New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-29
Neither Mines nor Stalwart
Defence by Buchanan's
Vessels Halted Northern
Naval Chieftair.

~ OBiLE BAY ir mentioned. Instant
Nj ~ there leaps into the mind the
LVs picture Of rugged figure dashed
90 tho rigging Of 70 ship. glasses n hand.
coat skirts blowing back. the whole
wreathcd about with boiling clouds of
smoke. lu that fash is summed mp tho
bravery Of the entry OF Mobile Bay. and
ST. the act ga depicted tine essence Of tho
whole of q mans life. The events OF Au-
gust D. 1851 thc DAY FarraGut entered tho
narrow throat Of the water hottie which
has long borne the name Of Mobile Bay,
have inspired painter and poet alike.
Following the capture Of New Orleans it
became clear that .h- possession OF Mobile
BAY was also important Il the blockade
Of the Gulf of Mexico was % be effective.
despite tho vigilance OF the blockading YES
scls runner would occasionally slip I'm or
ont pastthcm. carrying eitherc cotton prints
end nuc.y for the Southern bellies. who were
obliged To- sacrifice NEST OF the small luxu-
1ies TO which they had been accustomed.
a. munitions of war ln exchange for the
much desired cotton. owing to tho water
communications with the interior. il was
counted the second port Of the Coufcder-
acv. So vital was IT'S defence considered
.
commanded tho Merrmac on the first day
o. its notable exploits at Hampton Roads.
was placed in charge Of the naval prep
Hrstions for IT'S protection.
Mobile Bay is thirty miles long and as
broad Al IT'S lower end as Long Island
Sound at IFS widest point. AZ the upper
snd. where tho Mobile and Tensas
rivers pour their waters into its bosom. the
width is approximately six miles Mobile
Iios on the western shore at its head. At
the period Of the war the major portion Of
fhe harbor was less than thirteen feet
deep. A. the lower end however. was an
irregular pocket or bag-shaped depression
extending north from tho entrance for a
distance of perhaps six miles. II averaged
two and half miles in width and varied
tn depth from twenty 90 twenty-iour feet.
The mouth OF the bay was guarded BY
forthcatOns OF the old-fashioned brick
type Of construction, which stood on the
sandbsrs forming Il. These were three in
number, Fort Morgan. a formidable work
on the end Of Mobile Point. a low lying
sandbsr extending from the mainland close
10 the eastern edge Of the main ship chan
mel: Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island. at
the opposite side Of the channel and some
what further north. and Fort Powell.
which stood IN Grant Pass. a shallow
channel passing between Dauphin Island
and the mainland, Joining the bay and Mis-
fissippi Sound and available for light
Graft vessels The first mentioned fort
was equipped with forty guns in three
tiers and there was a water battery OF
seven guns in front. IL was further re-
nforced by enormous piles Of sandbags.
~ occupied the site n Fort Bowyer. a
work which had stood off British feet
IN 1914. The garrison Of $40 men was com
fnanded by Brgadier General Richard L.
Page. Fort Gaines stood on the ruins Of
ola Fort Tombigbee and was defended by
e4 men, under the command Of Colonel
Charles y. Anderson
Admiral Dewey may have said Damn
the torpedoes.' or words 10 that effect.
when he entered Manila Bay. His works