Battle of Selma
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| Battle of Selma | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of American Civil War | |||||||
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| Combatants | |||||||
| United States of America | Confederate States of America | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| James H. Wilson | Nathan Bedford Forrest | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Two cavalry divisions (13,500 cavalry) |
5,000 men | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| 319 | 2,700 | ||||||
| Wilson's Raid in Alabama and Georgia |
|---|
| Selma – West Point |
The Battle of Selma, a battle during the American Civil War, was fought in Selma, Alabama, on April 2, 1865. The U.S. Army forces under Major General James H. Wilson defeated a Confederate Army force under Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Wilson, commanding three divisions of Union cavalry, consisting of 13,500 men, led them south from Gravelly Springs, Alabama, on March 22, 1865. Opposed by Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest, Wilson skillfully continued his march and eventually defeated him in a running battle at Ebenezer Church, on April 1, 1865. Continuing towards Selma, Wilson split his command into three columns. Although Selma was well-defended, the Union columns broke through the defenses at separate points forcing the Confederates to surrender the city, although many of the officers and men, including Forrest and Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor, escaped. Selma demonstrated that even Forrest, whom some had considered invincible, could not stop the unrelenting Union movements deep into the Southern Heartland.
[edit] See also
- Selma, Alabama
- Selma, Alabama, in the Civil War
