Gainesville is a town in Sumter County, Alabama, United States.

Confederate Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest surrendered his men near Gainesville on May 19, 1865, at the Civil War's end.

[3] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2), all land.

The racial makeup of the town was 22.73% White and 77.27% Black or African American.

33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.