A quick flashback to Day 3, when we made the journey out to Dauphin Island. Just to the left of the ferry terminal is Fort Gaines. It stands stubbornly on the shoreline like it has for over 150 years, cannons still pointed out over the bay.
This is where the famous phrase “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” actually came from. I always figured that the phrase was from an old war movie. I can actually hear John Wayne growling out the command as they charged into battle. Turns out, it’s an actual piece of American history. Back in August 1864, during the Battle of Mobile Bay, Union Admiral David Farragut was leading his fleet into a bay that was heavily mined with “torpedoes” (what they called underwater mines back then). When one of his ships hit a mine and the fleet started to pull back, Farragut made the bold call to charge ahead — a gamble that led to a huge Union victory and left us with one of the most famous quotes in military history
