More to Explore
People and Groups
Themes
Events
This Day in History
May 26
Civil War
One of the last Confederate generals surrenders, 1865
Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi division, surrenders on this day in 1865, one of the last…
Recommended Articles
-
Battle of Fort Donelson
Ulysses S. Grant's victory at Fort Donelson in February 1862 was one of the first significant Union victories of the American Civil War.
-
Battle of Fort Henry
The Battle of Fort Henry helped the Union regain parts of Tennessee and Kentucky during the American Civil War.
-
Ambrose Burnside
Union Major General Ambrose Burnside, whose facial hair inspired the term “sideburns,†served in several key Civil War battles.
(August 1864), in U.S. history, triumph of Admiral David Farragut in sealing off the port of Mobile from Confederate blockade runners.
By 1864 Mobile Bay in Alabama was the most important Confederate port left on the Gulf of Mexico. It was protected by Fort Morgan, the ironclad Tennessee, and a string of mines (called torpedoes) in the narrow entrance passage to the bay.
Farragut's fleet sailed into Mobile Bay on the morning of Aug. 5, 1864. The Union ship Tecumseh hit a mine and sank. Farragut then climbed into the rigging of his flagship Hartford and cried out, “Damn the torpedoes: Full speed ahead!”
With the Hartford in the lead, the fleet sailed on into Mobile Bay, where for two hours it fought the Tennessee while coming under shelling from the guns at Fort Morgan. With the surrender of the Tennessee, Mobile Bay was in Union hands. On August 23 Fort Morgan surrendered, thereby sealing the Gulf coast from further blockade running.
Copyright © 1994-2011 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. For more information visit Britannica.com.
Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!
Shop HISTORY
-
Civil War: Rebellion to Reconstruction DVD Set
Experience the turbulent events that ignited the bloodiest, most divisive war this country has known.
$97.99
Buy Now -
The American Civil War DVD Set
Experience for yourself the historical and personal impact of the Civil War.
$69.99
Buy Now -
Swamp People Troy Bobblehead
If the "King of the Swamp" is your favorite of all the swamp people, say so with the Swamp People Troy Bobblehead!
$26.95
Buy Now
Email Updates
Keep up with the latest History shows, online features, special offers and more.
Sign upClassroom Study Guides
-
10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America: Antietam (PDF)
Teacher's Guide to the program dramatically exploring the events, meaning, and significance of the watershed battle at Antietam.
-
April 1865: The Month That Saved America (PDF)
Teacher's Guide to the program covering the last few weeks of the Civil War, from President Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration, to the surrender at Appomatox, the assassination of Lincoln, and the final laying down of arms by the Confederacy.
-
Hatfields & McCoys Study Guide (PDF)
The Hatfields and the McCoys. Their names evoke images of a bitter feud between two American families. But many people may be unfamiliar with the story behind this legendary conflict.
