More Fort

On the grounds of Alabama's Fort Morgan State Historic Site we first visited the small museum where we learned the role the fort played in four US wars--the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, and World War I. 

We wandered around the outside of the fort proper, and climbed to the top of one of the outside batteries or big gun (cannon) sites overlooking Mobile Bay which was salted with mines during the Civil War.

If these guns failed to stop the enemy, soldiers retreated to the forts itself under the glacis or built up ground into the postern tunnl which had fortified doors at each end.

Inside the postern tunnel is a dry moat which allowed troops to move around the fort during an attack.  The next stopgap was the sally port, or main entrance to the fort, another tunnel also with fortified doors at each end.

Each of the fort's ten casemates contained 2 24 pounder flank howitzers.  They were designed as bombproof in case of an enemy siege.  Later they served as storage for suppplies as well as temporary housing for large garrisons.  Two powder magazines  holding up to 6000 pounds of black powder were fitted between the casemates.  

  

This one was fitted out as a laundry.  

At the top we had a good view of the parade ground.  At one time the last desperate fort defense was located here between those white circles which were water cisterns.  Called the Citidel, it was a 10-sided wood and brick structure about the size of the museum (above), and was a defensive barracks that housed 400 soldiers.  During the Civil War a Union bombardment set the timber roof afire and forced the  Confederate soldiers to dump 60,000 pounds of cannon powder into the cisterns to keep it from exploding.  Later, with their last bolthole destroyed  the Confederates were forced to abandon the fort to the Union army.

(I shook my head at that one--the last stronghold with 60,000 pounds of black powder guarded by a timber roof.  What were they thinking?)

Around the top of the fort were 6 batteries, or gun mounts which protected Mobile bay with big guns (cannons) built at various times, and designed with various purposes.  One could shoot a 1046 pound shell up to 8 1/2 miles.    One, built where the Mobile Point Lighthouse once stood, had a "hot shot" furnace that heated the balls to extreme temperatures to penetrate wooden hulls of ships.  Two held rapid-fire guns that protected the defensive mine field in the bay.  The one pictured below was one of two  built on a circular mount allowed fire on a wider area. It is the only battery remaining within the fort. 

In two corners of the fort were these staircases (one of which can be seen on the wall in the picture with the parade ground above).  The incline on them was very steep and the steps themselves were 14" deep.  I found no information about them.  I surmise that they were original staircases used as another defensive measure since they were very difficult to negotiate.

After our history lessons, we enjoyed a wide view of Mobile Bay from the top walls of the fort.  Across the bay, where once, deadly mines filled the shipping lanes, we couldn't see Mobile on the right, but could see the top of the bridge (in the distance on the right) that provides access to Dauphin Island (on the left),

and were treated to the sight of two pelicans passing peacefully by.

Details tomorrow,

Louise and Duane