Mobile, Ala

was founded as a fort by Lemoyne d’Iberville in 1711. In 1763, by the Treaty of Paris, Mobile was ceded to Great Britain, -but ‘was recovered for the United States in 1813, having previously pa ed into the po e ion of the Spanish in 1780. In 1819 it was incorporated as a city. Mobile was besieged and bombarded March 27 to April 9, 1865, by 45,000 Federal troops led by General Canby. Maury held the city with 9,000 Confederates. His defenses consisted of a system of irregular earthworks called Spanish Fort. This was invested April 4 by Smith and Granger, and was bombarded without much succe . On the eighth, however, 300 yards of the Confederate defenses were captured, together with 500 prisoners and fifty guns. The works were then evacuated. On the morning of the ninth a general a ault was made upon the city, and nearly all the works were carried, 3,423 men and. forty guns being captured. Mobile was evacuated two days later and surrendered by its mayor April 12, Mobile Bay, Ala., scene of a naval engagement between the Federal and Confederate fleets, August 5 to 23, 1864. Farragut commanded the National fleet of eighteen ve els, fourteen of these being of wood and four ironclads, the ‘‘Tecumseh,’’ ‘‘ Winnebago,’’ ‘‘ Manhattan ”; and ‘'‘ Chick a saw.’’ The Confederate Admiral Buchanan had far fewer ve els, three gunboats, the ‘‘ Morgan,’’ ‘‘Gaines’’ and ‘‘ Selma” and the ram ‘‘Tenne ee.’? Still he was defended by three strongly gar- — risoned forts, Gaines, Morgan and Powell, at the harbor’s entrance, and the ‘‘Tenne ee’’ was deemed a host in itself. Farragut entered the harbor with the gunboat ‘‘ Brooklyn ”’ leading and the entire fleet firing upon Fort Morgan, whence a lively reply was begun. The “ Tecumseh’ immediately struck a torpedo and was sunk. ‘The fleet became confused and for some moments was in great danger. But Farragut forged ahead with the flag-ship ‘‘ Hartford’? and was attacked by the “Tenne ee.” The other Federal ve els quickly destroyed the ‘‘Selma’’ and chased away the ‘“‘ Morgan’’ and the “Gaines.” The ‘¢ Monongahela’? and the ‘‘ Lack a wanna ’’ were strnck by the “‘ Tenne ee,”’ but the latter was disabled by a broadside at close range from the ‘‘ Hartford." The other boats closed around her. Her smokestack and steering chains were gone, her crew panic-stricken and she soon became unmanageable. She therefore surrendered. The Confederate forts were shelled for several days, Fort Powell was blown up and abandoned. Forts Gaines and Morgan surrendered. 463