Maybe this should be more of a history question, but as a longtime historical wargamer/miniature collector, an area of interest I am developing for our club is American Civil War naval wargaming. The ship scale I am using is 1:600. Short of visiting Fort Morgan, located at the mouth of Mobile Bay, Alabama, I have been unable to obtain a detailed plan of the fort as it existed during the Civil war. Is there anywhere on the internet I could obtain the physical dimensions of the walls and the citadel (height, width, and length), caliber and location of the forts guns, and out works such as redoubts and shore batteries?

Call Alabama Tourism at 1-800-ALABAMA, or, better, the Fort itself at 251-540-5257. I've always had good luck in my research when I call the source.

Red Hussar

I found a very good map of Fort Morgan in 1864 on the following Website:

www.davidrumsey.com/InsightRedirector/InsightRedirector.asp

The image is the size of a Postage Stamp and you will need to download MR SYD Viewer.

This will allow you to blow the imasge up to a reasonable size.

I can send you a copy of my Plan of Fort Morgan if this would help.

I have built a 1:600 scale model of the West Side and the Water Batteries. I also Scratch byuilt the Fleets. 4 ships for the South and 18 ships for the Northern Fleet.

I am working on some simple ACW naval rules at presen!!

Just for the record, Admiral Farragutts "Damn the torpedoes" doesn't work! Mines sink ships!

I lost the USS Tecumsah, then the USS Hartford swiftly followed by the USS Metacomet!!

I finally won by the USS Richmond and the USS Manhattan battering the Tennessee into submission after disposing of the Gainses, Morgan and Selma.

Please feel free to contact me on [email protected]

Red Hussar

I found a reference to the Armaments at Fort Morgan in the following file from Our Navy by Admiral Mahon.

It lists guns and Calibres at Forts Morgan and Gaines.

The entrance from the Gulf was guarded by two works, Fort Morgan on Mobile Point and Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island. The approach by Mississippi Sound was covered by Fort Powell, a small earthwork on Tower Island, command¬ing the channel which gave the most water, known as Grant's Pass. Gaines was too far distant from the main ship channel to count for much in the plans of the fleet. It was a pentagonal work mounting in barbette three X-inch co¬lumbiads, five 32-, two 24-, and two 18-pounder smooth-bore guns, and four rifled 32-pounders; besides these it had eleven 24-pounder howitzers, siege and for flank defence. In Fort Powell there were one X-inch, two VIII-inch and one 32-pounder smooth-bore and two VII-inch Brooke rifles; these bore on the sound and channels, but the rear of the fort toward the bay was yet unfinished and nearly unarmed. The third and principal work, Fort Morgan, was much more formidable. It was five sided, and built to carry guns both in barbette and casemates; but when seized by the Confed¬erates the embrasures of the curtains facing the channel were masked and a heavy exterior water battery was thrown up before the northwest curtain. The armament at this time cannot be given with absolute certainty. The official re¬ports of the United States engineer and ordnance officers, made after the surrender, differ materially, but from a com¬parison between them and other statements the following estimate has been made: Main fort seven X-inch, three VIII-inch and twenty-two 32-pounder smooth-bore guns, and two VIII-inch, two 6.5-inch and four 5.82-inch rifles. In the water battery there were four X-inch and one VIII¬inch columbiads and two 6.5-inch rifles. [5] Of the above, ten X-inch, three VIII-inch, sixteen 32-pounders and all the rifles, except one of 5.82 caliber, bore upon the channel. There were also twenty flanking 24-pounder howitzers and two or three light rifles, which were useless against the fleet from their position.



Hope this helps

Regards

Les Booth