In the early months of 1862, the war came to Alabama. Federal troops under the leadership of Ulysses S. Grant captured Fort Henry and Fort Donelson along the Tennessee River. The Union Army’s successes opened up the Tennessee River Valley to invasion, and in February Union gunboats arrived in Florence, Alabama, on a mission to destroy Confederate supplies. Located in Lauderdale County, Florence was home to many Unionists, who greeted the arriving Union troops enthusiastically, hoping their stay in the city would liberate it from the hands of Confederate Alabamians.
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Becoming Alabama:
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