May 4, 1865

The last significant Confederate army east of the Mississippi River surrendered in Citronelle. Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor surrendered his army of nearly 9,000 Confederate soldiers under a large white oak tree that became known as the Surrender Oak. While the oak fell to a hurricane in 1906, the Historical Mobile Preservation Society unveiled a historical marker on the site on the centennial anniversary of the event. In 2012, Citronelle planted a young live oak tree on the approximate location of the original tree. The city continues to honor the event with the Surrender Oak Festival, held annually on the first Saturday of May.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.