What was the significance of the Battle of Mobile Bay?
The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was an engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fleet led by Admiral Franklin Buchanan and three forts that guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay.
Who was in charge of Mobile Bay during the Civil War?
Mobile and Mobile Bay were within the Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana, led by Major General Dabney H. Maury. Although Mobile was the site of the department headquarters, Maury did not exercise immediate command of the forts at the entrance to the bay, and he was not present during the battle and ensuing siege.
Was General Maury in Mobile during the Battle of Mobile Bay?
Although Mobile was the site of the department headquarters, Maury did not exercise immediate command of the forts at the entrance to the bay, and he was not present during the battle and ensuing siege. Local command was entrusted to Brigadier General Richard L. Page.
What was the significance of Farragut’s victory at the Battle of mobile?
Because Mobile remained unconquered the significance of Farragut’s victory initially had little effect on Northern public opinion. As time passed and a sequence of other Union victories seemed to show that the war was winding down, the battle began to loom larger.
Who led the Union fleet in the Battle of Mobile Bay?
The man who led the Union fleet at Mobile Bay was Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, no longer Flag Officer Farragut. The U.S. Navy had undergone an organizational change in the second year of the war, one feature of which was the creation of the rank of rear admiral.
What did the four bells mean in the Battle of Mobile Bay?
^ In an early account of the battle, Rear Admiral Foxhall A. Parker speculated that the poor steering of his monitor forced Craven’s hand. ^ “Four bells” was a signal to the engine room calling for full power. ^ Akin to but not the same as semaphore. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Battle of Mobile Bay.