The area of Mobile has played a critical role in multiple wars that shaped the United States. The Battle of Mobile Bay 150 years ago was a major turning point in the Civil War. And Mobile also was a critical strategic town during the War of 1812. Historian Tom Kanon of the Tennessee State Library and Archives says the British wanted to take over Mobile to use it to make an attack on New Orleans more feasible.
Tom Kanon: “And certainly Andrew Jackson was very aware of that. And he made his headquarters in Mobile at one point during the war, and he stressed all the time how important it was to make sure that Mobile was in American hands at that time. The factor of having Mobile in their hands was very important to the United States and the British because you’ll have to remember at the beginning of the war, Mobile was not an American town. It was in the control of the Spanish who ruled what was then known as West Florida.”
Kanon has a new book about the War of 1812 called “Tennesseans at War, 1812-1815." You can hear a full interview with him by clicking the audio above.
Here's a link to the book. You can also e-mail Kanon at tomkanon13@gmail.com for signed copies of the book.