Ft Gaines on endangered battlefield list

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. - The Dauphin Island Park & Beach Board said Wednesday that the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) has included Fort Gaines among its top ten most endangered battlefields in its annual report on the status of the nation's historic battlegrounds.

The report, entitled History Under Siege: A Guide to America's Most Endangered Civil War Battlefields, identifies the most threatened Civil War sites in the United States and what can be done to rescue them.

"During the Battle of Mobile Bay, Fort Gaines withstood a barrage of artillery from soldiers, cavalry, and naval vessels before surrendering," said Mike Henderson, Director of the Dauphin Island Park & Beach Board. "Now, 144 years later, Historic Fort Gaines is under threat from an even mightier foe, the Gulf of Mexico. We hope that this designation from the Civil War Preservation Trust will help us preserve this jewel of history for the people of Alabama and the nation at large for years to come."

According to the CWPT, Fort Gaines was included in the report because dredging practices in the Gulf of Mexico—the only human factor per a USGS report in 2007—have greatly increased the rate of erosion on Dauphin Island. More than 400 feet of historic coastline have already been lost, complicating the continued operation of the Fort Gaines Historic Site. The loss of established dune systems means that the Gulf could eventually bisect the island, stranding Fort Gaines and other culturally important areas.

"The inclusion of Historic Fort Gaines among the ten most endangered battlefields in the nation further illustrates the increasing erosion of Dauphin Island," Mayor Jeff Collier said. "The Town is working on multiple avenues to stabilize its shoreline including the possibility of an engineered beach, which has proven successful for stabilizing neighboring beach areas in Alabama."

"In town after town, irreplaceable battlefields that help to define those communities are being lost to development," said CWPT president James Lighthizer at the report's unveiling. "As we approach the Sesquicentennial of the bloodiest conflict in our nation's history, we need to be more aware than ever of the importance of preserving these sacred places for generations to come."

The Dauphin Island press conference coincided with an official announcement from the CWPT at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Joining Lighthizer at the news conference was Academy Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss, an avid student of history.

"These hallowed battlegrounds should be national shrines, monuments to American valor, determination and courage. Once these irreplaceable treasures are gone, they're gone forever," Dreyfuss said.

The history of Historic Fort Gaines is intertwined with one of the most important battles of the Civil War. In 1864, the entrance to the last major Confederate shipping harbor, Mobile Bay, was guarded by two fortressed batteries including Fort Gaines, on the eastern point of Dauphin Island, Alabama. Controlling Mobile Bay was crucial to ending Confederate resistance. Union Admiral David Farragut looked out over treacherous water mines—known then as torpedoes—littering the middle passage to the bay. When the lead boat, the ironclad USS Tecumseh, sank after striking a mine, panic and disorder overtook much of the fleet. To embolden his shaken forces, Farragut shouted the most famous command in maritime history, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"

This is the first time that Fort Gaines has been included in History Under Siege. The report has been published annually since 2001.