Fort Gaines stands at the eastern end of Dauphin Island, Alabama guarding Mobile Bay's mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. It was named in 1821 after Major General Edmund P. Gaines a 50 year U.S. Army officer who was a veteran of the War of 1812, Seminole and Blackhawk Wars, and the Mexican-American War. The Fort covered the western side of the entrance to Mobile Bay while Fort Morgan (See page 6 of my gallery.) covered the eastern side. During the American Civil War on August 5, 1864 Admiral David Farragut's U.S. Navy squadron ran past Fort Morgan ("Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!") and engaged Confederate navy vessels. Fort Gaines was captured by 1,500 U.S. Army troops led by General Gordon Granger in an amphibious attack. after a bombardment by U.S. Army artillery and two U.S. Navy ironclads Fort Gaines surrendered on August 6.The fort was modernized to take heavy breach loading artillery after the Spanish American War in 1898. Both Forts Gaines and Morgan watched over Mobile Bay during WW 1 and 2 with guns manned by the U.S. Army's Coastal Artillery. They were deactivated for good in1946. Hurricanes have caused damage to the fort over the years, but it is kept in good shape and a popular destination for Civil War buffs.