If you live in Mobile or just visiting, you can notice a great deal history that took place here in Mobile Alabama during the Civil War. We at, Action Heating and Air Conditioning, have had the privilege and honor to have served this great community since 1996. We hope that you find the following information not only historical facts but also adding to the flavor of our community.
Mobile was an important port city on the Gulf of Mexico for the Confederate States of America. Mobile fell to the Union army late in the war following successful attacks on the defenses of Mobile Bay by the Union Navy.
Mobile Alabama during the Civil War early war years,had grown substantially in the period leading up to the Civil War when the Confederates heavily fortified it. The 1860 U.S. Census reported that Mobile had 29,258 residents, making it the 27th largest city in the country. When the Confederacy was formed after the secession of eleven Southern slave-holding states, Mobile became the 4th largest city in the breakaway nation. Statistically, Mobile in 1860 was 69 percent whites, 3 percent free blacks and 28 percent slaves.
As war erupted, military fervor in Mobile was high, and hundreds of able-bodied men responded to recruitment drives and signed up for service in the Confederate army. In addition, several antebellum militia companies formally volunteered their services and enrolled. The Creole Guard and the Southern Guard were among those new troops that manned Mobile’s defenses, as did the Mobile Cadets. The Pelham Cadets served at Mobile and in various parts of Alabama in 1864 and 1865.
With secession and the creation of the Confederate States Navy came the need for warships. Mobile’s ship makers responded by hastily constructing a series of vessels for naval usage, among them the CSS Gaines and the CSS Morgan, both partially armored wooden ships with 2-inch armor plating over unseasoned wood. The CSS Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy vessel in combat, was built and tested in Mobile before being shipped to Charleston, South Carolina
In August 1864, Union Navy Admiral David Farragut’s warships fought their way past the two forts (Gaines and Morgan) guarding the mouth of Mobile Bay and defeated a small force of Confederate gunboats and one ironclad, the CSS Tennessee, in the Battle of Mobile Bay. It is here that Farragut is alleged to have uttered his famous “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” quote. The Union action did not force the surrender of the city of Mobile, but it did effectively close off the city’s access to Mobile Bay and eliminate the residual traffic of the local blockade runners.
On April 12, 1865, three days after the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Courthouse, the city of Mobile surrendered to the Union army to avoid destruction following the Union victories at the Battle of Spanish Fort and the Battle of Fort Blakely.
As you drive through our city you can still see remnants of this great historic time in the life of the city of Mobile Alabama during the Civil War. The early civil war times help set the stage for what Mobile has become, a major ship building community in the United States.
Again we hope you found this information enjoyable. If you are having any problems with cooling your home or office, or looking to replace your existing system. Please call us at Action Heating & Air Conditioning. All of our technicians are highly trained and qualitied to handle your situation and to advise on the best options to not cool or heat your home, but also make it more energy efficient. Please visit our website at www.callaction.net or call us at 251 272-5900 to set up an appointment.
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