Redoubt #4 at Blakeley
Union troops stormed this key
Confederate fort on April 9,
1865, breaking the Southern
lines and ending the battle.
Union troops stormed this key
Confederate fort on April 9,
1865, breaking the Southern
lines and ending the battle.
Interior of Redoubt #4
This view looks out on the
ground across which Union
soldiers attacked the fort.
This view looks out on the
ground across which Union
soldiers attacked the fort.
Confederate Fortifications of Blakeley - Spanish Fort, Alabama
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Confederate Fort of Blakeley, Alabama
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Confederate Fort of Blakeley, Alabama
| Historic Blakeley State Park The Breastworks Trail at the park follows miles of Civil War fortifications, surviving traces of one of the last major battles of the Civil War. |
The Walls of Fort Blakeley
The importance of Mobile, Alabama as a
major port facility and strategic objective
during the Civil War prompted the military
leaders of the Confederacy to order the
construction of strong defenses to protect the
city against Union attack. Anchored by the
pre-war brick citadels of Fort Morgan and Fort
Gaines at the entrance to Mobile Bay, these
defenses included scores of powerful
earthwork forts and batteries. Designed to
protect all approaches to Mobile, the
Confederate fortifications protected the city
until virtually the end of the war.
Among the most powerful of these defenses
were the fortifications constructed at the site
of the old city of Blakeley, located on the
Mobile-Tensaw Delta just north of similar
works constructed at Spanish Fort.
To defend the strategic Blakeley site, the
Confederates constructed a series of forts,
redoubts, artillery batteries, rifle pits and
breastworks that stretched for miles around
the virtually abandoned town. Most of these
are now preserved at Historic Blakeley State
Park, located of State Highway 225 just north
of Spanish Fort, Alabama.
The largest National Register of Historic
Places site east of the Mississippi River, the
Blakeley fortifications (sometimes called Fort
Blakeley or "Fort Blakely") cover 3,800 acres
and many of them are quite well preserved.
It is possible today to explore the
Confederate fortifications of Blakeley both on
foot and by car. An automobile tour leads
past some of the works. Redoubt #4, one of
the primary forts constructed to defend
Blakeley, can be seen along the driving tour,
as can some of the Confederate
breastworks, rifle pits and the opposing
works constructed by the Union army.
major port facility and strategic objective
during the Civil War prompted the military
leaders of the Confederacy to order the
construction of strong defenses to protect the
city against Union attack. Anchored by the
pre-war brick citadels of Fort Morgan and Fort
Gaines at the entrance to Mobile Bay, these
defenses included scores of powerful
earthwork forts and batteries. Designed to
protect all approaches to Mobile, the
Confederate fortifications protected the city
until virtually the end of the war.
Among the most powerful of these defenses
were the fortifications constructed at the site
of the old city of Blakeley, located on the
Mobile-Tensaw Delta just north of similar
works constructed at Spanish Fort.
To defend the strategic Blakeley site, the
Confederates constructed a series of forts,
redoubts, artillery batteries, rifle pits and
breastworks that stretched for miles around
the virtually abandoned town. Most of these
are now preserved at Historic Blakeley State
Park, located of State Highway 225 just north
of Spanish Fort, Alabama.
The largest National Register of Historic
Places site east of the Mississippi River, the
Blakeley fortifications (sometimes called Fort
Blakeley or "Fort Blakely") cover 3,800 acres
and many of them are quite well preserved.
It is possible today to explore the
Confederate fortifications of Blakeley both on
foot and by car. An automobile tour leads
past some of the works. Redoubt #4, one of
the primary forts constructed to defend
Blakeley, can be seen along the driving tour,
as can some of the Confederate
breastworks, rifle pits and the opposing
works constructed by the Union army.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Visitors can see more of the Confederate
lines on foot by following the Breastworks
Trail. One of the primary hiking trails in the
park, the Breastworks Trail follows the line of
Confederate breastworks and forts ringing
much of the site.
The fortifications at Blakeley are important
landmarks of one of the last major battles of
the Civil War and are among the best
preserved in Alabama. They provide visitors a
chance to step back in time to learn more
about the Mobile Campaign and the massive
effort that was made to defend the city from
Union attack.
lines on foot by following the Breastworks
Trail. One of the primary hiking trails in the
park, the Breastworks Trail follows the line of
Confederate breastworks and forts ringing
much of the site.
The fortifications at Blakeley are important
landmarks of one of the last major battles of
the Civil War and are among the best
preserved in Alabama. They provide visitors a
chance to step back in time to learn more
about the Mobile Campaign and the massive
effort that was made to defend the city from
Union attack.
Confederate Fortifications
The extensive Confederate
defenses were captured in a
hammering attack on April 9,
1865.
The extensive Confederate
defenses were captured in a
hammering attack on April 9,
1865.
The Battle of Fort Blakeley, Alabama
The Mobile Campaign
Mobile Area Historic Sites
Historic Sites in Alabama
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The Mobile Campaign
Mobile Area Historic Sites
Historic Sites in Alabama
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| Copyright 2011 by Dale Cox All rights reserved. |