Entered as Second-class matter, March 1, 1905, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y. Act of Congress March 3, 1879. THE BATTLE OF MOBILE BAY, AUGUST 5, 1864. T HE northern shores of the Gulf of Mexico are deeply indented by two arms of the sea, the westernmost one of which is Mobile Bay, extending inland about thirty-five miles, with a width of from seven to fifteen miles. Its shores are low and generally well wooded, but as they recede from the waters of the bay they rise in gentle swells. Its waters are generally shallow and only in a small space, known as the lower bay, are they deep enough to float sea-going vessels of considerable size. Here on August 5, 1864, was fought one of the most brilliant naval battles of the war and to a brief description of it I invite your attention. The land defenses of the place at that time consisted of three forts -Morgan, Gaines and Powell. Fort Morgan, the most important of the three, was admirably located on the extreme western point of a long, low, narrow neck of land which bounds the main ship channel on the east. It was a powerful masonry fort, mounting eighty-six guns of various calibers, but mostly ten-inch Columbiads and rifled thirty-two pounders. It had been strengthened in every possible way, and new guns had been mounted in its water batteries. Its garrison amounted to six hundred and forty officers and men. Opposite Fort Morgan, on the extreme eastern point of Dauphin Island, about three miles distant, was Fort Gaines. This was also a masonry fort mounting thirty guns, with platforms for ten more, which however, at the time of the attack had not been mounted. Its garrison was eight hundred and sixty-four officers and men. -Read by the late Commander Oliver A. Batcheller, U. S. N., before the Maine Commandery of the Loyal Legion. North of Fort Gaines, and about six miles from it, guarding Grant's Pass, a narrow cut leading from the bay into Mississippi Sound, was Fort Powell. This was a small redoubt not yet completed, but mounting four heavy guns. Its garrison at the time was stated by the Confederates to have been one hundred and forty officers and men. Between Forts Morgan and Gaines were small islands and shoals with shallow channels between them, the main ship channel being, as before stated, directly under the guns of Fort Morgan. Across these shallow channels obstructions had been placed in the form of rows of piling, which extended to deep water in the main ship channel. From this piling rows of torpedoes had been planted, extending nearly across the ship channel, their eastern limit being marked by a large buoy. The channel between this buoy and Fort Morgan was left open for blockade runners, and being but a few hundreds yards wide, forced every vessel using it close under the fort. Inside these defenses lay the iron-clad ram Tennessee, on which more reliance was placed by the Confederates than on all their other defenses combined. This formidable vessel was two hundred and nine feet long, forty-eight feet wide, with an iron spur projecting beyond her stem at a depth of two feet below the water line, which rendered her, in public estimation, the most powerful ram of her time. Her bow and stern rose but little above the water line, but in the middle of her length, and occupying about one-half of it, was a casemate built of heavy timbers. The sides of this structure sloped inward at an angle and were covered with iron plates from five inches to six inches in thickness, which were believed to be impenetrable to shot. Inside this casemate were six Brooks rifles, two in each broadside and one each at the bow and stern. These latter were mounted on pivots so arranged that they could be fired either directly ahead or astern on the line of the keel and on either broadside, thus giving her when needed four guns in a broadside. Ordinarily, however, her guns were fought, two in each broadside and one ahead and one astern. The former threw elongated projectiles weighing ninety-five pounds and the latter similar projectiles weighing one hundred and ten pounds. Her ports, of which she had ten, were fitted with heavy iron shutters |