The Civil War ended twice on April 9, 1865. Here’s the one in Alabama.

Black Troops’ Final Civil War Victory at Fort Blakeley

On April 9, 1865, history played out in two places at once.

While Lee gave up at Appomattox, 5,000 Black Union soldiers charged into battle at Fort Blakeley, Alabama. These troops, mostly from Louisiana, formed part of General Steele’s 16,000-man force.

At 5:30 p. m., they stormed across open ground toward Confederate earthworks. The 73rd USCT, men from New Orleans, hit the enemy lines first.

Within just 30 minutes, Union forces broke through and captured over 2,800 Confederates. This final major assault of the Civil War, led by Black soldiers, helped secure Mobile three days later.

The battlefield at Historic Blakeley State Park now features a USCT Heritage Trail where their courage lives on.

Mobile’s Port Was The Last Confederate Holdout

By early 1865, Mobile, Alabama stood as the Confederacy’s last major port still operating.

The Union already grabbed New Orleans, Charleston, and Wilmington, leaving Mobile as the final harbor where blockade runners could bring supplies to the struggling South.

The city sat at the head of Mobile Bay with two forts guarding it – Fort Blakeley to the northeast and Spanish Fort to the east.

The Union needed these strongholds to cut off supplies to Confederate troops still fighting in Alabama, Mississippi, and parts of Georgia.

Confederates Built Tough Defenses Around Mobile

General Dabney Maury ordered a ring of earthworks, trenches, and forts built around Mobile. Fort Blakeley featured nine connected forts stretching across three miles of high ground overlooking the Tensaw River.

Engineers added sharpened tree branches pointing outward, wooden spikes, and buried land mines in front of their lines. By April 1865, General St. John Liddell led about 3,500 troops at Fort Blakeley, many just young boys and old men from Alabama, along with veteran Tennessee and Mississippi soldiers.

Two Union Forces Joined To Attack Mobile

General E. R. S. Canby led 45,000 Union troops against Mobile.

He split his army in two – Gordon Granger’s XIII Corps approached Spanish Fort from the south, while General Frederick Steele’s force marched from Pensacola to attack Fort Blakeley from the east.

Steele brought 16,000 men including three brigades of United States Colored Troops (USCT) led by General John P. Hawkins.

These 5,000 Black soldiers made up nearly a third of Steele’s army. After a tough march through swamps and forests, they reached Fort Blakeley on April 1, 1865.

Union Troops Dug Trenches For Eight Days

Union forces started siege work on April 1, slowly moving toward Confederate lines by digging a series of trenches. Soldiers worked day and night, often under heavy fire, digging zigzag trenches toward enemy positions.

They built three lines of trenches, getting closer with each new line. Snipers on both sides made this dangerous work, with men using picks and shovels while staying low.

The USCT regiments took positions on the Union right flank, facing the strongest Confederate defenses. Many of these Black soldiers had been slaves just months earlier.

Black Soldiers Faced The Toughest Confederate Positions

The USCT division included nine infantry regiments – the 47th, 48th, 50th, 51st, 68th, 73rd, 76th, 82nd, and 86th. Most came from Louisiana, with one regiment from Missouri.

Many joined the Union army after New Orleans fell in 1862.

The 73rd USCT, one of the first Black regiments formed, mostly included free men of color from New Orleans with battle experience.

Confederate defenders often targeted Black troops with extra hate, shouting slurs and promising to kill them if captured. The USCT soldiers kept strict discipline and showed eagerness to fight in the coming battle.

Spanish Fort Fell After A Week-Long Siege

Union forces also besieged nearby Spanish Fort, five miles south of Blakeley.

On April 8, Union troops broke through Confederate lines there, forcing most defenders to escape across the bay to Mobile. This win freed up more Union troops to join the attack on Fort Blakeley.

General Canby told Steele to get ready for a major attack the next day. Union artillery moved forward, with over 40 cannons ready to support the infantry attack.

The fall of Spanish Fort lifted spirits among Union troops, who felt the entire Mobile campaign might soon end with another victory.

News Of Lee’s Surrender Hadn’t Reached Alabama Yet

On the morning of April 9, 1865, far away in Virginia, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House. This moment basically ended major Confederate fighting in the Eastern part of the war.

But telegraph lines to Mobile had been cut, and no one at Fort Blakeley knew about this huge event.

The soldiers getting ready for battle in Alabama had no idea they were about to fight what would be the last major battle of the Civil War, with the Black troops playing a key role.

Union Soldiers Tested Confederate Defenses That Afternoon

Around 3:00 p. m. on April 9, Union scouts moved forward to test Confederate defenses. USCT regiments sent small groups to check enemy reactions and find weak spots.

Confederate artillery and rifle fire answered strongly, showing they still planned to defend their positions. Union commanders gathered information from these tests to finish their attack plans.

General Steele set the main attack for 5:30 p. m., when the setting sun would be behind his troops and in the eyes of Confederate defenders. Soldiers checked their guns and bullets, knowing the order to attack could come any minute.

Thousands Of Black Troops Led The Decisive Charge

At exactly 5:30 p. m., bugles sounded the attack all along the three-mile Union line. The USCT brigades on the right flank charged forward with strong determination.

Many Black soldiers shouted “Remember Fort Pillow” – referring to the 1864 massacre where Confederates killed surrendering Black troops.

The 73rd USCT Regiment ran across open ground, facing a storm of bullets and artillery fire. Union cannons provided cover, shelling Confederate positions.

The Black troops kept perfect formation despite heavy losses, moving quickly toward the enemy earthworks.

Fort Blakeley’s Defenses Crumbled In Half An Hour

The 73rd USCT became the first regiment to reach and break through the Confederate lines, climbing over barriers and scaling the walls of Redoubt No. 1.

Other Black regiments quickly followed, overwhelming Redoubts 2 and 3. Within 30 minutes, Union forces broke through all along the line.

Confederate General Liddell, seeing his position hopeless, surrendered his remaining forces. Some Confederate soldiers tried to escape across the Tensaw River, but many drowned or got captured.

The speed and success of the attack surprised even Union commanders, who expected a much longer fight against the strong defenses.

Black Troops Proved Their Valor In The War’s Final Battle

The Battle of Fort Blakeley ended with about 75 Confederates killed and over 2,800 captured, while Union forces suffered about 150 killed and 650 wounded during the entire siege and assault.

The USCT regiments received widespread praise for their courage and effectiveness. Three days later, Mobile surrendered without further resistance.

The battle represented one of the largest concentrations of Black soldiers in any Civil War engagement.

For the USCT veterans, many former slaves, the victory held special significance – they had played a decisive role in destroying a Confederate stronghold on the same day Lee surrendered at Appomattox, helping bring the long war to its conclusion.

Visiting Historic Blakeley State Park, Alabama

Historic Blakeley State Park at 34745 State Highway 225 preserves where 5,000 United States Colored Troops led the Civil War’s final major assault on April 9, 1865.

You can visit daily from 8am to dusk for $5 (kids 6-12 pay $3, under 6 free).

Take the self-guided auto tour with cell phone audio or hike the Breastworks Trail through Confederate fortifications. A 2017 marker honors the USCT soldiers who overran defenses in under 30 minutes.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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