Civil War

Alabama Civil War History

Alabama Civil War History
By Lee Sentell

From the telegram ordering the first shots at Fort Sumter to the last major battle of that bitter conflict, Alabamians played pivotal roles in America's Civil War saga.

After Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States, delegates from Southern states that had seceded met in the Alabama State Capitol in February 1861. Within a few days, they had written a constitution to create the Confederate States of America and elected Jefferson Davis of Mississippi its president.

You can stand on the spot where Davis received the oath of office and tour the restored Capitol, as well as the First White House of the Confederacy across the street.

The most significant naval action of the war occurred in Mobile Bay, the only Southern port still open in 1864. Tour Fort Morgan near Gulf Shores and Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island where Admiral Farragut gave his famous "Damn the Torpedoes" order that led to the fall of Mobile.

The 103-acre Confederate Memorial Park east of Clanton began as the only home for Confederate veterans. See uniforms, weapons and graves, and learn about the old soldiers who lived out their lives there.

The "Alabama Civil War Trail" brochure available at an Alabama Welcome Center has listings of dozens of museums, cemeteries and battlefield sites. Some 18 re-enactments that take place annually from Tuscumbia and Bridgeport to Selma and Gulf Shores are featured.

Make plans to return to the state in 2011 for exciting events during the Civil War Sesquicentennial.

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Odyssey Shipwreck! Treasures from the S.S. Republic
[Elberta] [Oct 31, 2008-Oct 31, 2011]
Through Oct 31, Elberta Odyssey Shipwreck! Treasures from the S.S. Republic 251-752-8883. baldwincountyheritagemuseum.com. Baldwin County Heritage Museum—En route from New York to New Orleans in October 1865, the SS Republic sank with a fortune in coins and an enormous cargo of goods. See videos and images of Odyssey’s discoveries, including coins and nearly 14,000 artifact, and delve into stories of courage and survival of the ship’s passengers and crew. Wed.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; 2nd & 4th Sun., noon-5 p.m.
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