MENU
Alabama's Civil War Sites
Take a step into military history when you visit Alabama’s Civil War sites. You can even stand on the spot where Jefferson Davis received the oath of office for president of the Confederate States of America or tour the First White House of the Confederacy.
With so much Alabama Civil Rights history to choose from, here's our pick of the best places to visit during your stay:
- The Confederate Memorial Park: East of Clanton, the 103-acre Confederate Memorial Park began as the only home for Confederate veterans. Today, you can see uniforms, weapons and graves, and learn about the old soldiers who spent their lives there.
- Historic Fort Gaines: Fort Gaines was a pivotal site for the South during the civil war, playing an important part in the Battle of Mobile Bay. Located at Dauphin Island along Mobile Bay, its well-preserved ramparts have protected the entrance to Mobile Bay for well over a century. Today, the site stands as a commemoration of the war, with original cannons on display, a blacksmith shop, a museum, and tunnels. Group guided tours are highly recommended, and will need to be booked weeks in advance of your visit, led by a uniformed 'soldier' and including a cannon firing demo and blacksmithing.
-
Gainesville Civil War Re-enactment: The Town of Gainesville, which was once among the largest towns in the State of Alabama, is home to several historical homes, churches, cemeteries and monuments. Its history and heritage are still celebrated today through annual Civil War re-enactments, which are held the second weekend of March each year. During this weekend, visitors have the opportunity to step back in time to the 1860s as they smell the smoke and feel the thunder of the cannons while watching the cavalry duel as Civil War re-enactors from across the country gather to recreate historical clashes of the American Civil War.
- Mobile Civil War Trail: Mobile, at Alabama’s Southern tip, is also rich in American Civil War history. The Mobile Civil War Trail stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to north Mobile County, a distance of 90 miles and documents the Battle of the Bay (August 1864).
- Blakeley State Park: A few miles north of Mobile stands this impressive two thousand acre park which was the site of the last major battle of the Civil War. With both a nature and history theme, the park has a Nature Center offering tours into the river delta on the Delta Explorer, weekend camping and group functions.
- Old Cahawba Civil War Walking Tour: A highly recommended guided tour that visits Castle Morgan, the Prisoner of War camp at Old Cahawba, and explores the plight of these unfortunate soldiers. It also documents the hardships of the town’s Confederate residents who suffered while their husbands, fathers and sons were off to war, many never to return.
For additional information:
