April 13, 1813

Gen. James Wilkinson seized control of Mobile from the Spanish during the War of 1812. Wilkinson surrounded Fort Carlota, now Fort Conde, with a combined army and navy force the previous day. Severely outnumbered, the Spanish commander, Capt. Cayetano Perez, surrendered without a fight. Most Americans believed that Mobile and the remainder of Spanish West Florida rightfully belonged to the United States through the terms of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. While Spain was not a belligerent in the War of 1812, Wilkinson captured the district to prevent the Spanish from supplying their British ally with aid.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Profile and Elevation Map of Fort Condé at Mobile, 1725. (University of South Alabama Archives, Mobile, Alabama; Wikimedia)

Fort Condé protected Mobile and its citizens for nearly 100 years from 1723-1820. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.