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<blockquote data-quote="TerryMiller" data-source="post: 3696670" data-attributes="member: 7900"><p>Fort Morgan is/was the largest of the two forts guarding the entrance to Mobile Bay. If I remember right, I think the "torpedoes" were placed in such a place as to force an attacking fleet to pass closer to Fort Morgan than to Fort Gaines. While Fort Gaines is largely masonry, Fort Morgan also employs concrete and earthen embankments.</p><p></p><p>This is an image of the entrance to Fort Morgan. Such entrances were also called "sally points."</p><p></p><p><a href="https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-mbw9zCD/A" target="_blank"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-mbw9zCD/0/522c48e4/X2/DSC_2808-X2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p></p><p>Both forts also employed "disappearing" guns that were designed to be raised for firing and lowered for reloading. Such allowed their gun crews to be somewhat safer because they weren't subject to direct fire.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-48tnTRc/A" target="_blank"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-48tnTRc/0/20e06d4a/X2/DSC_2798-X2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p></p><p><a href="https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-JgzrPwr/A" target="_blank"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-JgzrPwr/0/910b5dc7/X2/DSC_2800-X2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p></p><p>This is an image taken from the tunnel of the entrance towards the entrance into the second wall of Fort Morgan.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-rM3PfGS/A" target="_blank"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-rM3PfGS/0/1d9e4fd4/X2/DSC_2814-X2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p></p><p>This is the area between the two walls. The outer part of the outer wall was primarily earthworks and the interior part was/is masonry. In the background of the photo, one can see a ramp that gave access to the top of the outer wall. This intermediate space could also be covered by cannon fire should an attacker's force be able to get past the outer wall. I imagine that grape-shot would be highly effective ins such a space.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-ftLw9tV/A" target="_blank"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-ftLw9tV/0/679c840c/X2/DSC_2815-X2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p></p><p>This is one of the cannons that would have covered that intermediate space. This area was locked off, so I had to take this picture through a pane of glass next to the locked door. I am extremely pleased that my Nikon Z6 with the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens was able to get fairly good pictures in low light.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-R9FDdxR/A" target="_blank"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-R9FDdxR/0/26c6485c/X2/DSC_2833-X2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p></p><p>Such openings in the inside of the fort allowed for storage of lots of material, including powder and projectiles for the cannon and mortars.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-2LSXXpP/A" target="_blank"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-2LSXXpP/0/d3b60990/X2/DSC_2840-X2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p></p><p>Inside one of those arched areas was the ordinance area.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-c2PSghz/A" target="_blank"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-c2PSghz/0/d2a9c95d/X2/DSC_2851-X2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p></p><p>Openings along the wall guarding the intermediate area between the two walls were "V-shaped" (or perhaps more accurately, "X-shaped" to allow cannons to be swung from side to side to cover more of the area between the walls. In this photo, one can see the opening and a semi-circular "track" on which the cannon could be swiveled.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-d5q2QJJ/A" target="_blank"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-d5q2QJJ/0/d0759e50/X2/DSC_2964-X2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p></p><p>Taken from on top of the inner wall, one can see additional gun emplacements (white in color) along the wall. The area of arches includes the arch where the main entrance comes into the inner fort area. The steps seen in the foreground are each made of a slab of rock and each step is about one foot in height. I sure wouldn't have wanted to be the one that had to climb those stairs with any kind of load. I did manage to go down a set of those tall steps, but it was slow going with my bum knee.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-QcsWR78/A" target="_blank"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-QcsWR78/0/355aeb8a/X2/DSC_2944-X2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TerryMiller, post: 3696670, member: 7900"] Fort Morgan is/was the largest of the two forts guarding the entrance to Mobile Bay. If I remember right, I think the "torpedoes" were placed in such a place as to force an attacking fleet to pass closer to Fort Morgan than to Fort Gaines. While Fort Gaines is largely masonry, Fort Morgan also employs concrete and earthen embankments. This is an image of the entrance to Fort Morgan. Such entrances were also called "sally points." [url=https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-mbw9zCD/A][img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-mbw9zCD/0/522c48e4/X2/DSC_2808-X2.jpg[/img][/url] Both forts also employed "disappearing" guns that were designed to be raised for firing and lowered for reloading. Such allowed their gun crews to be somewhat safer because they weren't subject to direct fire. [url=https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-48tnTRc/A][img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-48tnTRc/0/20e06d4a/X2/DSC_2798-X2.jpg[/img][/url] [url=https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-JgzrPwr/A][img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-JgzrPwr/0/910b5dc7/X2/DSC_2800-X2.jpg[/img][/url] This is an image taken from the tunnel of the entrance towards the entrance into the second wall of Fort Morgan. [url=https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-rM3PfGS/A][img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-rM3PfGS/0/1d9e4fd4/X2/DSC_2814-X2.jpg[/img][/url] This is the area between the two walls. The outer part of the outer wall was primarily earthworks and the interior part was/is masonry. In the background of the photo, one can see a ramp that gave access to the top of the outer wall. This intermediate space could also be covered by cannon fire should an attacker's force be able to get past the outer wall. I imagine that grape-shot would be highly effective ins such a space. [url=https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-ftLw9tV/A][img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-ftLw9tV/0/679c840c/X2/DSC_2815-X2.jpg[/img][/url] This is one of the cannons that would have covered that intermediate space. This area was locked off, so I had to take this picture through a pane of glass next to the locked door. I am extremely pleased that my Nikon Z6 with the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens was able to get fairly good pictures in low light. [url=https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-R9FDdxR/A][img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-R9FDdxR/0/26c6485c/X2/DSC_2833-X2.jpg[/img][/url] Such openings in the inside of the fort allowed for storage of lots of material, including powder and projectiles for the cannon and mortars. [url=https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-2LSXXpP/A][img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-2LSXXpP/0/d3b60990/X2/DSC_2840-X2.jpg[/img][/url] Inside one of those arched areas was the ordinance area. [url=https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-c2PSghz/A][img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-c2PSghz/0/d2a9c95d/X2/DSC_2851-X2.jpg[/img][/url] Openings along the wall guarding the intermediate area between the two walls were "V-shaped" (or perhaps more accurately, "X-shaped" to allow cannons to be swung from side to side to cover more of the area between the walls. In this photo, one can see the opening and a semi-circular "track" on which the cannon could be swiveled. [url=https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-d5q2QJJ/A][img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-d5q2QJJ/0/d0759e50/X2/DSC_2964-X2.jpg[/img][/url] Taken from on top of the inner wall, one can see additional gun emplacements (white in color) along the wall. The area of arches includes the arch where the main entrance comes into the inner fort area. The steps seen in the foreground are each made of a slab of rock and each step is about one foot in height. I sure wouldn't have wanted to be the one that had to climb those stairs with any kind of load. I did manage to go down a set of those tall steps, but it was slow going with my bum knee. [url=https://terrymiller.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-QcsWR78/A][img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Museums-and-Historical/Fort-Morgan-Alabama/i-QcsWR78/0/355aeb8a/X2/DSC_2944-X2.jpg[/img][/url] [/QUOTE]
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