The Battle of Mobile Bay was a key naval engagement during the American Civil War, fought on August 5, 1864. It took place in Mobile Bay, Alabama, one of the Confederacy's last major Gulf ports. Union forces, led by Admiral David Farragut, launched a successful assault against Confederate defenses, including forts and a small fleet of ships. Despite heavy fire and naval mines (then called torpedoes), Farragut pressed forward, famously declaring, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" The Union victory sealed off Mobile Bay, tightening the blockade of the South and contributing to the eventual Union victory in the war.