1864 CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE Fort Morgan Citadel ALABAMA by McPHERSON & OLIVER

  

Superb and rare 1864 large format albumen photograph taken at Fort Morgan in Alabama by McPherson & Oliver from Baton Rouge, Louisiana as part of a rare large format series this being view # 7 titled "Fort Morgan Citadel, From the North Side". We can see the lighthouse overlooking Mobile Bay to the far right and the huge masonry star fort filling the frame with McPherson & Oliver's letterpress label below.

A rare Southern Civil War image by rare deep South photographers. Fort Morgan is a historic fort at the mouth of Mobile Bay, Alabama. The post was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Daniel Morgan. It was built on the site of the earlier Fort Bowyer an earthen and stockade type fortification involved in the final land battles of the War of 1812. Construction was completed in 1834 and it received its first garrison in March of the same year.

Eight days before Alabam seceded from the Union, Col. Todd took four companies of Alabama volunteers and captured the fort before dawn on 3 January 1861. The Confederates then proceeded to strengthen the defenses of Mobile Bay.

To defend this area, the Confederates placed 18 of the fort's heaviest guns including two 7-inch Brooke rifles and two British-made 8-inch Blakely rifles, so that they could bear on the Channel. They also built redoubts and trenches east of the fort to impede further any attack via land. Lastly, they complemented the land defenses with a small flotilla consisting of the ram Tennessee , and three gunboats, Morgan , Gaines and Selma. During the Civil War, Fort Morgan provided protective fire for blockade runners. All 17 vessels that ran out of the Bay eluded capture, as did 19 of the 21 that attempted to enter.

During the Battle of Mobile Bay, Union naval forces were able to get past Fort Morgan and enter the Bay. They captured Tennessee and Selma , sank Gaines , and captured Fort Gaines. During the siege, the wooden roof of the Citadel, a ten-sided barracks located in the center of the fort used to house the enlisted men, caught fire and the structure was badly damaged. Rather than restore it, post-War crews used the ruins as a brick source for repairing the fort. The remains of the Citadel were razed in the 1880s for use as a breakwater.

After two weeks of bombardment from sea and land, Major Richard Page, commander of the fort, felt compelled to surrender. He did so on August 23, 1864, after first spiking the fort's guns. Mount measures 9.5 x 7.75 inches, albumen image is 7.5 x 5.75 inches. Guaranteed to be an ORIGINAL 1864 albumen photograph by McPherson & Oliver. This is LESS than cost, and for rare items it is well worth it.

I NEVER sell reprints or repros. The item "1864 CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE Fort Morgan Citadel ALABAMA by McPHERSON & OLIVER" is in sale since Tuesday, March 29, 2016. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Photographic Images\Vintage & Antique (Pre-1940)\CDVs". The seller is "hc110-b" and is located in ne. This item can be shipped worldwide.