Year: 1864

the bombardment and unconditional
surrender of Fort Morgan, Mobile


AT twenty minutes to seven O'Clock
on Tuesday rsorning, Aug, 2S, 1864, Fort
Morgan, mounting sixty heavy guns,
and containing garrison OF six hun
dred men, surrendered unconditionally
TO the combined forces of the army and
navy of the United States, after bom-
bardment of less than twentyfour
hours.


On Sunday evening Gen, Granger no.
titled Admiral Farragut that he would
oa ready to open the siege next morning
at daylight. That night the Admiral,
with his feet took position In line OF
battle, and Monday morning at five
O'Clock we opened Upon Morgan with
thirty guns of various canSre, and SIX
teen eight and ten inch mortars ana ~
short time three monitors and several
wooden vessels opened, the former with
eleven and fifteen inch shells, and the
latter with rifed thirty-two FOUNDERS
The firing continued with great vigor
and extraordinary accuracy until dark,
when the fleet withdrew, and the firing
was continued only at intervals by the
shore batteries.


During the afternoon smoke was no.
ticed, ascending in steady volume from
particular point inside the fort, and it
was surmised by many that some part
of the fort was on fire, although very
little was said or thought about it, so
great was the interest manifested in the
artillery practice; but about nine O'Clock
at night broad sheet of flame burst
forth, which shone brightly all night,
and seemed to spread to the right, as If
defying all exertions to eXtinguish it,
1t was thought by some officers that the
enemy had piled together some boards
and fired it, in order that, by its light,
3 night assault might be guarded
against.


By others il was believed, and this be-
lief was found to be correct, that the
citadel was on fire and that en explosion
of the magazines might be expected at
any moment. We were informed next
morning by the rebels that after vain eff
forts to extinguish the fire they became
greatly alarmed lest they should all be
blown up, and flooded the magazine with
water, and threw large quantity of
powder into the wells. No sooner was
this light discovered than Gen. Bailey
ordered all our batteries to commence
firing, in order to prevent the rebels
from extinguishing the flames, which
they did with great vigor, and shells
from nine inch Dahlgren and eight and
ten inch mortars fell amid the flames
with fearful rapidity, driving the rebels
to their casemates, and producing q
scene of grandeur rarely witnessed. For
fully an hour this awful scene continued
i with fiend-like fury, when the firing
ceased suddenly, to the astonishment Of
those who witnessed the affair from the
shipping in the bay


1t was explained next morning by Gen,
Bailey that he saw some of the garrison
go down to the beach and wave Ian
4 tern to the feet, evidently signal of
surrender. The general watched this
movement steadily from position he
had cautiously obtained very close up
the glacis of the fort. After watching
half an hour, the rebels finding the fleet
made no answer to their signal, proba-
bly, because it was not seen, or If seen not
understood, withdrew to the fort with
out attempting to signal the army. Had
they done so they would have been
{ spared very uncomfortable night, and
we would have saved large quantity OF
powder, shot and shell, for General Bal
ley Immediately ordered his batteries to
reopen, and the garrison of Fort Nor.
gan slept to or were kept wide awake
by the music of his guns.


At twenty minutes to seven o'clock oH
Tuesday morning rebel officer, Capt
Taylor, bearing white flag and &C,
companied by about forty men, carrying
small sailbeat, marched out at the
main sallyport, facing Fort Gaines, with
the intention Of pushing off to the flag
ship, three or four miles distant, with Z
note from General Page proposing tc
surrender the fort, and asking what
terms would be granted; but here agair
they were thwarted by the ubiquitous
Bailey. They were determined to ignore
the army entirely they would not trea
with it they would not surrender to i
If they could have had their own way
n probably because Gen. Page, who wa
long an officer of the navy has still
lingering affection for the old Uniol
JACK. General Bailey informed the fla.
OF truce oillcer that the army and nav,
were one, That they represented one gov
ernment, and that they were fighting /,
the same glorious cause that his or





tillery commanded Fort Morgan. and hi
infantry every foot of Mobile Point out
side the fort, and that he could not an,


would not permit rebel boats crew I


push on from shore under any pretens


About this time General Granger al
rived at the wharf, in front of Fort No, q,
gan, and the note of General page wa
handed to him. General GranSor "" -


piled that he would communicata ~


contents Of the note to the Admiral ON ~,


when his answer was received the fern


OF surrender would be dictated. In


Short time thereafter General GRANGE


sent General Arnold (chief of artilIery


oaptaln Drayton Of the Hartford an


another officer, with demand for n


immediate and unconditional surrende
VI vi fort Morgan, with its garrison an
an public property, to the army an an
nav nSsy @ OF the United States, guarantyin in


S4s treatment Of an enlightened natio