Considered the last battle of the American Civil War east of the Mississippi River, fought fourteen days after the surrender at Appomattox.
Key Facts
- Date
- April 23, 1865
- Union force size
- 1,500 cavalrymen
- Days after Appomattox
- 14 days
- Union armament
- 7-shot Spencer repeating carbines
- Confederate artillery
- Two cannons, overrun after several rounds
- Last Confederate killed
- Lt. Andrew Jackson Buttram
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
General John T. Croxton led 1,500 Union cavalrymen on a raid through Alabama as part of Wilson's Raid. Confederate forces in the region consisted largely of convalescents, home guards, and pardoned deserters under General Benjamin Jefferson Hill, leaving them poorly positioned to resist a veteran Union force.
On April 23, 1865, Union cavalry from the Second Michigan Cavalry charged Confederate forces near Munford, Alabama. Lieutenant Lewis E. Parsons fired two cannons before being overrun. The Union troops swiftly won the engagement, capturing the artillery and many prisoners. It was the final open battle east of the Mississippi River.
The Union victory ended the last significant armed resistance east of the Mississippi River, occurring fourteen days after Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Lieutenant Andrew Jackson Buttram became the last Confederate soldier killed in battle east of the Mississippi. Lieutenant Lewis E. Parsons was later appointed provisional governor of Alabama in June 1865.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General John T. Croxton, Brevet Major Whittemore.
Side B
1 belligerent
General Benjamin Jefferson Hill, Lieutenant Lewis E. Parsons.