The Civil War battle of Mobile Bay, famous for Admiral David Farragut’s order, “Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead,” will be reenacted this weekend, July 31-Aug. 2, at Fort Morgan, 22 miles west of downtown Gulf Shores, AL. Events begin Friday night at 8:30 p.m. with the firing of the Fort’s largest cannon and will be followed by activities all weekend. For more information, call 251-540-7127.

Construction on Fort Morgan, at the mouth of Mobile Bay, began in 1819 and was completed in 1834. The Fort was in service for 4 wars, the Spanish-American War, the Civil War and both World Wars. It played a major role in the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864 during the American Civil War, along with Fort Gaines just across Mobile Bay, as it attempted to ward off Union warships attempting to enter Mobile Bay. Once Union ships had subdued the Confederate warships, both Forts surrendered and Union military operations against the city of Mobile began.

Check out the Friends of Fort Morgan website for more information.