1865 Mobile, Alabama Magazine Explosion

you know I call myself the history guy because I love history and I love to travel and learn about history in the places where it actually occurred and what really excites me is the opportunity to go learn about history anywhere in the world with history guy fans and we're going to have the chance to start doing that in 2024. if you think you would like to take a trip with the history guy then please do me a favor and fill out the survey that's at the link in the description it doesn't create any obligation to you it will just help us plan the trips that will be most interested for our history guy viewers and then we can go learn about history together maybe even make some history of our own that deserves to be remembered by late May 1865 the U.S Civil War was all but over the armies under the commands of General Robert E Lee and Joseph Johnston had surrendered Confederate President Jefferson Davis had been captured U.S President Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated while there were still a few Confederate units in the field most of them west of the Mississippi the rest of the nation had pretty much moved on to the difficult question of what would come after the Carnage but the Carnage was not quite over yet on May 25th 1865 the city of Mobile Alabama was rocked by what the Montgomery Daily Mail called one of the most frightful explosions that ever occurred it is history that deserves to be remembered the Gulfport city of Mobile Alabama saw a significant boom following the end of the war of 1812 owing to the cotton trade the Agricultural Product had been highly impacted by the Industrial Revolution the invention of the cotton gin in introduction of steam power from River and rail transportation and steam driven Lumber and textile mills had created a massive Market dubbed King Cotton much of that market was foreign the website Mississippi history now explains by 1860 Great Britain the world's most powerful country had become the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and a significant part of that nation's industry was cotton textiles nearly 4 million of Britain's total population of 21 million were dependent on Cotton textile manufacturing and nearly 40 percent of Britain's exports were caught in textiles 75 of the cotton that's applied Britain's cotton Mills came from the American South this trade was incredibly important to the nation's economy the encyclopedia continues cotton accounted for over half of All American exports during the first half of the 19th century the cotton Market supported America's ability to borrow money from abroad it also fostered an enormous domestic trade in agricultural products from the west and manufactured goods from the East in short cut and helped tie the country together the cotton boom particularly affected the previously somewhat sleepy city of mobile the website of visit mobile notes that mobile was now open as an American port on the second largest river system in the country author Arthur Bergeron explains in his 1991 book Confederate Mobile Alabama produced more cotton than any other Southern State except Mississippi by 1860 and the majority of those Bales were sold in Mobile the online encyclopedia of Alabama notes that by the 1820s mobile became a major exporting Center for Alabama in the South to markets in the Northeast and Europe cotton proved to be the most profitable export of antebellumobile and the city's economic fortunes prospered along with the wealthy plantations of the Interior region as the Center of Trade mobile was second only to the port of New Orleans on the Gulf Coast and one of the four busiest ports in the United States the 1860s census listed the City's population at nearly thirty thousand more than six times the 1830 population the city's position is an international Seaport meant that it was both more Cosmopolitan and more International than was typical of the state's population the mobile historic development commission notes that while overall only a small portion of immigrant workers came to the South since its records and local immigration records revealed the diversity of Mobile's population between 1840 and 1860. almost two-thirds of all workers in Mobile were native to countries other than the United States out of 7457 employed and property free adult males in 1860. 50 percent were white foreign born people arrived in Mobile from almost every country in the world one would expect a large influx from England or Scotland but there were also large groups of Tradesmen in Mobile who came from France Scotland and Canada the largest contingent of immigrants however came from Ireland and Germany struck by a significant fire in 1827 the city had the commission explains prohibited the construction of all wooden buildings within designated boundaries they would have to be built in stone or brick this gave the city a more solid look a visitor wrote that the city contains many Pleasant residences in bowered in shade trees and surrounded by generous grounds many beautiful homes built during that period can still be visited today the fire had also led to the development of one of the most modern fire departments in the country at the outbreak of war the new Confederate States of America recognized the city's importance Mobile on the verge of War Bergeron explains was the leading city of Alabama and one of the most important cities of the South the confederate government therefore prioritized the city's defense following Alabama's secession from the union in January of 1861 Bergeron writes recognizing the city's strategic importance as a port and major rail Center connecting the eastern and western sections of the new nation the confederate government moved quickly to provide adequate defense for mobile the war department he explains always made sure that the territorial command which mobile belonged whether a department or a district had the defense of the city as a chief objective the defense included two important masonry fortifications Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines