Historic Blakeley State Park Battlefield Tour Infantry Unit Position Signs In several areas of the park are small green markers indicating the position of various Union and Confederate infantry units on the day of the .

Union Battery Loop This short drive provides access to incredibly well-preserved earthen gun emplacements erected by Union artillerists during the of Fort Blakeley.

Siege Line Trail This hiking trail runs along an extended section of the third (and final) parallel of Union trenches closest to the Confederate line. From this position Federal troops launched the final assault on the central section of the Confederate line on April 9, 1865. It connects Old Blakeley Road with the “Battlefield” area.

The Battle of Fort Blakeley, April 9, 1865 Skirmish Line Trail This trail, running in front and parallel to the main Confederate line, showcases The Battle of Fort Blakeley was the largest Civil War battle to take place a series of well-preserved shallow trenches known as rifle pits. These battlefield in and one of the last of the entire war. The battle, featuring a features, spaced at intervals and consisting of a shovel-dug hole or short with earth piled up for protection of the forward side, were manned by small charge by some 16,000 Union troops against approximately 3,500 groups of skirmishers and served as a first line of defense for Fort Blakeley. (A Confederate defenders, was preceded by a week-long siege of what is portion of the trail runs through the Harper Tent Campground, and is closed at known as Fort Blakeley. The fort consisted of a three-mile line of 5 PM daily.) entrenchments anchored by nine fortified positions called “.” The Confederate line was arranged in a broad arc in front of the Six and the Pensacola Road community of Blakeley and had its northern and southern extremities Redoubt Six occupied a key position astride the Pensacola Road, one of two located on the banks of the Tensaw River. Along with nearby earthen primary routes into the town of Blakeley, and figured prominently in the assault defenses at Spanish Fort, Blakeley served as a critical part of the on April 9th. In this area are monuments dedicated to the Alabama and Missouri defensive line protecting the city of Mobile. Its fall led directly to the units which fought in the battle. capture of that city, the last major Southern city in Confederate hands. Breastworks Trail Running the length of over half of the Confederate line on both sides of Old The Blakeley battlefield is one of the best-preserved in the nation and Blakeley Road, this hiking trail provides access to Redoubts Five through Nine features several miles of intact Confederate and Union of via a pathway cleared in front of the earthworks. Inexperienced Confederate various designs and purposes. We hope you will enjoy this brief tour of units, primarily made up of conscripts organized as the 63rd and 62nd Alabama some of the many points of historical significance associated with the Infantry, occupied most of this portion of the line. battle here throughout the park and ask you to help preserve this site for future generations by not walking on the earthworks. 2) Take a right onto Battlefield Road

The Stockton Road This Driving Tour Begins at the Park entrance and lists features in the order they This gun emplacement was constructed to house two large artillery pieces. will be encountered. While records are unclear on what, if any, guns were ever placed here, the 1) Take a right onto Old Blakeley Road at the intersection with Forever Wild battery is one of the largest and best-preserved on the battlefield. The Trail. overlooked the Stockton Road, one of two primary routes into the town of Blakeley.

Beaver Pond Trail This hiking trail, running along a bluff overlooking a large beaver pond, allows access to portions of both the Confederate and Union lines.

Redoubt Four The center of the Confederate defensive line, Redoubt Four witnessed some of the most intense fighting of the battle. Between 5:30 and 6:00 PM on April 9, 1865, approximately 2,500 Union soldiers converged at this point. Their advance was resisted by a few hundred veteran rebel units in a brief but fierce fight; three Medals of Honor were later awarded for bravery here.

As it is the most open section of the entire battlefield, this area is perhaps the best place to visualize the Union assault along the length of the lines at Fort Blakeley. It is also the lone area of the battlefield featuring reconstructions of both the layers of obstructions which were placed in front of the fort at the time of the battle as well as a number of interior features. Redoubt 4 Rifle Pits In front of the Confederate and Union lines are a series of rifle pits, where advanced skirmishers would have been posted day and night to guard against enemy approach. The Confederate pits were prepared prior to the battle as a planned part of the defenses and are more substantial than the Union pits, which were dug during the siege.

Redoubt Six Union Lines Union troops launched the assault on Fort Blakeley from this trench line, the third and final line constructed in front of the Confederate defenses. This third “parallel” extended for several miles across the entire front of Fort Blakeley. Substantial portions of two other lines of entrenchments, created earlier in the siege, lie in the distance behind this line.

Zig Zag Approach Trench (Boyaux) This approach trench, dug under fire a short time before the final charge, served as a protected connection between the main Union line and advanced rifle pits. It is designed to protect troops from enfilade fire. As the siege proceeded, “zig- zag” trenches such as this would ultimately help form new trench lines.

Fifteenth Massachusetts Battery Constructed on April 6, 1865, this earthen battery held three Union . In the severe exchange of artillery fire the next day, the battery was temporary knocked out of service by Confederate gunners.

Detail from map of Confederate and Union lines at the time of the Battle of Fort Blakeley; Key battlefield tour features are labelled for reference. Dashed lines show position of modern main park roads.