"Valor on the Eastern Shore": typescript
Collection
Identifier: W-0151
Scope and Contents
The collection contains a typescript manuscript of B. L. Roberson's "Valor on the Eastern Shore: The Mobile Campaign of 1865," written in 1965 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Civil War. It examines the land campaign that lead to the capture of the city of Mobile, Alabama. The forty-four page manuscript documents the marches led by Union generals Edward Canby and Frederick Steele, which culminated in the Battle of Fort Blakeley (April 2-April 9, 1865) and culminated in the surrender of Mobile on April 12, 1865. The typescript contains minor handwritten edits made in pen. The manuscript was never published.
Dates
- 1965
Creator
- Williams, A. S., III (Collector, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
None
Biographical / Historical
The Battle of Fort Blakeley was the last major battle of the Civil War, resulting in the Union capture of the city of Mobile, Alabama. The battle, fought on April 9, 1865, was fought six hours after Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered his forces at Appomattox.
Mobile Bay, a major Confederate port, had been under Union blockade since the beginning of the war. While Union blockaders sought to halt the export of cotton and the import of military supplies into Confederate states, the Mobile blockade was largely ineffective for the first two years of the war. Protected by Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay was a central site for Confederate blockade runners. In August 1864, Admiral David Farragut captured Mobile Bay after a heated naval battle. The Union victory effectively halted Confederate blockade runs from the bay.
Although Mobile Bay was captured in August 1864, the city itself remained under Confederate control until April 1865. In April 1865, two columns of Union troops attacked major Confederate defensive posts at Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley. The first column of Union forces, led by General Edward Canby, arrived near Spanish Fort on March 27, and staged a thirteen-day siege on the fort, ending with the capture of Spanish Fort on April 8, 1865. The second Union column, led by General Fredrick Steele, attacked Fort Blakeley on April 9, 1865. The fort's 4,000 Confederate defenders were overwhelmed by a Union contingent of 16,000 soldiers and surrendered the fort at approximately 5:30 on the evening of April 9. Shortly after the defeat, the remaining Confederate troops in Mobile withdrew.
Sources: Nicolson, Norman A. "The Mobile Campaign: Battle of Fort Blakely and Spanish Fort," www.blakeleypark.com/battlehistory.html.
Young, Matthew. "Blockade Running the the Civil War." Encyclopedia of Alabama
Mobile Bay, a major Confederate port, had been under Union blockade since the beginning of the war. While Union blockaders sought to halt the export of cotton and the import of military supplies into Confederate states, the Mobile blockade was largely ineffective for the first two years of the war. Protected by Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay was a central site for Confederate blockade runners. In August 1864, Admiral David Farragut captured Mobile Bay after a heated naval battle. The Union victory effectively halted Confederate blockade runs from the bay.
Although Mobile Bay was captured in August 1864, the city itself remained under Confederate control until April 1865. In April 1865, two columns of Union troops attacked major Confederate defensive posts at Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley. The first column of Union forces, led by General Edward Canby, arrived near Spanish Fort on March 27, and staged a thirteen-day siege on the fort, ending with the capture of Spanish Fort on April 8, 1865. The second Union column, led by General Fredrick Steele, attacked Fort Blakeley on April 9, 1865. The fort's 4,000 Confederate defenders were overwhelmed by a Union contingent of 16,000 soldiers and surrendered the fort at approximately 5:30 on the evening of April 9. Shortly after the defeat, the remaining Confederate troops in Mobile withdrew.
Sources: Nicolson, Norman A. "The Mobile Campaign: Battle of Fort Blakely and Spanish Fort," www.blakeleypark.com/battlehistory.html.
Young, Matthew. "Blockade Running the the Civil War." Encyclopedia of Alabama
Extent
0.05 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Overview
Typescript copy of B. L. Roberson's unpublished "Valor on the Eastern Shore."
Physical Location
The A. S. Williams III Americana Collection, Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, The University of Alabama
Provenance
Gift of A. S. Williams III, 2010
General
Title on box: A. S. Williams III Americana Collection - Civil War materials
Processed by
Haley Aaron, 2013
Creator
- Williams, A. S., III (Collector, Person)
- Roberson, B. L. (Author, Person)
Source
- Williams, A. S., III (Donor, Person)
- Title
- Guide to "Valor on the Eastern Shore": typescript
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- January 2014
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository