The Battle of Columbus, Georgia (also known as the Battle of Girard, Alabama) may well have the last significant land battle of the Civil War. Fought in a last-ditch effort to defend Columbus from Wilson's raiders, the engagement resulted in a confusing night battle for control of the bridges over the Chattahoochee River and into the city

Because the battle raged on both sides of the Chattahoochee River, it is claimed by both Alabama and Georgia. The Confederates were positioned behind trenches on the Alabama side, but the Federals managed to flank them and get to the 14th Street Bridge behind them in the darkness. This is the modern 14th Street Bridge, now a pedestrian walkway, that crosses the river at the exact spot of the earlier bridge

Once the fighting spilled across the bridge onto the Georgia side, the Confederates made a last stand in the vicinity of this home. A battery was positioned in the street here to fire across the bridge, but the gunners could not open fire because the crowd on the bridge included both Federals and Confederates

Linwood Cemetery in Columbus contains the graves of a number of men who were killed in the battle. The cannon was from the Confederate ironclad C.S.S. Jackson, which was captured by the Federals following the battle. The vessel was just a few days away from being ready for action. Also captured was the Confederate torpedo boat Viper. A third warship, the C.S.S. Chattahoochee was burned by her own crew. Columbus was a major naval manufacturing facility