Where
History Spans Three Centuries 
Dauphin Island and Mobile Bay were mapped
as early as 1519 by Alonzo Pineda. In 1699, the French explorer, Pierre
Le Moyne de'Iberville named it "Massacre" because of what was described
as a "mountain of humen skeletons" found here, despite this, Iberville decided
to locate a colony here because of the abundant timber, reliable supply
of fresh water, and a great harbor.
"Massacre Island" soon became the headquarters for French colonization along
the Gulf Coast. The thriving settlement consisted of a fort, a chapel, government
owned warehouses, and many private homes. "Massacre" seemed too ominous
and in 1707, the French renamed the island in honor of the heir to the French
throne: "Dauphine." During this period the island was capitol of the Louisiana
Territory which equaled almost two thirds of the United States!
Although the colony was able to rebuild from a pirate raid in 1711, a devastating
hurricane six years later almost destroyed the fledgling settlement.
Over the
next century, control of Dauphin Island switched from France to Great Britain
and to Spain in 1780. Finally, in 1813 the United States seized the territory
around Mobile Bay. The British captured Dauphin Island and used it as a
proposed campaign against the city of Mobile. The British took Fort Bowyer
on Mobile Point but they learned the War of 1812 had ended four months earlier.
The war of 1812 proved that America needed adequate defenses for its long
coastline. Construction of a fort on land as part of a comprehensive system
of national defense began in 1821. Problems soon plagued the project. Engineers
sited the fort so close to Mobile Bay that water actually entered the works
at high tide. Worse, the contractors spent more money than their budget
allowed.
Over the next thirty years, the army attempted to renew construction
of the fort. Congress appropriated $20,000 in 1845 but land disputes prevented
any additional work. The army finally gained clear title to the land in
1853, but Joseph G. Totten, The Chief Engineer, decided to discontinue
construction according to the original plan. Totten designed a completely
new fort, incorporating the most advanced ideas in military architecture.
The fort's plan called for ten guns to be mounted on top of each of the
five walls. Each bastion contained emplacements for four flank howitzers.
The design of the walls with their brick and sand construction, allowed
them to absorb any artillery fire. A dry moat, crossed by a drawbridge,
extended thirty-five feet from the base of the walls. These features,
according to Totten's thinking, would keep enemy ships out of Western
Mobile Bay and would resist an attack from the land side of the fort.
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In 1853, Congress
named the fortification for General Edmund Pendleton Gaines who had died
in 1849. While still a young officer, Gaines received national recognition
when he led the detachment which captured former Vice-President Aaron Burr
who had been accused of participating in a conspiracy to commit treason.
Gaines' men pursued Burr to the vicinity of Fort Stoddert in what is now
Washington County, Alabama just north of Mobile. During the War of 1812,
Gaines proved to be an able commander. He received a promotion to the rank
of Brigadier General and won lasting fame for his tenacious defense of Fort
Erie. For the next thirty-five years, Gaines earned the respect of settlers
all over the southeast for his skill in the Indian Wars. He proved to be
an honest and adroit military administrator as he attempted to bring order
and discipline to the troops under his command.
Most of the work on the fort was completed by 1861. The outbreak of
the Civil War then left the remainder of work to the Confederate States
of America, which added the last touches by 1862. The role of Fort Gaines
in the Battle of Mobile Bay, one of the wars most notable naval conflicts,
is detailed in our History Tour Guide.
In 1898 the fort was further modified as a result of the Spanish-American
conflict. Three 6-inch disappearing naval guns and three rapid fire 3-inch
naval guns were emplaced. Concrete gun mounts and ammunition magazines
were added to the easterly walls, which eliminated the corner bastions
and rain catches and blocked off the tunnels there.
The gorge bastions, or corner blockhouses, are intricate structures
designed to serve a dual purpose. In addition to the cannon ports situated
in the side walls to guard the approaches to the walls, the entire roof
area of each bastion also held a pattern of catch basins for rain water.
The water was strained through a bed of shells and sand and carried to
several large cisterns beneath the floors and in the yard.
The bastions are connected to the courtyard by long arched tunnels which
also provide access to the gun ports in the outer walls. The gorge bastions
are inspiring examples of the detailed workmanship that went into the
fort construction. The northwest bastion is preserved in its original
condition. The bricks used in construction were made by slave labor on
Dog River, twenty miles to the north, then barged to the site. The intricate
masonry, all without keystones, shows the detail and knowledge of symmetry
the early brick craftsmen applied to their work.
Outside the walls in an area to the northwest, 500 feet distance from
the entrance, an array of buildings was constructed, including a sutler's
store, carpenter shop, blacksmith shop, lumber shed, stable, storehouse,
kitchen, mess hall and several small utility buildings. Directly in front
of the gate stood a barracks for troops.
Following the Civil War, a bill was introduced in Congress calling for
the establishment of a U.S. Naval Academy on Dauphin Island, but was defeated.
The fort 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.
World War II saw the fort used as a camp site for the Alabama National
Guard and a base for the U.S. Coast Guard stationed there to operate against
enemy submarines prowling the gulf in search of merchant vessels. Presently
the Coast Guard uses its base there to take part in crash rescue boat
operations.
The United States sold Fort Gaines to the City of Mobile in 1926. The
city in turn gave the property to the Alabama Department of Conservation,
which deeded it to the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board.
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