The federal forces were soon compelled to abandon the territory south of the Tennessee river, but, having burned the railroad bridges at Decatur and Bridgeport, held all of Alabama north of hat river. In the spring of 1864 a naval ex-pedition was fitted out at New Orleans under Rear Admiral Farragut to operate against the fortifications guarding Mobile bay. He defeat-ed the confederate fleet under Admiral Franklin Buchanan, Aug. 6, and, with the cooperation of a land force under Gen. Granger, reduced the forts at the entrance to the harbor - Fort Gaines on the 7th, and Fort Morgan on the 23d. Early in 1865 a combined military and naval expedition against Mobile was organized at New Orleans under Maj. Gen. Canby and Rear Admiral Thatcher; and a force of cavalry under Maj. Gen. J.

II. Wilson was ordered to cooperate by a southern march from Eastport, Tenn. Wilson's command, numbering about l5,000, of whom 13,000 were mounted, advanced from Chickasaw March 23, and on April 3 occupied Selma, one of the most important military depots in the southwest. The arsenals, founderies, arms, tools, and military munitions of every kind, together with a large amount of cotton, were destroyed. From Sel-ma Gen. Wilson moved eastward to Georgia, taking possession of Montgomery, the capital, on the 12th of April. On the same day Mobile was taken by Canby and Thatcher. During these operations "the last cannon,'1 says Pollard, " was fired for the Confederacy.11 On May 4, at Citronelle, Ala., the forces, munitions of war, etc, in the departments of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana were formally sur-rendered by Gen. Taylor to Gen. Canby; and on the same day Commodore Farrand surrendered to Rear Admiral Thatcher all the confederate naval forces - 12 vessels - then blockaded on the Tombigbee. No official statement of the number and losses of Alabama troops in the war has been made.

In an official proclamation, in June, 1865, Provisional Governor Parsons stated the number of troops furnished by the state during the war to be 122,-000, and the losses 35,000. Montgomery was the seat of the confederate government until its removal to Richmond on the 20th of May, 1801. Immediately upon the close of the war measures were instituted by the general government for the restoration of Alabama to the Union. For this purpose Lewis E. Parsons was appointed provisional governor June 21, 1865, with instructions to call a convention for the purpose of altering and amending the constitution and laws of the state in conformity with the federal constitution. At the election held Aug. 31 for choice of delegates, those citizens were qualified as electors and delegates who were entitled to vote by the constitution and laws of Alabama in force immediately prior to Jan. 11, 1861, and who had taken the oath of amnesty as set forth in the president's proclamation of May 29, 1865. After assembling on Sept. 10, the convention reordained the civil and criminal laws, except those relating to slaves, as they existed previous to the adoption of the secession ordinance of 1861, declared that ordinance and the state war debt null and void, passed an ordinance against slavery, and provided for an election of state officers and members of congress to be held in November. On the assembling of the legislature, United States senators were chosen, and on Dec. 19 the newly elected governor assumed executive control.

The government thus organized continued in force until supplanted by the military government provided by congress in pursuance of the reconstruction act passed March 2, 1867. By this act Alabama was made subject to the military authority of the United States, and, with Georgia and Florida, constituted the third military district. On April 1, 1867, Major General Pope assumed command of this district with a sufficient military force to protect the rights of all persons, and to preserve the public peace. In accordance with the supplemental act of congress of March 23, 1867, a registration of qualified voters (excluding unpardoned participants in the civil Avar) was made in August, when 165,813 persons were registered, of whom 61,295 were white and 104,518 colored. An election was held on the first three days of October to decide the question of calling a convention for the purpose of forming a constitution and civil government, and also to choose delegates to the convention; 90,283 votes were cast for the convention and 5,583 against it. The convention assembled in November and framed a constitution, which was submitted to the people in February, 1868, when 70,812 votes were cast for ratification and 1,005 for rejection.

The total vote thus cast, being less than the majority of all the registered voters required by the reconstruction law of congress, was not sufficient for ratification. The constitution was, however, by a subsequent act of congress, declared adopted. At the same election state officers and members of congress and of the legislature were chosen. The legislature having assembled and complied with the requirements of the law of congress for the admission into the Union of certain southern states passed Jut e 25, 1868, Alabama became entitled to representation in congress, and on July 14, 1868, the control of affairs passed from the military to the civil authorities. The 15th amendment to the federal constitution was ratified by Alabama Nov. 16, 1870, the 14th amendment having been previously ratified as a condition of representation in congress.