The siege of Fort Gaines occurred between August 3 and 8, 1864, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It took place in the Mobile Bay area of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

as part of the larger battle of Mobile Bay, and resulted in the surrender of the fort and its defenders.

Siege

Union forces under the command of

Maj. Gen. Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Gordon Granger landed on

Dauphin Island Dauphin Island is an island town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, on a barrier island of the same name, in the Gulf of Mexico. It incorporated in 1988. The population was 1,778 at the 2020 census, up from 1,238 at the 2010 census. The t ...

, about 7 miles from Fort Gaines, on August 3, and moved against Fort Gaines guarding the western edge of Mobile Bay. Granger's force numbered about 1,500, while 818 troops under the command of Confederate Col. Charles D. Anderson garrisoned the fort.

Brig. Gen. Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

Richard L. Page Richard Lucian Page (December 20, 1807 – August 9, 1901) was a United States Navy officer who joined the Confederate States Navy and later became a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life Rich ...

instructed Col. Anderson not to surrender the fort. The fort was supposed to be able to withstand a six-month siege. However, on August 5 the Union fleet ran past Forts Gaines and

Morgan Morgan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Morgan (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Morgan le Fay, a powerful witch in Arthurian legend * Morgan (surname), a surname of Welsh origin * Morgan (singer), ...

, and defeated the Confederate fleet in the bay. The Union fleet had 199 guns to attack with, while the Confederates only held 26 within the walls of Fort Gaines. Anderson, believing he could not hold out against a combined attack by the Union army and navy, chose to surrender the fort on August 8.

Aftermath

With the fall of Fort Gaines, Granger left a garrison at the fort and immediately moved against

Fort Morgan Fort Morgan can apply to any one of several places in the United States: *Fort Morgan (Alabama), a fort at the mouth of Mobile Bay *Fort Morgan, Alabama, a nearby community *Fort Morgan (Colorado), a frontier military post located in present-day Fo ...

to the east. After a two-week siege - the

Siege of Fort Morgan The siege of Fort Morgan occurred during the American Civil War, as part of the battle for Mobile Bay, in the Confederate state of Alabama during August 1864. Union ground forces led by General Gordon Granger conducted a short siege of the Con ...

- General Page surrendered his fort too on August 23. The loss of these two forts gave control of Mobile Bay and ended the bay's use as a port for the Confederates.

References

Fort Gaines, Siege of Fort Gaines, Siege of Fort Gaines Fort Gaines Military operations of the American Civil War in Alabama Mobile County, Alabama Conflicts in 1864 1864 in Alabama August 1864 events {{AmericanCivilWar-battle-stub