Posted on 08/15/2024 11:46:17 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
WASHINGTON, Monday, Aug. 15.
The following official dispatches have been received by the Navy Department:
FLAGSHIP HARTFORD, MOBILE BAY, Aug. 5,1864.
SIR: I have the honor to report to the department, that this morning I entered Mobile Bay, passing between Forts Morgan and Gaines, and encountering the rebel ram Tennessee and gunboats of the enemy, viz., Selma, Morgan and Gaines.
The attacking fleet was under way by 6:45 A.M., in the following order: The Brooklyn, with the Octoroon on her port side; Hartford, with the Metacomet; Richmond, with the Port Royal; Lackawana, with the Seminole; Monongahela, with the Tecumseh; Ossipee, with the Itasco; and the Oneida, with the Galena.
On the starboard of the fleet was the proper position of the monitors or iron-clads.
The wind was light from the Southwest, and the sky cloudy, with very little sun.
Fort Morgan opened upon us at ten minutes past 7 o'clock, and soon after this the action became lively.
As we steamed up the main ship channel, there was some difficulty ahead, and the Hartford passed on ahead of the Brooklyn.
At 7:40 the monitor Tecumseh was struck by a torpedo and sunk going down very rapidly, and carrying down with her all the officers and crew, with the exception of the pilot and eight or ten men, who were saved by a boat that I sent from the Metacomet, which was alongside of me.
The Hartford had passed the forte before 8 o'clock, and finding myself raked by the rebel gunboats, I ordered the Metacomet to cast off and go in pursuit of them, one of which, the Selma, she succeeded in capturing.
All the vessels had passed the forts by half past eight, but the rebel ram Tennessee was still apparently uninjured, in our rear.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
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Posting history, in reverse order
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I’m traveling tonight and tomorrow in a wi-fi free environment, so here is tomorrow’s news today-HJS.
From Mobile: Admiral Farragut’s Official Report – 2
The Pirate Tallahassee: Further Depredations on Our Commerce – 2
The Mississippi Pirates: The Steamer Empress Fired Into – 3
The War in Mississippi: Defeat of the Rebel Cavalry Near Abbeyville, Miss. – 3
Gen. Sherman’s Army: An Action on the 6th Inst. – 3
Exchange of Prisoners: Arrival of 460 Wounded Union Prisoners – 3
From Newbern – 3
The Army of the Potomac: Headquarters Perfectly Quiet – 3-4
The United States Forces Withdraws from Brownsville – 4
From Fortress Monroe: Exchange of Mrs. Dr. Walker – 4
The Soldiers’ Vote Question: The Soldiers to Vote in Rhode Island and Connecticut – 4
Gen. Burnside: He is Relieved of the Command of the Ninth Corps – 4
From the South: Terrible Lamentations Over the Rebel Defeat at Mobile – 4-7
Indian Outrages in Northern Kansas – 7
News from Washington – 8
Editorial: The Presidential Canvas – 8-9
Editorial: Gen. Sherman on the Recruitment of Southern Negroes – 9
Editorial: Good Advice for Those Who Neet It – 9-10
News of the Day: The Rebellion – 10
Amusements this Evening – 10
U.S. Sanitary Commission (classified) – 10
If I remember correctly, he was able to damn the mines because he had surveyed the area at night and knew they were in poor condition. If the mine field had been properly maintained, it could have been a much more difficult evolution.
Shortly after that, the USS Tecumseh hit a torpedo/mine, capsized and sank in 30 minutes.
They lost only one ship, which Farragut found acceptable. The fleet hit several other mines, which did not detonate.
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