Fort Blakely, AL

Date(s): April 2-9, 1865

Location:

Campaign(s): Mobile Campaign [1865]

Battles in Campaign:

• Spanish Fort, AL - March 27-April 8, 1865 B

• Fort Blakely, AL - April 2-9, 1865 A

Situation:

• Just hours after the surrender of General Robert E. Lee miles away in Virginia, the Battle of Blakeley was fought at Fort Blakeley on April 9, 1865 at 5:30 p.m.

Commanders:

• Union: Maj. Gen. E. R. S. Canby

• Confederate: Brig. Gen. St. John R. Liddell

Principal Forces:

• Union: XIII and XVI Corps (16,000)

• Confederate: Fort Blakely Garrison (4,000)

Description:

• Union Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby’s forces, the XVI and XIII corps, moved along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, forcing the Confederates back into their defenses.

• Union forces then concentrated on Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely.

• By April 1, Union forces had enveloped Spanish Fort, thereby releasing more troops to focus on Fort Blakely.

• Brig. Gen. St. John R. Liddell, with about 4,000 men, held out against the much larger Union force until Spanish Fort fell on April 8, allowing Canby to concentrate 16,000 men for the attack on April 9.

• The numerically superior Union troops breached the Confederate earthworks and forced garrison to surrender.

• The siege and capture of Fort Blakely was basically the last combined-force battle of the war.

• African-American forces played a major role in the successful Union assault.

Photo Gallery:¹

The Battle of Blakeley	Redoubt #4 is the strongest and most prominent of the nine redoubts protecting Blakely	Redoubt #4	Redoubt #4
Redoubt #4	Redoubt #4	Redoubt #4
Site of Confederate Camps	Site of Confederate Camps	Redoubt #4 was protected with two rows of abatis	Other Obstructions were Placed in this Area
Confederate Rifle Pits	Confederate Rifle Pits	Confederate Rifle Pits	Confederate Rifle Pit
		Torpedoes were Planted by the Confederates in this Area
			Site of Third Parallel Trenches - Staging Area for Union Assault
Site of Third Parallel Trenches - Staging Area for Union Assault		Site of Federal Camps	Site of Federal Camps
15th Massachusetts Battery	15th Massachusetts Battery	15th Massachusetts Battery
			Union Rifle Pits
Union Rifle PitsApproach)	Boyaux (Zig Zag)	Boyaux (Zig Zag)

Slide Presentation²: Fort Blakely, AL

Classification³: A

Casualties⁴:Total 4,475

• Union:   629 April 9

• Confederate: 2,900 April 9

Results: Union Victory

Battlefield Website:

• Historic Blakeley State Park

Recommended Resources:

¹ Please click on the image to enlarge it. You may copy the images if you include the following note and link with each image: "Courtesy of civil-war-journeys.org."

² Slide Presentations Click on link to view as web-based slide show.

³ Classification:

• A - having a decisive influence on a campaign and a direct impact on the course of the war

• B - having a direct and decisive influence on their campaign

• C - having observable influence on the outcome of a campaign

• D - having a limited influence on the outcome of their campaign or operation but achieving or affecting important local objectives

⁴ Casualties are someone killed, injured, wounded, captured or missing.

Revised 09/26/2008