The weather in November in Alabama is highly unpredictable. In can be 85 degrees or 30 degrees. It can be hot and sunny...almost summer like. Or, there can be snow. Tornadoes in November are not that uncommon, either.

I think that if I were you, I'd try to find out what the weather was *actually* like in Nov. 1861. Looking through some published diaries or letters might tell you this.