Admiral Farragut’s Decision at Mobile Bay After the Tecumseh Sank

On 5 August 1864, during the Battle of Mobile Bay, the Union monitor USS Tecumseh struck a Confederate torpedo (mine) and sank rapidly, killing most of its crew. Flag Officer David Farragut, aboard the wooden flagship USS Hartford, faced an immediate choice:

• Continue the advance through the minefield into the bay, engaging Fort Morgan and the Confederate fleet (including the ironclad CSS Tennessee).
• Withdraw to avoid further losses, abandoning the operation.

Farragut’s Famous Order

He chose to press forward, allegedly shouting, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" The fleet threaded the minefield, neutralized the forts, and captured the bay—closing the last major Confederate Gulf port.

Significance

The decision exemplified aggressive naval leadership and secured a strategic victory that aided Lincoln’s 1864 re‑election and the Union blockade’s completeness.