Editing Tuscaloosa, Alabama (section)

===Civil War===
During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] following Alabama's [[secession]] from the Union, several thousand men from Tuscaloosa fought in the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] armies. During the last weeks of the War, the campus of the university was burned in a battle.<ref>{{Cite web|title="Freedom and Fire!: A Civil War Story" – University of Alabama News {{!}} The University of Alabama|date=November 21, 2016 |url=https://news.ua.edu/2016/11/freedom-and-fire-a-civil-war-story/|access-date=March 5, 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> The larger town was also damaged in the battle, and its White population suffered economically. Its Black population was emancipated from slavery.

In the 1890s the construction of a system of locks and dams on the Black Warrior River by the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] improved navigation to such an extent that Tuscaloosa was effectively connected to the Gulf Coast seaport of [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]]. This stimulated the economy and trade, and mining and metallurgical industries were developed in the region. By the onset of the 20th century, the growth of the University of Alabama and the mental health-care facilities in the city, along with a strong national economy, fueled a steady growth in Tuscaloosa which continued unabated for 100 years.