located at the mouth of Mobile Bay the two forts protected the only approach to mobile where water was deep enough to allow the passage of large warships both preventing the attack of mobile from the sea and covering the escape and entry of blockade Runners intent on carrying supplies through the Federal Naval blockade in addition the Confederate naval squadron was created including in 1864 the casemate Ironclad CSS Tennessee to help defend the bay and support the forts but various defenses around the city were also prepared despite the constantly competing demands of the war although the Garrison at times shrank to levels that alarmed its commanders the Confederate military authorities in Richmond made a commitment to supply enough men to occupy the fortifications so that an enemy attack would meet stiff resistance Bergeron writes while there was no immediate attack on mobile the port was subject to the union blockade which the Encyclopedia of Alabama rights brought an end to Mobile's Prosperity by stifling foreign trade steel mobile managed Bergeron writes many observers conclude that the war barely touched mobile one resident remembered after the conflict that mobile was called the Paris of the Confederacy New Orleans had fallen so early in The Fray and gay indeed it was Bergeron notes that some in fact found the city socializing to be frivolous a newspaper correspondent assigned to mobile wrote I must say the country is likely to contrast the hard fighting and hard living of her brave soldiers in Tennessee Virginia and elsewhere with these holiday doings at mobile making upstripious mirth over two hundred thousand newly made Graves of our Kindred and friends and in the hearing of our poor sick fellows who crowd our hospitals in thousands is not at all to my taste still the war on blockade produce shortages and the citizens occasionally suffered New Orleans fell to the Union in April 1862 Leaving Mobile as the largest port on the gulf in Confederate hands and such it became a major port for blockade Runners although the union Navy made such activities difficult there were numerous small Naval engagements around mobile but in August 1864 a large Federal Squadron under the command of rear Admiral David Farragut was able to run by forts Morgan in Gaines defeating the Confederate naval squadron when the Ironclad monitor Tecumseh struck an underwater mine which were at the time called Torpedoes and sank Farragut ordered his Fleet to continue Craig was famously quoted Damn the Torpedoes Full Speed Ahead although that story did not appear in print until years after the battle and some historians questioned whether this statement was actually made the heavily armored CSS Tennessee fought bravely but was too slow to use her Ram effectively and Under Fire from the federal fleet was eventually disabled unable to build up steam and unable to steer as her stacks and steering chains were blown away finally CSS Tennessee surrendered and after brief sieges a Detachment of federal troops was able to compel the surrender forts Morgan and Gaines the union Navy now held lower Mobile Bay essentially cutting off the last Confederate port on the Gulf but the union had only been able to spare some 2000 troops not enough to assault the city itself although the presence of the Union Fleet essentially denied the citizens of mobile access to their local delicacy oysters and food shortages continued the city still held the union attempted a significant effort to take the city in the spring of 1865. by then the city had been highly portified in the Garrison while greatly outnumbered was able to hold back the union troops a Siege ensued but on April 12th news arrived that Lee had surrendered the army of Northern Virginia on the ninth and the general Joseph Johnston commander of three remaining Confederate armies was in negotiations to do the same Confederate forces evacuated the city Union Officers sent a message demanding that mobile surrender unconditionally in response mayor R.H Slough agreed in his letter to Major General Gordon Granger he wrote your demand has been granted and I trust gentlemen for the sake of humanity that all safeguards you can throw around our people will be secured to them acting rear Admiral Henry Thatcher reported that the flag the United States was then hoisted on City Hall and a portion of the troops immediately Advanced to prevent pillage that's reported on Union Navy efforts to clear the channel but also noted that a number of Canon that have been deployed to defend the city had been captured so far as ascertained he wrote the number of guns captured by the Army and Navy will not fall short of 400. many of them were new and of the heaviest caliber the amount of ammunition and Ordnance stores is very large despite its important strategic position the city of mobile had managed to not only survive the war but to do so with very little damage Bergeron notes that even during the final Union Siege a local Soldier wrote his girlfriend that our city has not at all changed in its appearance in an 1869 petition for Relief presented to the United States Congress Charles F fonte wrote mobile had under a kind of Providence been mercifully spared the destruction that had befallen other Southern cities and after the close of the war had started with a hearty acceptance of the New Order of things on the march of recuperation and reconstruction with the small means at their command citizens cheerfully embarked Upon A New Life the streets were once more crowded and the stir of returning trade had succeeded to the boom of Canon the warehouses were filled with cotton and the wharves could scarcely accommodate their demands of the commercial Rush the future looked hopeful and bright but alas he writes on the 25th day of May 1865 there was a dreadful Awakening from his dream of prosperity now under Federal occupation one of the tasks of the occupiers Was the removal of the captured ordinance sources differ but between 30 to as much as 200 tons of powder and artillery shells have been moved to a Depot called Marshall's Warehouse