The Military History of Alabama Is Extensive
The military history of Alabama is one of the most interesting in the entire county for several different reasons.
Some of them include the battles that have been fought in the state during the Creek Indian Wars, as well as the numerous battles during the Civil War.
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial ParkThe military history of Alabama also includes the roles this state had during both World Wars and the numerous prisoners of war camps that were located throughout it.
There are also some very important military bases located in Alabama, and there have been several naval ships named after towns in this famous state.
The Military History of Alabama
Alabama joined the union as the 22nd state in the year 1819 and is known by its famous nickname “The Heart of Dixie”.
It has a very rich history with Native Americans that led to several of its most famous military battles.
It is best known, however, for the military battles that were fought in the state during the Civil War.
However, what is not a well-known fact is that of its many National Historic Landmarks, five of them have military significance in their history.
The Battles Fought in Alabama
The Holy Ground Battle Field Historic Marker In AlabamaThere have been several battles fought in this old and historic state, and they include the following.
- The Battle of Tallushatchee
- The Battle of Calabee Creek
- The Battle of Holy Ground
- The Battle of Horseshoe Bend
- The Battle of Mobile Bay
- The Battle of Spanish Fort
- The Battle of Fort Blakeley
- The Battle of Sulphur Trestle
- Rousseau’s Raid
- Griersons Alabama Raid of 1865
The Battle of Tallushatchee
The Battle of Tallushatchee is the first of the battles in the military history of Alabama, and it was the first venture by the United States in the Creek War.
It occurred on November 13, 1813, in what is today known as Calhoun County.
The Creek War began as a civil war between two factions of the Creek nation, and the “Red Sticks” faction were considered the enemy of the United Sates.
This traditional faction of the Creek nation resented the side that wanted to work with the white settlers.
The Creek war soon expanded and drew the United States army into it, when the Red Stick Creeks attacked Fort Mims and killed over 250 whites.
This battle was the United States response to this attack, and with overwhelming manpower, the US Army killed 186 Red Stick Creeks including women and children.
The Battle of Calabee Creek
The next battle in the military history of Alabama is the Battle of Calabee Creek, which was fought in the years 1813-1814.
It was part of the famous Creek Indian War, and it took place in what is known today as Tuskegee.
This famous battle occurred on January 27, 1814, and it was the last battle in which the Georgia militia participated in the Creek War.
After the attack on Fort Mims in August of 1813, the Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi militias joined forces to fight the Red Stick Creeks.
In this battle about 50 Creeks and their allies were killed, and approximately 150 others were wounded.
The militiamen suffered 25 fatalities before they disbanded and returned to their home states.
The Battle of Holy Ground
The Battle of Holy Ground is the next on the list of military history of Alabama and it was also a major battle during the Creek War.
It took place on December 23, 1813, and was fought against the Red Sticks, who were the warring faction of the Creek tribe.
Holy Creek, also known in the Creek Muskogean language as Enonochaca, was a settlement that was located on the bluffs overlooking the Alabama River.
It was about 30 miles west of what is today the capital of Alabama, Montgomery.
In the Creek tradition, their holy men or prophets did ceremonies that they believed would establish a spiritual barrier.
They believed this barrier would destroy any white man that passed through it, and it was also the Red Sticks defensive gathering place.
The US military, led by Brig. General Ferdinand Claiborne, led a force of 850 men including 150 Choctaw warriors, in this attack.
However, they failed to encircle the Creek stronghold and most of the Red Sticks escaped.
It was one of the several events that made up the Creek mythology during these wars and was considered a military failure.
Tuskegee AirmenThe Battle of Horseshoe Bend
The Battle of Horseshoe Bend is next on the list of the military history of Alabama, and this battle occurred on the morning of March 27, 1814.
It took place in the horseshoe bend area of the Tallapoosa River, in what is today known as Tallapoosa County.
In this battle the US Troops were led by Gen. Andrew Jackson and were made up of men form the Tennessee militia and regulars from the infantry.
It also included Cherokee warriors and the lower Creek faction of the Creek Nation, who were allies of the United States.
The US Army had overwhelming odds and more than 800 Upper Creek Red Stick warriors were killed.
This was considered to be the final battle of the Creek War, and it led to the Treaty of Fort Jackson.
It also brought national acclaim for General Andrew Jackson and helped him win the Presidency in 1828.
The Battle of Mobile BayThe Battle of Mobile Bay
The Battle of Mobile Bay was the last of the major naval engagements in the Civil War and was fought in August of 1864.
It will forever be a major theme in both the military history of Alabama as well as US military history, for the famous quote of “Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead”.
Union admiral David Glasgow said these historic words as Union Navy put up a massive resistance to the Confederate navy.
The Confederate navy was led by the CSS Nashville, as they tried to defend Mobile Bay as well as both Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines.
The Battle of Spanish Fort
The next battle in the military history of Alabama is the Battle of Spanish Fort, which was fought on April 8, 1865.
The Spanish Fort was one of the Confederate Forts that guarded the eastern approach to Mobile Bay, and it was captured during this battle by the Union.
The Union than captured Fort Blakely the next day, which eventually led to the surrender of the city of Mobile to the Union troops.
The Battle of Fort Blakeley ReenactmentThe Battle of Fort Blakeley
The Battle of Fort Blakeley is next, and it was considered the climax of the Union Military’s fight against the Confederates in the Civil War.
It was fought on April 9, 1865, and saw the Union Army easily take the city of Mobile, which was the last major port the Confederates controlled.
It was fought at Fort Blakely, which was a Confederate fortress located six miles north of the Spanish Fort in today’s Baldwin County.
During this battle, over 16,000 Union troops fought against a much smaller Confederate army, which was made up of only 3,500 troops.
This site is now the home of the Historic Blankley State Park.
Other battles in the military history of Alabama included the Battle of Sulphur Trestle, Rousseau’s Raid, and Griersons Raid of Alabama in 1865.
All of these were part of the bloody Civil War, but they are not all of this Wars military history in this beautiful state.
There is also the history of the CSS Alabama, The CSS Huntsville, as well as the CSS Nashville.
There is also the Cahaba Federal Prison, which was a Confederate military prison located in the town of Cahaba in Dallas County.
It was also known as Castle Morgan, named after Cavalry General John Morgan, and at one time housed over 3.000 Union prisoners.
There is also a rich history with both World War I and World War II in the state, including Camp Sheridan, a US training facility during World War I.
It was located in Montgomery and was one of the several camps established by the United States in the state.
More military history of Alabama is found in Camp McClellan as well as Taylor Field, located off of Pike Road in Montgomery.
There is also Wright field, which would later become one of the US Air Force’s most important training facilities, Maxwell Airfield.
The history also includes the Thirty First “Dixie Division”, a National Guard Division that played roles in World War I, the Korean War, as well as World War II.
There is also the role the state played during World War II for POWs, as it housed 24 POW camps that improvised over 16,000 German soldiers.
But the military history of Alabama is still not complete as there is also the history of the Black Militias, which played a major after the Civil War.
There is also the story of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, as well as the SS Selma, the USS Birmingham, and the USS Tuscaloosa.
All of these factors make the military history of Alabama one of most important in the entire Country.
References
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/category/GovernmentandPolitics
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