Mobile Bay

One of my favorite places to visit is the southern end of Mobile Bay. On a trip to Gulf Shores, if time permits, I prefer to take the ferry across from Dauphine Island instead of the Interstate that passes through Mobile. Despite the oil rigs and heavy barge traffic in the area, great care has been taken to preserve the sea coast region and the water is still immaculate for the most part. Of main interest to me are the two forts left over from the Civil War era; Fort Gaines on Dauphine Island and Fort Morgan on the eastern side of the bay.

During the Civil War, with the fall of New Orleans and Galveston, Mobile was one of the last remaining Southern seaports and it was used primarily as a place for blockade runners to dock and refit. It was heavily defended and to augment the two forts, a small fleet was stationed in the bay, including an ironclad that was christened as the Tennessee. The small fleet was commanded by Admiral Franklin Buchanan, who was notable as the captain of the famous ironclad Merrimac a few years before.

Buchanan knew that sooner or later the Union forces would attempt to take control of Mobile, so he worked hard on strengthening the two forts in preparation for the attack that was sure to come. His whole plan hinged on keeping the Union Navy out of Mobile Bay proper, because once the fleet was in the large bay, the forts would no longer be able to fire on the ships and the various Union forces could then capture Mobile at their leisure.

Finally on August 6, 1864, the Union fleet commanded by David Farragut attempted to run the gauntlet between the two forts. The wooden Union vessels were lashed together into a column formation, with their own ironclad monitors placed in a row between them and Fort Morgan. Things apparently went well for the South at first, as the Union fleet was battered and the Union monitor Tecumseh was sunk in front of the fort. It was at this moment with the Union fleet facing indecision that Admiral Farragut, perched high in the rigging of the Hartford, gave his famous proclamation ‘D__n the torpedoes, full steam ahead’ and the tide of battle suddenly shifted. The Union fleet made it into the bay area, between the forts and the city of Mobile, and destroyed or captured the Southern ships in the bay one at a time. Cut off from the city and with no way of being resupplied, both forts fell within a few days. Not long afterward, Mobile surrendered as well. It was a tremendous loss to the Southern cause.

Today, Christians are being hammered by all that the world apparently has to offer us. The various media outlets from television and radio to the Internet are on constant attack with messages to conform and give in, accept defeat, and follow along with the status quo. We may be strong in our faith and feel that we have done all that we possibly can to prepare for this fight, and we may even win a few battles, but it only takes a small break in our defenses to bring us down to ruin. What more can we do? Is there any weapon that can prosper against these relentless attacks we are assuredly going to continue to face daily in our lives?

In Ephesians 6 we are admonished, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Jesus is our Captain, and our defensive strategy should be left up to Him. When we are weak, He is strong. Our best posture is to stand firm in the power of His might, and to rely less upon our own devices. Satan is crafty and he has many ‘wiles’ to use against us. He is a roaring lion and he is out there actively seeking to devour us.

The battle may appear to be going against us at times, but we also know that the battle belongs to The Lord! With His help we can stop sin before it enters our hearts and causes us to fall.