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Birmingham Alabama During the Civil War

Birmingham was not founded until  1871, after the U.S. Civil War, during the Reconstruction period. However, Alabama has an interesting history. During the Civil War, Montgomery, the state capital, was the capital of the Confederate States of America. Because of this, Montgomery is known as the "Cradle of the Confederacy." It is also the birthplace of the Confederate Constitution, and where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as President of the Confederacy in Alabama. In fact, because of the state's Civil War history and central location in the Deep South, Alabama is known as the "Heart of Dixie."

Another of Alabama's nicknames is the "Yellowhammer State." The state probably got this nickname because its Confederate troops placed yellow trimmings on their uniforms during the Civil War. Yellowhammers are birds with yellow patches under their wings.

Alabama Civil War Sites