On This Day In Alabama History: Gen. Wilkinson Seized Control Of Mobile In War Of 1812

Alabama News Center | April 13, 2017 @ 5:01 am

By Graydon Rust
Alabama 200

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.

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