Battle of Columbus

1865 CE.

Shown on the map at 32.467°, -84.997°.

The Battle of Columbus, also known as the Battle of Girard, was fought on April 16, 1865, in Columbus, Georgia and Russell County, Alabama, during the American Civil War. It was part of the Union campaign through Alabama and Georgia, known as Wilson's Raid, in the final full month of the Civil War. Brevet Major General James H. Wilson had been ordered to destroy the city of Columbus as a major Confederate manufacturing center. He exploited enemy confusion when troops from both sides crowded onto the same bridge in the dark, and the garrison withheld its cannon fire. Next morning, Wilson laid waste to the city and took many prisoners. Several historians claim Columbus should be classified as the last battle of the war, while others point to the Battle of Palmito Ranch at Cameron County, Texas.

Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of Columbus (1865), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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