in the corner of Lipscomb and commerce streets in Mobile's business district Union soldiers were in the process of removing this ordinance when on Thursday May 25th at 15 minutes past two in the afternoon the mobile evening telegraph reported the depot exploded scattering ruin Devastation and death Union Navy Captain e Simpson explained that a portion of the ammunition surrendered to General Canby by General Richard Taylor of the Confederate service had been placed in Marshall's Warehouse Preparatory to transportation to the bomb proofs in the Forts and by some unexplained accident the explosion occurred at this place the telegraph reported that the shock made the city tremble like an aspen shaking every building to its foundation the crash of broken glass was heard in every direction and falling walls made the Earth sound like the rumbling event earthquake fondy reported suddenly as if by some great volcanic upheaving of the earth a black mass spraying into the quiet sky and spreading its lured Wings dealt death and Terror for miles around the Detroit Free Press reported that eight entire squares of the city were demolished and eight thousand bales of cotton destroyed Captain William mccricken of the 10th Minnesota infantry volunteers wrote in a letter to his wife that the explosion was distinctly heard at this place a distance of 140 miles that he had heard reports that one-fifth the whole city was in Ruins rear Admiral Thatcher reported that Marshall's Warehouse where the ordinance stores which exploded were stored was perhaps three quarters of a mile from the flagship and fragments of shell fell on board the vessel the Wheeling West Virginia Daily Register reported that the entire city was more or less injured by the explosion and two Steamers the colonel cowls and the Robert Dale with all on board were entirely destroyed the telegraph reported that all prominent buildings from St Louis Street up including water Commerce and front streets are about completely demolished and noted that their own office although situated three quarters of a mile from the magazine was seriously damaged bonde's report wrote that a mass was thrown into the air from whose wondrous loins sprang bursting shells flying Timbers bales of cotton barrels of rosin bars and sheets of iron bricks Stones wagons horses men women and children commingled and mangled into one immense Mass the telegraph continues it is almost impossible at present to arrive at any definite information on the number of people lost who we think however that 200 were scarcely covered the number Exclusive of the Wounded Pandey noted that the shock was so great as in several instances to cause instant death without the least appearance of injury to the body Captain mccricken wrote that the number killed will never be known as many were blown to fragments the mobile Morning News reported that the heart stood still and the stoutest cheek paled as the reign of death pale from the sky and crashed after crash foretold of more fearful fate yet impending old and young Soldier and citizens vied with each other in Deeds of Daring to rescue the crumbled and imprisoned fonte wrote that General Granger dispatched a messenger to Brigadier General Dennis with orders to detail all soldiers in the city and vicinity to impress all men found in the streets to Aid in the rescue and to stay the progress of the flames among those who went to fight the fires and rescue survivors was John Cooper coxson of the Sloop USS Brooklyn Cooper had been awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery during the Battle of Mobile Bay in the fight with CSS Tennessee in the aftermath of the Explosion Cooper Advanced to the burning locality rescued a wounded man from certain death and bore him on his back to a place of safety for his action Cooper was awarded his second Medal of Honor as to the assistance by the federal forces the telegraph opined that too much praise cannot be given to the officers and soldiers for their promptness in being in the ground and the assistance they rendered in removing many of the sufferers while there's no way to know for sure exactly how many people died in the explosion and fire and some estimates at the time put it as high as a thousand casualties estimates by historian senseless the number killed is around 200 including two Union Sailors who lost their lives trying to fight the fires and rescue victims economic costs at the time was listed at an astounding 3 to 10 million dollars but when an appeal was made to Congress for damages in 1869 the provable damages to property were listed at just 728 892 dollars mobile.org says that the explosion and fire brought mobile to its darkest hour and that the climb back to Prosperity was slow and difficult the exact cause of the explosion was never officially determined but it's generally assumed to have been an accident caused by careless handling of the Munitions there was some concern that it could have been caused by Confederate incendiaries but no evidence of such a plot ever arose and as the mobile evening telegraph wrote let us hope that no man can be found in our midst who would willingly cause such want and destruction of life and property there is a terrible irony in the fact that the city that had managed to avoid destruction in such a destructive War had found destruction after the war ended by the explosion of the Munitions that were originally intended to defend the city I hope you enjoyed watching this episode of the history guy and if you did please feel free to like And subscribe and share the history guide with your friends and if you also believe that history deserves to be remembered then you can support the history guy as a member on YouTube a supporter on our community at locals or as a patron on patreon you can also check out our great merchandise shop or book a special message from the history guy on cameo [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered

Views: 89,504

Keywords: history, history guy, the history guy

Id: 6JxvYkejUp4

Length: 17min 33sec (1053 seconds)

Published: Wed May 17 2023