While his children lay in bed fighting for their lives my three times great grandfather, Jacob H. Wirth, was aboard the USS Tecumseh headed toward Mobile Bay.
On the night of August 4th, the USS Tecumseh arrived off the coast
of the last major Confederate controlled port days behind schedule and with
little time to prepare for the following morning. That calm evening was the
last time that Jacob Wirth would have to think about his wife and children
before Union admiral David Farragut ordered the attack. Farragut, tied to the
flagship’s mainmast rigging at this point for a better view, uttered his
now-famous order, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”
Within
the first few moments of what is now known as The Battle of Mobile Bay, having taken the lead and maneuvering
to engage the ironclad CSS Tennessee,
the USS Tecumseh was sent to the
bottom of the bay having fallen victim to one of the many torpedoes surrounding
Fort Morgan. While this horrendous turn of events may have served as a rallying
cry for the men and ships around him, this was far from the reality that descended
upon his family at home. In an instant his wife, Mary Ann, became a widow and
his small sickly daughters lost their father.
In the following weeks, the
Union naval force bombarded the three Confederate forts on the bay while
Federal army troops attacked from land. By August 23rd, the last fort had
surrendered, leaving Mobile Bay, the last confederate port, in the control of
the United States. Many engagements during the Civil War were critical to the
Union victory but it can be argued that this battle was instrumental in
bringing about the end of the war as it completely stopped the flow of goods to
the Confederacy and eliminated what was, at times, an admirable navy.
Of
course, as the battle was fought during those two and a half weeks in August,
Mary Wirth struggled at home. While she was unaware of her husband’s death, she
spent the duration of the battle caring for and eventually burying her two
youngest daughters. Only one child survived, only one daughter, my great great
grandmother, remained to comfort Mary during this time of great pain and
uncertainty. 150 years ago today, far from his family and his home in
Roxborough, Pennsylvania Jacob gave the ultimate sacrifice and to this day he
remains at the bottom of Mobile Bay.
