Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
United States Flag Raised Over Alabama Capitol
Apr. 12, 1865
Photographed by Michael Stroud, June 1998
1. United States Flag Raised Over Alabama Capitol Marker
MG J.H.Wilson’s Cavalry Corps raised U.S. flag over Alabama’s and the Confederacy’s first Capitol on 4/12/65, three days after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Wilson had defeated LTG N.B. Forrest’s depleted and vastly outnumbered troops at the Confederate Arsenal city of Selma. Before fleeing Montgomery, BG D.W. Adams, CSA ordered 85,000 bales of cotton and 40,000 bushels of corn set afire to deny them to the Federals. But for the wind’s change and the heroic Montgomery firefighters, the city would have burned. Wilson left Montgomery for Columbus, GA on Friday, 4/14/65, the day Lincoln was shot by Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington.
Erected 1996 by Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, Historical Society Preservation and Promotion Foundation Alabama Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Vexillology series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 12, 1865.
Location. 32° 22.64′ N, 86° 18.069′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. It is at the intersection of South Bainbridge Street and Dexter Avenue, on the right when traveling north on South Bainbridge Street. West grounds of Alabama State
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Regionally, this marker is in Alabama’s Tri-Counties River Region. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Black Belt. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Black Members of the Alabama Legislature Who Served During The Reconstruction Period of 1868-1879 (a few steps from this marker); James Marion Sims (within shouting distance of this marker); John Allan Wyeth (within shouting distance of this marker); Alabama's Third Century / Alabama Voices (within shouting distance of this marker); Thousands Protest at the Seat of Government (within shouting distance of this marker); To the Memory of General Marquis De La Fayette (within shouting distance of this marker); Globalization / 21st Century Economy (within shouting distance of this marker); Selma-to-Montgomery March (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montgomery.
Another marker is no longer nearby. A Nation Divided / Cradle of the Confederacy (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).
Photographed by Lee Hattabaugh, October 1, 2010
2. United States Flag Raised Over Alabama Capitol Marker
Marker is to the right of the Capitol steps in this view.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 5, 2015
3. United States Flag Raised Over Alabama Capitol Marker
Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 5, 2015
4. Looking north on Bainbridge Street
Credits. This page was last revised on April 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 16, 2007, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,754 times since then and 23 times this year. Last updated on July 30, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1. submitted on December 16, 2007, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 2. submitted on October 6, 2010, by Lee Hattabaugh of Capshaw, Alabama. 3, 4. submitted on December 5, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
