September 8, 2022 at 6:30 pm
The Battle of Fort Blakeley was the largest Civil War battle fought in Alabama and one of the last of the entire war. Fought on April 9, 1865 after a siege of more than a week on the very day Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his army at Appomattox, the battle resulted in a Union victory which paved the way for the capture of the city of Mobile by Federal forces. Approximately 20,000 men fought in the combined-forces affair, including one of the largest contingents of African-American troops assembled for any battle during the Civil War. Several Medals of Honor were awarded for actions during the fight.
Mike Bunn currently serves as Director of Historic Blakeley State Park in Spanish Fort, Alabama. He is author or co-author of several books on Gulf Coast area history, including Fourteenth Colony: The Forgotten Story of the Gulf South During America’s Revolutionary Era and The Assault on Fort Blakeley: “The Thunder and Lightning of Battle”. Mike is a member of the board of the Alabama Historical Association, Chair of the Baldwin County Historic Development Commission, and editor of Muscogiana, the journal of the Muscogee County (GA) Genealogical Society.
