Category: The Mobile Campaign (Campaign Series)

Fort Blakely The Federal investment of Fort Blakely began with the arrival of Steele’s column from Pensacola on April 1st. The week long skirmishing between Steele’s troops and the Confederate defenderd brought them “within 900 yards of their works.” On April 9th Canby started moving his forces at Spanish Fort to Blakely to complete the […]

Spanish Fort I While Forrest was meeting defeat around Selma MG Canby was encouraging the Union navy to move up the river to seal off the rear of the Confederates at Spanish Fort. Two gunboats (Octorara and Genesee) and four monitors (Kickapoo, Milwaukee, Winnebago, and Chickasaw) attempted to pass over the Blakely Bar on March […]

Ebenezer Church McCook, acting on his knowledge of Forrest’s plan, dispatched a battalion in advance of his 2nd Brigade to seize the bridge at Centerville. Selected for the mission was MAJ Shipman with the second battalion and Company M of the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry. Shipman’s detail had no trouble running off the Confederate guard at […]

Croxton’s Tuscaloosa Expedition With his mind set on beating Forrest to Selma Wilson did not forget other important targets in the area. On 30 March he detached BG John Croxton’s brigade for a strike at Tuscaloosa. Croxton’s instructions “take the most direct route to Tuscaloosato destroy the bridge, factories, mills, university (military school) and whatever […]

Advance on Spanish Fort Delays in the march and efforts to unify his entire force required Canby to remain on the Fish River for longer than expected. The Confederate defenders used the hesitation to make some moves of their own. On March 23rd the 16th Confederate Cavalry, commanded by COL Philip Spence,moved out from the […]

West Shore Diversion In order to create confusion and the widest possible dispersion of defending troops 1700 troops of 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, XVI Corps departed Dauphin Island on steamers and were landed at Cedar Point on the Western shore of the bay on the 18th. The small Confederate force guarding the landing site was […]

Introduction By early 1865 it was clear that the Confederacy was nearly dead. The primary army in the west had been smashed beyond repair, Petersburg was on the verge of collapse, Union armies were advancing on every front, and the will to maintain the struggle was disappearing even at the very top of Confederate government. […]