On the orders of Governor Andrew B. Moore, Alabama state troops took over the Mount Vernon Arsenal in Mobile County. The depot's commander, Major Jesse L. Reno, was able to mount no resistance as twenty thousand small arms, hundreds of barrels of powder, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition fell into secessionist hands. Reno was to serve as a general officer during the war and was killed at the head of his IX Corps at the Battle of South Mountain in September 1862. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"Seizure of the Forts in Alabama," New York Times, January 12, 1861.
Record Data
Date Certainty
Exact
Type
Battles/Soldiers
