Fort Blakely was a Civil War engagement fought in Alabama, 1865. It was a Union victory.
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. Sheer numbers breached the Confederate earthworks compelling the Confederates to capitulate. 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.
Fighting at Fort Blakeley unfolded over a week, beginning on April 2 and concluding on April 9, 1865. The action occurred in Baldwin County, Alabama, roughly 6 miles (9.7 km) to the north of Spanish Fort, Alabama, forming part of the broader Mobile Campaign during the American Civil War. Blakeley, Alabama, served as the county seat of Baldwin County at that point in time.
This engagement stands as the last major clash of the war, since the garrison surrendered only hours after Grant accepted Lee's surrender at Appomattox that same afternoon, April 9, 1865. Union forces went on to seize Mobile, Alabama, on April 12, 1865, making it the final significant Confederate port to fall. Lincoln's assassination followed on April 15, 1865, yet additional Confederate forces continued surrendering into the following June.
Advancing along Mobile Bay's eastern shore, the XVI and XIII Corps under Maj. Gen. Edward Canby pushed Confederate defenders back toward their fortified lines. Attention soon turned to two key positions, Spanish Fort and the nearby Fort Blakeley, both in Alabama. Union troops had fully surrounded Spanish Fort by April 1, a development that freed additional soldiers to shift their focus toward Fort Blakeley. Three successive lines of earthworks rose as Union forces pressed forward, eventually closing to within nearly 1,000 yards (910 m) of Blakeley's defenses. Facing overwhelming odds, Confederate Brig. Gen. St. John R. Liddell commanded roughly 4,000 men who managed to resist until Spanish Fort finally gave way on April 8 during the Battle of Spanish Fort. With that position secured, Canby was able to mass 16,000 troops for the assault on Fort Blakeley.
On April 9, Brig. Gen. John P. Hawkins directed the last push against the Confederate position. Overwhelming numerical strength allowed the attackers to break through the earthworks, and within roughly half an hour of the assault starting after 5:30 pm, the defenders, Liddell among them, laid down their arms.
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