U.S. #792
1937 3¢ Farragut & Porter
Army and Navy
Issue Date: February 18, 1937
First City: Washington, DC
Quantity Issued: 93,291,650
Not only were David Farragut and David Porter both Civil War Naval commanders, they were adopted brothers. Both served during the Civil War, with Farragut earning praise as the “hero of Mobile Bay.”
Battle of Mobile Bay
The Union victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay was a turning point in the American Civil War. A key component of the Union strategy was a naval blockade to limit the delivery of supplies to the South. Three years after the war began, all but two major ports had been effectively closed. Of the two, Mobile Bay in Alabama was protected by two forts, shallow channels, and submerged mines. At dawn on August 5, 1864, Union Admiral David Farragut sailed a fleet of four ironclad monitors and 14 wooden warships through the channel past the 47 cannons of Fort Morgan. At the end of an intense battle, Mobile Bay was closed to blockade runners, and the Confederate supply chain was broken.