Fort Morgan - Ft. Morgan, AL - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

Fort Morgan is a Third System Coastal Defense Fort. It, like all the forts of the Third System, was built after the War of 1812 when Congress realized the need for stronger fortifications along the eastern and southern coastlines.

Designed to control the main ship channel into Mobile Bay, the star shape of the fort allowed its defenders to bring a heavy concentration of artillery fire on an enemy fleet as it approached the fort and to maintain this volume of fire as the enemy force moved into the bay. Because of its isolated position, the fort was also designed with extensive land defenses to enable it to withstand a siege.

During the Civil War, Fort Morgan and all her sister forts were proven to be out of date. Rifled cannon and steam-powered warships repeatedly defeated the old brick forts. This was dramatically demonstrated at Fort Morgan on August 5, 1864 when Union Admiral D. G. Farragut led his fleet past the guns of the fort and into the bay with the loss of only one ship.

Type of site: Other Military Site Address: 110 State Highway 180 Gulf Shores, AL 36542 USA 36542 Admission Charged: More than $5 Website: [Web Link] Driving Directions: From Mobile Take I-10 E toward Pensacola – go 16.5 mi Take exit #44/LOXLEY/BAY MINETTE onto N HICKORY ST (AL-59 S) toward Gulf – go 28.6 mi Turn Right on HWY 180 – go 19.9 mi Arrive at the center of FORT MORGAN, AL From Pensacola Take FL 292 W to Alabama line – go 19.8 mi FL 292 W becomes AL 292 W – go 10.6 mi Turn Right on Gulf Shore Parkway (AL-59) – go 1.1 mi Turn Right on HWY 180 – go 19.9 mi Phone Number: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/06/2023 Don.Morfe visited it 01/19/2023 kJfishman visited it 11/04/2017 veritas vita visited it 12/31/2014 Benchmark Blasterz visited it

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