Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Spanish Fort Falls

APRIL 8TH, 1865:  Invested by General Canby's troops and bombarded heavily by the guns of Rear Admiral Thatcher's ships, Spanish Fort and Fort Alexis, keys to the defense of Mobile, finally fall.  In reporting the capture to Secretary Welles, Thatcher noted the efficiency of the naval battery on shore under Lt.Cmdr. Gillis (the one from the sunken USS Milwaukee).

He added:  "Eighteen large submerged torpedoes were taken by our boats from Apalachee or Blakely River last night in the immediate vicinity of our gunboats.  These are the only enemies that we regard."

The loss of a half dozen vessels to torpedoes near Mobile since the USS Tecumseh was sunk by one in August had taught Union naval officers an unforgettable lesson about torpedo warfare.

The onfederate defenders of Mobile Bay were supported by a squadron under Flag Officer Ebenezer Farrand, consisted of the CSS Nashville, Morgan, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and Baltic.

--Old B-R'er

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