This Confederate port fell in 30 minutes to the Union’s most diverse fighting force

5,000 Black Troops Storm Alabama’s Fort Blakeley

Fort Blakeley saw one of the Civil War’s last and most unique battles. On April 9, 1865, as Lee gave up at Appomattox, 16,000 Union troops stormed this Alabama fort.

What made this fight special? About 5,000 Black soldiers fought there – men from the United States Colored Troops who made up nearly a third of the Union force.

Many had joined in Louisiana, and some from the 73rd Regiment had once been part of a Black militia that the Confederates turned away. These troops hit hard from the right flank, with the 73rd first reaching enemy lines.

Within just 30 minutes, they helped crush the Confederate defense. The historic battlefield at Blakeley State Park now tells their powerful story.

Mobile’s Last Stand Drew Thousands of Union Troops

Mobile was the South’s fourth-biggest city in 1860 and a key shipping hub for Confederate goods.

It became the last major Confederate stronghold on the Gulf Coast after Admiral Farragut took Mobile Bay in August 1864. Union forces wanted Mobile since 1862 but couldn’t attack until summer 1864.

General Halleck saw Mobile as a perfect spot to attack Alabama’s interior and asked Grant for troops to help General Canby take the city.

Cotton flowed through Mobile’s busy harbor, making it vital to the South’s struggling economy.

Confederate Soldiers Built Massive Earthworks at Blakeley

Fort Blakeley had a three-mile curve of earthworks with nine strong points and about 40 big guns. Major General Dabney Maury led its building, using Confederate soldiers and enslaved men forced to work.

The fort guarded old Blakeley, once a busy port town on the Blakeley River that rivaled Mobile for trade. Brigadier General St. John Liddell led about 3,500-4,000 Confederate troops at this key spot.

The fort sat on high ground where Stockton and Pensacola Roads met, with a deep-water port worth fighting for.

Union Army Launched a Two-Pronged Attack

Major General Canby started the Mobile campaign on March 17, 1865.

He personally led the 13th and 16th Army Corps north through Baldwin County on Mobile Bay’s east shore.

At the same time, Major General Frederick Steele marched from Barrancas, Florida toward Pollard, Alabama, before turning west toward Fort Blakeley.

Canby’s forces reached Spanish Fort on March 26, while Steele’s column got to Fort Blakeley on April 1. The Union gathered a huge 32,000-man army, with half waiting at Pensacola to move on Mobile from the east.

Black Troops Made Up A Quarter of Union Forces

About 5,000 Black soldiers from nine different regiments fought at Fort Blakeley.

They made up roughly a quarter of the entire Union force, creating one of the largest groups of Black troops anywhere during the Civil War.

Brigadier General John P. Hawkins led these United States Colored Troops (USCT) units, which included the 47th, 48th, 50th, 51st, 68th, 73rd, 76th, 82nd, and 86th Infantry regiments. Most came from Louisiana, with one regiment from Missouri.

The 73rd Regiment started as a free Black militia that tried to join the Confederate army but got turned away because of race.

Union Engineers Dug Their Way Toward Confederate Lines

Hawkins’ Division charged at daybreak on April 2, pushing enemy troops into their forts and becoming the first to surround Fort Blakeley.

Federal engineers built three rings of earthworks that crept closer to the Confederate position, eventually getting within 1,000 yards of the fort.

Union soldiers fought and dug for a whole week, with constant fighting day and night.

Fort Blakeley bristled with deadly traps, including landmines buried in sand, sharp wooden barriers, fallen trees, and telegraph wire stretched between stumps.

Spanish Fort’s Fall Put Extra Pressure on Blakeley

Five miles south of Blakeley, another siege happened at Spanish Fort under Brigadier General Randall Gibson. On the night of April 8, Confederate troops snuck out of Spanish Fort and ran toward Mobile.

Union soldiers stormed in the next morning to find the fort empty. This win let Canby gather 16,000 men for the attack on Fort Blakeley.

The 73rd Regiment heard about Spanish Fort’s fall on the morning of April 9, with Colonel Merriam reporting “The effect upon us was very depressing.”

Union officers worried that Blakeley’s defenders might also escape to Mobile.

Black Soldiers Led Afternoon Probing Attacks

The USCT division took position on the Union army’s right flank, facing Confederate Redoubts 1 and 2. Hawkins’ men began testing Confederate defenses on the afternoon of April 9, hours before the main attack.

Heavy fighting broke out around 3 p.m. as USCT units probed Blakeley’s left flank. Colonel Merriam asked Brigade Commander General Pile for permission to attack the enemy’s front line right away instead of waiting for darkness.

The 73rd and 86th regiments attacked so well that when Merriam wanted to charge the main Confederate works, General Osterhaus refused, saying “I will go and order the White troops up.

Thousands of Union Troops Charged at 5:30 PM

General Canby ordered a full attack along the entire line at 5:30 p.m. on April 9. The charge didn’t start at exactly the same time across the front, as some units got delayed until about 5:45 p.m.

Nearly 15,000 Union troops dropped their shovels, grabbed their guns, and rushed forward across a three-mile front. They came under immediate rifle and artillery fire and some set off land mines as they moved forward.

Union soldiers charged from trenches less than 1,000 yards from the fort’s defenders in some places.

The 73rd USCT Broke Through First

Colonel Merriam’s 73rd USCT Regiment became the first unit to cross into the Confederate lines during the attack. In his official report, Merriam claimed “my regiment was the first to cross the enemy’s works.”

Captain Louis Snaer, the only Black officer in the battle, got hit by shell pieces in his foot during the final charge.

Colonel Merriam praised Snaer: “Captain Snaer fell with a severe wound at my feet as I reached the line. He refused to sheathe his sword or to be carried off the field…

No braver officer has honored any flag.

Fort Blakeley Fell in Just Half an Hour

The huge number of Union troops overwhelmed the Confederate earthworks, forcing Brigadier General Liddell and his men to give up within about 30 minutes.

USCT units captured over 200 Confederate soldiers and several big guns during the battle. Black troops suffered some of the heaviest losses, with more than 30 killed and nearly 150 wounded.

Overall, about 75 Confederate soldiers died, with over 2,800 captured, while 150 Union troops were killed and 650 wounded during the siege and attack.

Some evidence suggests a few USCT soldiers shot at surrendering Confederates in the chaos.

Civil War’s Last Major Battle Ended on a Historic Day

The Battle of Fort Blakeley marked the final major clash of the Civil War, with the fort’s surrender coming just hours after General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.

Two days later, Confederate forces abandoned two island batteries in the Blakeley River. Union troops finally occupied Mobile on April 12.

About 3,400 Confederate soldiers from Blakeley became prisoners of war at Ship Island, 250 died in battle, and roughly 200 escaped via waterways.

General Maury in Mobile began evacuating remaining Confederate troops from the city after Fort Blakeley fell.

Harper’s Weekly later called the assault “probably the last charge of this war, it was as gallant as any on record.

Visiting Historic Blakeley State Park, Alabama

Historic Blakeley State Park at 34745 State Highway 225 in Spanish Fort preserves the site where 5,000 United States Colored Troops fought in the Civil War’s last major battle on April 9, 1865. You can visit daily from 8 a.m. to dusk for $5 (adults) or $3 (ages 6-12).

Walk the 25+ miles of trails including the Battle of Fort Blakeley interpretive trail, or take Delta boat cruises into the Mobile-Tensaw River system.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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