Battle of Selma

Part of American Civil War

Date	April 2, 1865 (1865-04-02)
Location	Selma, Alabama
Result	Union victory

Belligerents

United States (Union)

CSA (Confederacy)

Commanders and leaders

James H. Wilson

Nathan Bedford Forrest

Units involved

Cavalry Corps, Military Division of the Mississippi

Forrest's Cavalry Corps
Militia

Strength

9,000

4,000

Casualties and losses

359

2,700

Coordinates: 32°25′26″N 87°01′25″W / 32.4240°N 87.0237°W / 32.4240; -87.0237

The Battle of Selma was a military engagement near the end of the American Civil War. It was fought in Selma, Alabama, on April 2, 1865, a town of about ten thousand inhabitants.Union Army forces under Major General James H. Wilson defeated a Confederate Army force under Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest.

On March 22, 1865, Wilson led three divisions of Union cavalry, totaling 13,500 men, on a raid from Gravelly Springs, deep into largely untouched southern Alabama. He was opposed by Confederate General Forrest, whose soldiers numbered 2,000, and many of these were old men and boys. Wilson met and defeated Forrest in a running battle on April 1, 1865, at the Battle of Ebenezer Church, and Forrest retreated into Selma, adding his troops to the other defenders there. Continuing towards Selma, Wilson divided his command into three columns. Although Selma's defenses were strong, there were not enough Confederates to man them effectively. Wilson's columns broke through the defenses at separate points, forcing the Confederates to surrender the city. Many of the officers and men, including Forrest and Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor, escaped before the surrender. Selma demonstrated that even Forrest, who had been considered almost invincible, could not stop the overpowering unrelenting Union moves into what still remained of the Confederacy.

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