Battle of Fort Blakeley: Difference between revisions
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{{coord|30|44|32.67|N|87|55|37.34|W|region:US|display=title}} |
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{{Infobox military conflict |
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|conflict = Battle of Fort Blakely |
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|image = [[File:BattleofFortBlakely1.png|300px]] |
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|caption = ''Storming of Fort Blakely'' |
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|partof = the [[American Civil War]] |
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|date = April 2, 1865 – April 9, 1865 |
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|place = [[Baldwin County, Alabama|Baldwin County]], [[Alabama]] |
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|result = [[United States of America|Union]] victory |
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*Fort Blakely surrendered to the U.S. |
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|combatant1 = {{flagicon|USA|1865}} [[United States]] ([[Union (American Civil War)|Union]]) |
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|combatant2 = {{flagicon|CSA|1865}} [[Confederate States of America|CSA (Confederacy)]] |
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|commander1 = [[Edward Canby]] |
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|commander2 = [[St. John R. Liddell]] |
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|units1 = [[Army of West Mississippi]] |
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|units2 = Fort Blakely Garrison |
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|strength1 = 45,000 <ref name=strength/> |
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|strength2 = 4,000 <ref name=strength/> |
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|casualties1 = 629 |
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|casualties2 = 2,900 |
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}} |
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{{Campaignbox Mobile Campaign}} |
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The '''Battle of Fort Blakely''' took place from April 2-April 9, 1865 in [[Baldwin County, Alabama]], as part of the Mobile Campaign of the [[American Civil War]]. |
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==Course of the battle== |
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[[File:Battle_of_Fort_Blakely_map.png|thumb|305px|Positions of units involved.]] |
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[[File:Map_of_Blakely_and_Vicinity._Showing_the_disposition_of_the_2nd_Division,_13th_Army_Corps,_during_the_siege_%26_and..._-_NARA_-_305627.jpg|thumb|305px|Position of 2nd Division, 13th Army Corps.]] |
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Maj. Gen. [[Edward Canby]]'s Union forces, the [[XVI Corps (ACW)|XVI]] and [[XIII Corps (ACW)|XIII Corps]],<ref name=hmdb>{{cite web|title=Battle of Blakeley|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=87292|website=Historical Marker Database|accessdate=24 September 2015}}</ref> moved along the eastern shore of [[Mobile Bay]], forcing the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]]s back into their defenses. [[Union army|Union]] forces then concentrated on [[Spanish Fort, Alabama]] and nearby Fort Blakely. By April 1, Union forces had enveloped Spanish Fort, thereby releasing more troops to focus on Fort Blakely. Confederate 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 in the [[Battle of Spanish Fort]]. This allowed Canby to concentrate 16,000 men for the attack on April 9, led by Brig. Gen. [[John P. Hawkins]]. Sheer numbers breached the Confederate earthworks, compelling the Confederates, including Liddell, to surrender. The siege and capture of Fort Blakely was basically the last combined-force battle of the war. Yet, it is criticized by some (such as [[Ulysses S. Grant]]) as an ineffective contribution to Union war effort due to Canby's lateness in engaging his troops. The battle was actually fought hours after the Confederate General [[Robert E. Lee]] surrendered at Appomattox. The battle is considered the last major battle of the war.<ref name=last>{{cite web|title=Re-enactors to fire up Civil War battlefield Saturday, marking 150th anniversary of Battle of Fort Blakeley|url=http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2015/03/re-enactors_to_fire_up_civil_w.html#incart_river|last=Anderson|first=Marc D.|date=March 26, 2015|accessdate=March 26, 2015|work=AL.com}}</ref> African-American forces played a major role in the successful Union attack. As a result of this battle, Union forces would finally be able to occupy the city of [[Mobile, Alabama]] on April 12, 1865. |
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==Legacy== |
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The site of the battle is now a historical park, [[Historic Blakeley State Park]]. |
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==Opposing forces== |
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===Union=== |
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{{further|Fort Blakely Union order of battle}} |
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===Confederate=== |
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{{further|Fort Blakely Confederate order of battle}} |
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== Notes == |
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{{reflist|refs= |
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<ref name=strength>[[#bodart1908|Bodart (1908)]], p.542</ref> |
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}} |
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==References== |
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* {{cite book |title=Militär-historisches kreigs-lexikon, (1618-1905)|last = Bodart | first = Gaston | year = 1908 | publisher = Stern | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Eo4DAAAAYAAJ|ref=bodart1908}} |
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*[http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/al006.htm National Park Service CWSAC Battle Summary] |
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*[http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/CWSII/CWSACReportAlabamaUpdate.pdf Update to the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields - State of Alabama] |
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==External links== |
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* [http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fort-blakely.html The Battle of Fort Blakley: Battle Maps, History Articles, Photos, and Preservation News (CWPT)] |
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{{Alabama in the Civil War}} |
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{{American Civil War}} |
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[[Category:Mobile Campaign (American Civil War)|Fort Blakely]] |
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[[Category:Battles of the Lower Seaboard Theater and Gulf Approach of the American Civil War|Fort Blakely]] |
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[[Category:Union victories of the American Civil War|Fort Blakely]] |
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[[Category:Sieges of the American Civil War|Fort Blakely]] |
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[[Category:Battles of the American Civil War in Alabama|Fort Blakely]] |
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[[Category:Baldwin County, Alabama]] |
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[[Category:Conflicts in 1865|Fort Blakely]] |
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[[Category:1865 in Alabama]] |
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[[Category:African Americans in the Civil War|Fort Blakely]] |
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