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

Confederate Redoubt No. 5
⎯⎯⎯
Ector's Brigade

Confederate Redoubt No. 5 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 14, 2017

1. Confederate Redoubt No. 5 Marker

Inscription.
Confederate Redoubt No. 5 Also called the Sandbag Battery, Redoubt No. 5 was originally commanded by Lt. Andrew Hargrove of Lumsden's Tuscaloosa Battery, Company F, 2nd Alabama Light Artillery Battalion. During the early stages of the battle, Lumsden's Battery was relocated 200 yards west of this location in order to strengthen the far left of the Confederate line. Afterwards, the same artillerists that manned Redoubt No. 4 also manned the Sandbag Battery. The redoubt was armed with four 3-inch ordinance rifles. Lumsden's new location was armed with three mortars and four 6-pounder cannons. The men jokingly referred to these guns as ‘popguns.” Capt. Thomas Perry's Marion (Florida) Light Artillery relieved Lumsden's Battery on April 6, 1865.

Ector's Brigade Ector's Infantry Brigade occupied the earthworks on the Confederate left flank during the Battle of Spanish Fort. Col. David Coleman was temporarily in command of the brigade. The 29th and 39th NC Infantry Regiments were on the brigade’s right. On the left were the Texas Regiments of the 9th TX Infantry and the 10th, 14th, and 32nd TX (dismounted) Cavalry.

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At dusk on April 8, 1865, Lt. Col. William Bell's 8th Iowa breached the far left of the Confederate line. After seeing the initial success, the Union's 3rd Brigade commander, Col. James Geddes, ordered Lt. Col. Andrew Rogers' 81st Illinois to support the assault. The North Carolina troops along with 100 Provost Guards made a desperate counterattack that stabilized the Confederate line. Provost Marshall Capt. Alfred Clarke was mortally wounded while leading this counterattack. General Gibson quickly realized that his entire garrison was in jeopardy of being cut off from their only escape route to the Blakeley River, so he decided to evacuate the earthworks during the night.

Erected 2013 by Sons of Confederate Veterans - 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 April 6, 1865.

Location. 30° 41.056′ N, 87° 54.79′ W. Marker is in Spanish Fort, Alabama, in Baldwin County. It is on Artillery Range Street north of Yankee Trove, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal

Ector's Brigade Marker (Side 2) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 14, 2017

2. Ector's Brigade Marker (Side 2)

address: 890 Artillery Range St, 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: The 8th Iowa Infantry (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Confederate Redoubt No. 4 / Holtzclaw's Brigade (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Final Assault (approx. ¼ mile away); The Union First Parallel / Union Siege Battery No. 16 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Red Fort (approx. 0.3 miles away); Union Siege Battery No. 21 / 3rd Brigade of Carr's Division (approx. 0.4 miles away); Confederate Redoubt No. 3 / Gibson’s Brigade (approx. half a mile away);

The view northerly on Artillery Range Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 14, 2017

3. The view northerly on Artillery Range Street

Site of the Naval Battery (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spanish Fort.

More about this marker. Over the last few years these markers have been repainted and repaired.

This marker is located very close to a hedge row.

Regarding Confederate Redoubt No. 5 / Ector's Brigade. The marker incorrectly shows the word "ordinance" on the Confederate Redoubt No. 5 marker. It should be "ordnance" (no "i").

Also see . . . Civil War wiki on the Battle of Spanish Fort. (Submitted on January 16, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Looking southerly towards the intersection of Yankee Trove. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 14, 2017

4. Looking southerly towards the intersection of Yankee Trove.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 16, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,575 times since then and 39 times this year. Last updated on March 10, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 16, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

Confederate Redoubt No. 5⎯⎯⎯Ector's Brigade

Confederate Redoubt No. 5
⎯⎯⎯
Ector's Brigade