This Dahlgren IX inch cannon was aboard the USS Hartford, Admiral David Farragut's flagship during the most vital naval battles of the Civil War. New Orleans, the South's largest and richest city, was captured by his fleet in 1862. For this achievement Farragut was promoted to admiral, the first US naval officer of this rank. In August, 1864, his fleet ran the gauntlet of forts and mines to enter Mobile Bay, capture the opposing Confederate ships, and close the South's remaining major port. In the most fierce US naval battle up to that time, Farragut, tied to the Hartford's mast to be able to see above the smoke of battle, ordered his fleet forward past "torpedoes" (mines), with his famous US Navy battle cry, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" The victory helped ensure Lincoln's nomination for his second term. This 4.5 ton cannon had a standard gun crew of 16 and could hurl a 90 lb. shell two miles.
This sign funded by a grant from Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation and private donations.
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