Fort Gaines, Alabama

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Running the Gauntlet

Interior of Fort Gaines

Fort Gaines is a historic fort on Dauphin Island, Alabama, United States. It was named for Edmund Pendleton Gaines. Established in 1821, and best known for its role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War.

Exhibits include the huge anchor from the USS Hartford, Admiral David Farragut's flagship on which he gave his world famous command, "Damn the Torpedoes–Full Speed Ahead!" The fort also has the original cannons used in the battle, five pre-Civil War brick buildings in the interior courtyard, operational blacksmith shop and kitchens, tunnel systems to the fortified corner bastions, and similar features. An excellent museum details the history of this period, as well as the colonial presence beginning in the 1600s when Dauphin Island was the capital of the Louisiana Territory. It was partially moderized for the Spanish-American War. It is an important tourist destination with tours and historical reenactment events. The site has been evaluated as one of the nation's best preserved masonry forts from the Civil War Era. The site has been nominated for listing as a National Historic Landmark.

Significant masonry damages incurred as a result of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and compounded by the effects of four subsequent storms have been assessed and plans are presently being organized for their repair, with construction anticipated to proceed in the autumn of 2006.