Spanish Fort was a Civil War engagement fought in Alabama, 1865. It was a Union victory.
Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby's XIII and XVI 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. On March 27, 1865, Canby's forces rendezvoused at Danley's Ferry and immediately undertook a siege of Spanish Fort. The Union had enveloped the fort by April 1, and on April 8 captured it. Most of the Confederate forces, under the command of Brig. Gen. Randall L. Gibson, escaped and fled to Mobile, but Spanish Fort was no longer a threat.
Spanish Fort became a battleground in Baldwin County, Alabama, over roughly two weeks, from March 27 through April 8, 1865, forming one episode within the broader Mobile Campaign fought in the Western Theater during the American Civil War.
Though Union forces had already claimed victory at Mobile Bay, the city of Mobile itself continued to sit firmly under Confederate control. To guard the city's eastern approach, Confederate forces had turned Spanish Fort into a stronghold bristling with fortifications. Among the defensive works shielding Mobile in this area stood Fort Huger, Fort Tracey (also called Battery Tracey), Fort McDermott (or Battery McDermott), Fort Alexis, the Red Fort, and Old Spanish Fort itself.
In the opening months of 1865, Union troops launched a ground offensive aimed at seizing Mobile from its eastern approach. Two corps under Maj. Gen. E.R.S. Canby, the XIII and XVI, made their way across the Fish River near Marlow Ferry before advancing along Mobile Bay's eastern shoreline, pushing Confederate defenders back within their fortified positions. Attention then shifted to two key strongholds, Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley, situated five miles farther north.
By March 27, 1865, Canby's men had gathered at Danley's Ferry and launched a siege against Spanish Fort without delay. Within days, Union troops had the fort completely surrounded, achieving this by April 1, and the position finally fell on April 8. Although the bulk of the Confederate garrison, led by Brig. Gen. Randall L. Gibson, managed to slip away toward Mobile, the fort itself no longer posed any danger.
Even while Spanish Fort held out, its collapse seemed certain enough that Union commanders began redirecting troops northward as early as April 1 to focus their efforts on Fort Blakeley. Fighting there persisted beyond the loss of Spanish Fort on April 8, until Fort Blakeley itself gave way late on April 9 during what became known as the Battle of Fort Blakeley.
With both strongholds defeated, Union forces found the path to Mobile clear. The city's defenders withdrew, and federal troops marched in without resistance, taking possession of Mobile on April 12, 1865.
Two maps accompany the record of preparations at the site. One depicts the line of works that Major General Gardner commanded to be built. The other, covering Spanish fort and the surrounding area, was produced under the supervision of Lieutenant Colonel V. Sheliha.
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