natural barrier between the bay and the Gulf. Long before the Civil War, the federal government recognized the location's strategic importance of the location and built Fort Morgan there to defend the approaches to Mobile.
Across the channel stood Fort Gaines, while nearby islands and waterways—including Grant’s Pass—provided additional approaches into the bay.
Early in the war, the Confederacy had limited resources and could not heavily defend every mile of coastline. But after the loss of New Orleans, Mobile became increasingly important. It remained one of the Confederacy’s most valuable ports on the eastern Gulf Coast and provided blockade runners with access to Caribbean ports such as Havana.
By 1864, closing Mobile Bay had become an important Union objective. Farragut had actually been given responsibility for operations against New Orleans and Mobile much earlier in the war when he took command of the Western Gulf Blockading Squadron. But the full assault on Mobile would have to wait.
That delay gave the Confederates time to prepare.
Forts Morgan and Gaines were strengthened, Grant’s Pass was obstructed, and underwater mines were placed in the main ship channel. It is worth noting that at this time, mines were commonly referred to as torpedoes. This is important later... so now... The stage was set.
Farragut’s Plan
The Union assault was supposed to combine naval power with troops attacking the Confederate forts from land. But there was already trouble before the battle even strarted. The Army landing force was prepared to move on August 3, but Farragut wanted to wait for the arrival of his fourth ironclad monitor, the USS Tecumseh, to arrive. A breakdown in communication left Union ground forces exposed while Confederate commanders had time to observe the landing, estimate Union strength, and call for reinforcements.
Farragut later argued that the delay may actually have helped the Union: the reinforcements arrived too late to alter the outcome and ultimately became part of the Confederate force that surrendered. Once the Tecumseh arrived, Farragut was ready.
His fleet included four ironclad monitors: Tecumseh, Manhattan, Winnebago, and Chickasaw. In addition, he had fourteen wooden-hulled vessels. The wooden ships were lashed together in pairs so that if one vessel lost power, its partner could continue moving both ships while their guns remained in action. The monitors would lead the way through the narrow channel, followed by the paired wooden ships. The plan was bold, but also held the real potential for disaster. And quickly, it seemed it was about to go that way.
Into the Minefield
On the morning of August 5, the Union fleet entered Mobile Bay with the incoming tide helping carry the ships forward. The monitors led the formation with the wooden vessels following close behind. Initially, this was led by the USS Brooklyn, which had been selected because of its strong forward firepower and equipment intended to help protect it from underwater obstructions. The Confederate guns opened fire immediately. The Union monitors engaged the Confederate defenses while the larger ships concentrated their fire on Fort Morgan.
Then disaster struck.
The Tecumseh maneuvered toward the Confederate ironclad CSS Tennessee and crossed into the mined portion of the channel. Within moments, a mine exploded beneath her, and the Tecumseh sank with horrifying speed. The crew numbered 114, and only 21 members survived. When the Brooklyn saw the Tecumseh disappear, the she came to a complete stop. And suddenly, Farragut faced the decision that would define both the battle and his legend. Does he stop the entire fleet in the channel already under Confederate fire, or keep moving through the minefield Farragut chose to move.
His flagship, the USS Hartford, maneuvered around the stalled Brooklyn and took the lead. Farragut calculated that many of the Confederate mines had been submerged for so long that they might no longer function reliably. It was an extraordinary gamble, but a gamble that paid off.
One after another, the Union ships passed through the minefield without suffering another catastrophic loss. And within hours, the Union fleet was inside Mobile Bay allowing Farragut to bring its full power to bear.
The Tennessee Takes on the Fleet
Farragut expected the Confederate ironclad CSS Tennessee to remain beneath the protection of Fort Morgan’s guns. But that's not how this played out. Instead, the Tennessee came out to fight. Alone.
Its commander apparently hoped the heavily armored vessel could disrupt or damage the Union fleet through gunfire and ramming attacks. But Commander James Johnston miscalulated the impact the Tennesse could have. Sure, the Tennessee was powerful, but it was slow and difficult to maneuver. Unfortunately for Johnston, the Union ships were not. Rather than becoming the hunter, the Confederate ironclad quickly became the target.
Union ships attacked from multiple directions. Several attempted to ram the Tennessee, while the Union monitors moved in close enough to pound the Confederate vessel with heavy guns. To make matters worse for Johnston, the Tennessee also suffered from mechanical and weapons problems, further reducing its ability to fight effectively. Eventually, battered, crippled, and surrounded, the Confederate ironclad surrendered. The naval battle was effectively over.
The Forts Fall
With Confederate naval resistance defeated, the Union could turn its attention to the forts protecting the bay. Fort Powell and Fort Gaines fell relatively quickly without any real protection. However, Fort Morgan proved far more difficult. Union forces subjected the fort to sustained bombardment and repeated attacks before it finally surrendered on August 23. The Union now controlled Mobile Bay.
The city of Mobile itself remained in Confederate hands until near the end of the war, which led some contemporaries to view Farragut’s victory as incomplete. Strategically, however, the consequences were significant.
The Confederacy had lost another major Gulf Coast port. Union control of the bay restricted blockade running and forced Confederate commanders to continue devoting troops and resources to the defense of Mobile instead of reinforcing armies elsewhere.
Combined with Sherman’s successful Atlanta Campaign, the victory helped tighten the Union’s grip on the Confederacy during the final phase of the war. Pasted markdown
Farragut Above the Battle
Mobile Bay also produced another famous image of Farragut. During the battle, smoke became so thick that he could no longer see what was happening from the deck of the Hartford. Farragut was a problem solver, so the admiral climbed into the ship’s rigging. That part of the story is true.
But the image of Farragut defiantly tying himself to the mast while shells exploded around him has become somewhat more dramatic in the retelling then what likely actually happened. According to the account, Captain Percival Drayton became concerned that Farragut might fall and ordered a sailor to secure the admiral to the rigging for his own protection. It is said that Farragut objected claiming he was fine. The sailor tied him to the rigging anyway.
Later, Farragut climbed into the rigging again while trying to follow the movements of the Tennessee, and once again, his officers had him secured. Farragut needed to see the battle he was commanding.
So, Did Farragut Really Say “Damn the Torpedoes”?
Now let's compare legend with reality, again. According to the popular version, when the Brooklyn stopped after the Tecumseh struck a mine, Farragut demanded to know what was wrong.
“Torpedoes ahead,” came the warning.
Farragut supposedly responded: “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”
It is a fantastic line. It sounds powerful, commanding, and spectacular! It is also probably not what happened.
In the noise, smoke, cannon fire, and confusion of a naval battle, it is questionable whether Farragut could have carried on anything resembling the dramatic ship-to-ship conversation that later stories describe. More importantly, accounts containing the famous quotation did not appear immediately after the battle. The familiar wording emerged later.
One version has Farragut issuing a command along the lines of: “Damn the torpedoes! Four bells!” followed by an order to proceed at full speed.
That is much more plausible as a naval command—and considerably less polished than the version that eventually entered American folklore. There is another linguistic wrinkle...
The “torpedoes” Farragut was supposedly damning were not torpedoes in the modern sense. During the Civil War, underwater explosive mines were commonly called torpedoes.
So perhaps the quotation is not literally accurate. But the sentiment certainly is.
A Union ironclad had just disappeared beneath the water. The fleet had stopped under enemy guns. Farragut had only moments to decide whether to retreat or press forward. He pressed forward.
And whether he actually shouted “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” or history simply decided that he should have, the phrase survived because it perfectly captured the moment.
Sometimes history gives us the quote. Sometimes history gives us the story. And sometimes the story becomes history.
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