Spanish Fort in Baldwin County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Union Siege Battery No. 1

Photographed by Mark Hilton, March 6, 2019

1. Union Siege Battery No. 1 Marker

Inscription. Near this site was the location of the first of twenty-two artillery positions the Union army set up to bombard the Confederate fortifications of Spanish Fort. The Confederate forces were under the command of Brig Gen. Randall Gibson. Battery Tracy, Battery Huger, and Old Spanish Fort were built on the shores of the Blakeley River in order to block the Union navy from gaining access to the Mobile Delta. In addition, a two-mile long horseshoe shaped earthwork containing five artillery redoubts was built to protect the water batteries from a land invasion, On March 27, 1865, Maj. Gen. Edward Canby's Union Army of West Mississippi completely surrounded the Confederate garrison. Canby placed the XIII Army Corps, under the command of Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, on his left during the thirteen-day siege. Battery No. 1 anchored Granger's Corps, which was composed of men from CT, IL, IN, IA, MI, MO, MA, NY, OH, VT, and WI. The 1st Indiana Heavy Artillery armed with four 8-inch howitzers and the 6th Michigan Heavy Artillery armed with four 10-inch siege mortars manned Battery No. 1.

Erected 2013 by Sons of Confederate Veterans

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- Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp 11.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is March 27, 1865.

Location. 30° 39.932′ N, 87° 54.826′ W. Marker is in Spanish Fort, Alabama, in Baldwin County. It is on Patrician Drive South west of Patrician Drive East, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Patrician Drive South, Daphne AL 36527, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Gulf Coast

and in the Mobile Bay area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fuller Memorial Park (about 800

Photographed by Kirk Barrett

2. Union Siege Battery No. 1 Marker

feet away, measured in a direct line); Spanish Fort (approx. 0.2 miles away); Albert Carey Danner (approx. 0.2 miles away); Confederate Drive (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Spanish Fort (approx. ¼ mile away); Fort McDermott (approx. 0.4 miles away); Ft. McDermott Confederate Memorial Park (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Fort McDermott (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spanish Fort.

Marker with the Blakely River & Mobile Bay in background. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, March 6, 2019

3. Marker with the Blakely River & Mobile Bay in background.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 7, 2019. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2018, by Kirk Barrett of Point Clear, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,209 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 6, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2. submitted on July 18, 2018, by Kirk Barrett of Point Clear, Alabama. 3. submitted on March 6, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.