MOBILE, AL
\mˈə͡ʊba͡ɪl], \mˈəʊbaɪl], \m_ˈəʊ_b_aɪ_l]\
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was founded as a fort by Lemoyne d'Iberville in 1711. In 1763, by the Treaty of Paris, Mobile was ceded to Great Britain, but was recovered for the United States in 1813, having previously passed into the possession of the Spanish in 1780. In 1819 it was incorporated as a city. Mobile was besieged and bombarded March 27 to April 9, 1865, by 45,000 Federal troops led by General Canby. Maury held the city with 9000 Confederates. His defences consisted of a system of irregular earthworks called Spanish Fort. This was invested April 4 by Smith and Granger, and was bombarded without much success. On the eighth, how ever, 300 yards of the Confederate defences were captured, together with 500 prisoners and fifty guns. The works were then evacuated. On the morning of the ninth a general assault was made upon the city, and nearly all the works were carried, 3423 men and forty guns being captured. Mobile was evacuated two days later and surrendered by its mayor April 12.
By John Franklin Jameson