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The Battle of Selma, Alabama (April 2, 1865), formed part of the Union campaign through Alabama and Georgia, known as Wilson's Raid, in the final full month of the American Civil War.
Union Army forces under Major General James H. Wilson, totaling 13,500, invaded southern Alabama, opposed by Confederates under Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who a force of only 2,000, with mainly boys and old men. After Forrest was defeated at the Battle of Ebenezer Church, he retreated into the city of Selma, whose fortifications were badly undermanned. Wilson's columns broke through at several points, forcing the Confederates to surrender the city. Wilson took many prisoners, although Forrest and Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor escaped. The arsenal and naval factories were destroyed by Union troops. The double defeat of the supposedly invincible Forrest signaled that the Union could move anywhere in the dwindling Confederacy.