Nevada is a Battle Born state. Battle Born also stands as the state's motto. It is known as Nevada's nickname, coined in 1864 at Nevada’s second constitutional convention to mark the state’s intrepid entrance into the Civil War the same year it was admitted into the union. The state's origins are formed from the Civil War. Battle Born conveys Nevada’s unique and timely entrance into the Union.   

The Spanish had an immense impact on the name of Nevada. The name is derived from "Sierra Nevada", meaning snow-covered mountain ranges. Nevada in Spanish relatively goes by "snow-covered" or "snow-capped". Nevada was originally apart of the Spanish territory in Alta, California as a part of the Spanish colonization. Spanish exploration into modern Nevada occurred from the 17th century through the Mexican independence in 1821. One of the earliest attempts to explore the land has become the state Nevada was by way of the Spanish Coronado expedition in 1540. Most of the Spanish influence then led into Mormon settlements. Additionally, most exploration began to travel into Sierra Nevada, one of the earliest settlement areas.  

Nevada’s connection with our military and veterans goes all the way back to our induction into the Union in 1864 during the Civil War. President Lincoln was facing a tough reelection battle and needed the extra votes, so he encouraged the adoption of the Nevada Territory to officially become the 36th State of the Union. Because of our induction into the Union during the Civil War, our motto is “Battle Born”, and we have been proud of our military heritage ever since. Nevada sent 1,200 men to fight for the Union during the civil war. Its main purpose was the contribution towards $400 million in silver from the Comstock Lode, which was used to finance the war. The state hosted a number of Union posts. Today, the social and cultural meaning of the Civil War has a strong resonance in Nevada because of two modern groups, the Southern Nevada Living History Association, and the Nevada Civil War Historical Society. Both groups explore all aspects of the Civil War today.