Black Warrior, merchant steamer that plied between New York City and Mobile, usually stopping at Havana, Cuba. Her seizure on Feb. 28, 1854, by Spanish authorities at Havana and the imposition of a $6,000 fine on the grounds that she had violated customs regulations nearly caused war between the United States and Spain. The South, anxious to secure Cuba, was ready for war, but the North refused to support the idea, and after the Black Warrior was released the excitement subsided.

Black Warrior, navigable river, 178 mi (286 km) long, rising in N central Ala. and flowing generally SW to the Tombigbee River. The Black Warrior drains a coal- and cotton-producing area, but these industries have declined, specifically in Birmingham, Ala.