Spanish Fort | March 27–April 8, 1865

The Opportunity

At Spanish Fort, the Trust has the chance to preserve a 45-acre tract associated with one of the final campaigns of the Civil War—and secure its first preserved land at Spanish Fort. Part of the property nearly became a Walmart before a late change in the developer’s plans created an opportunity to protect even more acreage than originally anticipated, turning a genuine development close call into a significant preservation opportunity.

Want to learn more? Visit this page for more information and history related to this campaign.

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The History

By the spring of 1865, Spanish Fort, Alabama, was one of the Confederacy’s final strongholds on the Gulf Coast, defending the approaches to Mobile. Although Confederate forces at Spanish Fort and nearby Fort Blakely were outnumbered by as much as six to one, they resisted Union forces for nearly two weeks. Following a series of maneuvers and engagements from March 27 to April 9, Union troops captured both forts, and Mobile’s mayor surrendered the city without a fight soon afterward. With Richmond and Petersburg also falling and Confederate armies nearing surrender elsewhere, the fall of Mobile helped signal that the Civil War’s end was close at hand.