From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Siege of Fort Gaines occurred during the American Civil War as part of the larger battle of Mobile Bay.
Union forces under the command of Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger landed on Dauphin Island on August 3, 1864 and moved against Fort Gaines guarding the western edge of Mobile Bay. The fort was garrisoned by 818 troops under the command of Col. Charles D. Anderson. Anderson was instructed by his superior General Richard L. Page not to surrender the fort. However on August 5, the Union fleet ran past Forts Gaines and Morgan and defeated the Confederate Fleet in the bay. Anderson could not hold out against a the Union army and navy and surrendered the fort on August 8. With the fall of Fort Gaines, Granger left a garrison at the fort and immediately moved against Fort Morgan to the east.
