Mobile campaign (1865)

The Mobile campaign was a military campaign of the American Civil War in the western theatre in the Spring of 1865 to take the city of Mobile, Alabama. Opposing forces included the Union Army, and the Confederate Army. Important battles were fought at Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley.

Background
In 1860, Mobile was the South's fourth-largest city, and home to several shipbuilding companies. Until 1862 when the Union Army captured New Orleans, Mobile was the second-largest port city of the South. Mobile was a key hub for the cotton trade upon which the South's economy depended, and the gateway to the interior of Alabama. Its position at the northern point of Mobile Bay made it a strategic location; if it fell, the Union Army's advance would be unimpeded.

Campaign
Mobile was besieged by the Union Army from March 25 to April 12, 1865. The city capitulated on April 12.