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The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was an engagement of the American Civil War in which a Federal 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. The battle was marked by Farragut's seemingly rash but successful run through a minefield that had just claimed one of his ironclad monitors, enabling his fleet to get beyond the range of the shore-based guns. This was followed by a reduction of the Confederate fleet to a single vessel, ironclad CSS ''Tennessee''. ''Tennessee'' did not then retire, but engaged the entire Northern fleet. ''Tennessee''s armor enabled her to inflict more injury than she received, but she could not overcome the imbalance in numbers. She was eventually reduced to a motionless hulk and surrendered, ending the battle. With no Navy to support them, the three forts also surrendered within days. Complete control of lower Mobile Bay thus passed to the Union forces. Mobile had been the last important port on the Gulf of Mexico east of the Mississippi River remaining in Confederate possession, so its closure was the final step in completing the blockade in that region. This Union victory, together with the capture of Atlanta, was extensively covered by Union newspapers and was a significant boost for Abraham Lincoln's bid for re-election three months after the battle. ==Mobile and Mobile Bay== Mobile is situated near the head of Mobile Bay, a natural harbor formed where the Mobile and Tensaw rivers meet before they enter the Gulf of Mexico. The bay is about long; the lower bay is about at its greatest width. It is deep enough to accommodate ocean-going vessels in the lower half without dredging; above the mouth of Dog River the water becomes shoal, so deep-draft vessels could not approach the city. The mouth of the bay is marked on the east by a long narrow peninsula of sand, Mobile Point, that separates Bon Secour Bay, where the Bon Secour River enters the larger bay, from the gulf. The point ends at the main channel into Mobile Bay, and here the United States (U.S.) government erected a fort in more peaceful times to shield Mobile from possible enemy fleets. Across the entrance, the line of the peninsula is continued in a series of barrier islands, beginning with Dauphin〔Sometimes spelled Dauphine in contemporary accounts.〕 Island. Northwest of Dauphin Island is Little Dauphin Island, then a series of minor islands that are interrupted by a secondary entrance to the bay, Grant's Pass.〔Grant Pass in present-day nomenclature.〕 A few other small islands and shoals lie to the south of Dauphin Island, defining the main channel for as much as south of the entrance.〔Wise, ''Lifeline of the Confederacy'', p. 20. Kinney, ''Battles and Leaders'', v. 4, p. 384, ''map''.〕 Rather early in the war, the Confederate government decided not to defend its entire coast, but to concentrate its efforts on a few of its most important ports and harbors.〔Luraghi, ''History of the Confederate Navy'', p. 187. ORA I, v. 6, pp. 398, 826, 835.〕 Following the loss of New Orleans in April 1862, Mobile was the only major port on the eastern gulf that would be defended.〔The only other remaining port was St. Marks, Florida, which was too small for most steamships, and furthermore lacked rail connections with the interior. See Wise, ''Lifeline of the Confederacy'', pp. 80–81.〕 The city subsequently became the center for blockade running on the gulf. Most of the trade between the Confederacy and Havana and other Caribbean ports passed through Mobile.〔Wise, ''Lifeline of the Confederacy'', pp, 168–180; appendices 11–14.〕 A few attempts were mounted to break the blockade, but they were not large enough to have lasting impact.〔Scharf, ''History of the Confederate States Navy'', pp. 537–549.〕 Among the most embarrassing episodes of the war for the U.S. Navy was the passage of the raider CSS ''Florida'' through the blockade into Mobile Bay on September 4, 1862; this was followed by her later escape through the same blockade on January 15, 1863.〔Scharf, ''History of the Confederate States Navy'', pp. 790–791.〕 Although the orders given to Flag Officer David G. Farragut when he was assigned to command of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron had included instructions to capture Mobile as well as New Orleans, the early diversion of the squadron into the campaign for the lower Mississippi meant that the city and its harbor would not receive full attention until after the fall of Vicksburg in July 1863. Given respite by the Union strategy, the Confederate Army improved the defenses of Mobile Bay by strengthening Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines at the entrance to the bay. In addition, they set up Fort Powell, a smaller work that guarded the Grant's Pass channel.〔Friend, ''West Wind, Flood Tide'', p. 51. Kinney, ''Battles and Leaders'', v. 4, p. 385.〕 Grant's Pass was also obstructed by a set of piles and other impediments, which had the effect of diverting the tidal flow to Heron Pass.〔ORN I, v. 21, p. 528. The piles also thwarted early CS Navy plans for cooperation between the defenses of Mobile and New Orleans. See Still, ''Iron Afloat'', p. 189.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Mobile Bay」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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