Fort Morgan, named for General Daniel Morgan, a Revolutionary War hero, is situated on the eastern shore of the entrance to Mobile Bay.  It is completely surrounded by a berm of sand or "glacis" which forms a ditch or "dry moat" that must be crossed to enter the fort.  Here we see the entrance to the connecting tunnel through the glacis.  This is known as the postern.  After passing through this tunnel and crossing the moat, the visitor then enters the fort through the salleyport.

The seven flags flying over the postern represent the groups that have controlled this peninsula, France, Great Britain, Spain, The United States, The Alabama Militia (Montgomery Rifles), The Confederate States of America, and The State of Alabama.  The state charges a modest fee to tour the site.  It is well maintained and you are given a good self-guided tour pamphlet.  There is a small museum near this entrance, which offers historic displays and sells souvenirs.  I have visited the fort several times.  You set your own pace and there is never a crowd.

 

 
Here is a slide show of images taken over several visits to Fort Morgan. Once it begins you can expand it to full screen by licking the icon at the lower right side of the viewer.

 

 

This photo shows the dry moat as seen from the glacis on the eastern side of the fort.  In times past, this moat has been somewhat deeper.  The sand in the area moves with every storm and the peninsula is considered a living thing.  Since the fort was completed in 1834, many tons have been shifted partially filling the moat.  A great view of the fort can be obtained by walking around it inside the dry moat.  A good insect repellant is recommended for this, though.  There is a drainage ditch in the center that supplies hoards of big, hungry mosquitoes.

 

 

The Fort Morgan area has beautiful undeveloped beaches.  You can walk for hours and see only a few people fishing in the surf.  In the distance you can see the Mobile Bay light and, of course, the heavy traffic of ships serving the port of Mobile.

 

 


This buoy just off the beach marks the resting place for The USS Tecumseh and 93 members of her crew.  She was a sister of the Ironclad USS Monitor and, on August 5 1864, she struck a mine - then called a torpedo - during the Battle of Mobile Bay.  Immediately behind her, the command of the Boston appeared to lose resolve prompting Admiral David Farragut to shout the famous "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead".  In the distance across the bay Fort Gaines can be seen on Dauphin Island.

UPDATE! According to a recent History Channel documentary, Hurricane Ivan has covered the Tecumseh with about twenty feet of mud making her very difficult to reach but safer from the elements and from looters.

 

 

This lighthouse guards the entrance to Mobile Bay

 

 

These two photos show some of the beautiful brickwork to be seen everywhere around Fort Morgan.  The brochure tells us they were laid by slave labor.  A close look at any of the vaulted ceilings here will leave the visitor in awe of the talents of these artisans.

 

 

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Updated
23 December, 2007