“Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”

Historic Fort Gaines, named for Brigadier General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, is situated on the east end of Dauphin Island, Alabama. In 1853 Congress named the Fort for Gaines, most noted for his role in capturing former Vice-President Aaron Burr who was accused of participating in a conspiracy to commit treason. Gaines is also noted for his unyielding defense of Fort Erie (Ontario) during the War of 1812.

Construction of the fort began in 1821, however problems soon plagued the project, including overbudgeting and engineers sitting the fort too close to the Bay which allowed water to make it's way in during high tide.

The Army attempted to renew construction over the next 30 years but land disputes prevented their progress. The Army finally gained clear title to the land in 1853 but the Chief Engineer, Joseph G. Totten, decided to discontinue current construction, opting for a newly designed fort that incorporated the latest advances in military architecture. The new design called for ten guns to be mounted atop each of it's five walls with each bastion containing emplacements for four flank howitzers. The walls were built of brick and sand in order to absorb artillery fire. A dry moat was also added which extended thirty-five feet from the base of the walls.

Fort Gaines played an important role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War, one of the wars most notable naval conflicts. Along with Fort Morgan, which sits on the opposite shore at the mouth of Mobile Bay, and a small Confederate fleet, Fort Gaines attempted to stop advancing Union forces from entering the Bay.

However the Union fleet, which consisted of eighteen vessels, was too much for the Confederate fleet of four and eventually led Confederate commander Admiral Franklin Buchanan to surrender. Over the next three weeks, a combined operation by the Navy and one Army division captured the forts.

Although the city of Mobile remained in Confederate hands, the last blockade-running port on the Gulf Coast east of the Mississippi was shut down.

In 1898 the Fort was further modified as a result of the Spanish-American conflict. Three six-inch disappearing naval guns and three rapid fire three-inch naval guns were emplaced. Concrete gun mounts and ammunition magazines were added to the easterly walls, which eliminated the corner bastions.

Fort Gaines served in World War I with a Coastal Artillery unit garrison manning the disappearing guns. The site also became an anti-aircraft gunnery school during and following the war. The fort was used as a camp site for the Alabama National Guard in World War II and a base for the U.S. Coast Guard stationed to operate against enemy submarines. The Coast Guard now uses the base to take part in rescue operations.

In 1926 the United States sold Fort Gaines to the City of Mobile. The city handed the property over to the Alabama Department of Conservation, which deeded it to the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board.