Cary and his company of the First Alabama Artillery were sent from Fort Morgan to guard the guns. Parapets, or walls, of oyster shell and sand shielded the battery, which was later supplemented by an 8-inch Columbiad cannon. When the Civil War began in April 1861, the Confederacy first attempted to fortify the pass with a battery of three 32-pounder cannon on Grant’s Island. While plans had been drawn for a tower, disputes regarding money and land rights prevented work from taking place on “Tower Island” (later called Grant’s Island) prior to the Civil War. Around 1842, John Grant was commissioned by the federal government to dredge what would become known as Grant’s Pass, increasing the depth from four to about seven feet. In his report, Bernard recommended the construction of a fortified tower with 12 guns and a garrison of perhaps 36 men to guard the location where Fort Powell would later be constructed. government, French engineer Simon Bernard made a military survey of the coastal areas in 1817. Of the three forts, Fort Powell was the only fortification in Mobile Bay constructed by Confederate forces, as well as the only fortification in the lower bay defenses built using sand with wooden reinforcements instead of brick. Located at Grant’s Pass slightly northwest of Fort Morgan and north of Fort Gaines, the fort was constructed on a half-acre artificial island of oyster shells and sand. Fort Powell was an American Civil War sand fortification constructed by the Confederacy to guard the entrance into Mobile Bay from the Mississippi Sound.
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