Near Gulf Shores in Baldwin County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
The Battery Lincoln
Position of Company “C” of the 20th Iowa Infantry
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 19, 2013
1. The Battery Lincoln Marker
Completed on August 18th, Battery Lincoln was located near the northern end of the Federal siege lines of Fort Morgan. Company “C” of the 20th Iowa Infantry Regiment, under the command of Captain Mark L. Thomson, was detailed to serve as sharpshooters on the siege line.
Near daybreak on August 22nd, the last great bombardment of Fort Morgan commenced. Private Samuel Crawford of the 20th Iowa detailed the accurate shelling of the mortars in a diary he penned during the operations on Mobile Point.
"The Navy & Mortars commenced and such a steady stream of shot and shell I never saw. It beet (sic) anything they ever had at Vicksburg on one fort for so long…They kept up the fire from all side until about 8 o.clk. Then the mortars alone were left at the work. After about an hour…they got the range so that they thrower every shell into the fort. Captain Thomson said that with the mortars they had charge of they throwed 40 shells in an hour & 15 minutes that is about as fast as they could use four pieces."
Private Rufe Dooley of the 1st Indiana Heavy Artillery described the deadly spectacle of the bombardment in a letter to his mother.
"All the artillery opened at daylight and kept it up all day...night closed in and our breastworks were just begun but now came the most beautiful
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After Fort Morgan's surrender, Captain Thomson, as well as Lieutenants R. M. Lytle and W.M. Johnson who each commanded a section of two mortars, received the personal thanks of General Gordon Granger for the “gallant manner” in which they handled the operations of their guns during the siege.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant day of the year for for this entry is August 18.
Location. 30° 13.825′ N, 88° 1.136′ W. Marker is near Gulf Shores, Alabama, in Baldwin County. Marker can be reached from Fort Morgan Road (State Road 180) 1.3 miles west of Dune Drive, on the left when traveling west. Marker is located on the grounds of Fort Morgan State Historic Park about 300 yards past the park's entrance behind Officer's Row. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 51 Highway 180 West, Gulf Shores AL 36542, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Officer’s Row (within shouting distance of this marker); "The Shells Were Bursting All Around Us" (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Colors of Significance: Historic Flags of Mobile Point
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 19, 2013
2. The Battery Lincoln Marker
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 19, 2013
3. The Battery Lincoln
Position of Company “C” of the 20th Iowa Infantry
Photographed By Timothy Carr, June 19, 2013
4. Image On Marker:
A Federal artilleryman aims an 8-inch siege mortar by using a chord connected to the top of the parapet and a simple grid that surrounds the gun.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 25, 2018. It was originally submitted on November 9, 2013, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,374 times since then and 52 times this year. Last updated on March 21, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 9, 2013, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
