Civil War Museums

A strange sort of nostalgia for the Civil War sprang up almost as soon as the war was over. Traveling circuses and other attractions began displaying artifacts associated with the war almost immediately; however, these public displays were only a part of the nation’s desire to memorialize the war. The Victorian tendency towards sentimentality and collecting was rampant in the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, and nearly every home that had once housed a soldier often found room for a small collection of letters, locks of hair and other mementos associated with the war.

The Civil War era tendency toward collecting means that there was - and is - no shortage of items still in existence today that document the Civil War and those who participated in it. Many museums across the country are either dedicated to the Civil War, or feature Civil War exhibits as part of their collection. Nearly every state in the contiguous United States is home to a Civil War museum or Civil War exhibit.

One of the largest and most thorough collections of Civil War effluvia is held at the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The museum’s emphasis is on the period from 1850 to 1876, with a tight focus on the Civil War period of 1861 to 1865. The collection, which includes over 24,000 artifacts, photographs, documents, manuscripts, and other printed matter, was assembled by the city of Harrisburg to take advantage of the close proximity to Gettysburg.

The National War Museum strives to be non-partisan, and to present a balanced view of the war without emphasis on either the Union or the Confederacy. The holdings at the National War Museum include:

• - the last battle map used by General Robert E. Lee during the Appomattox campaign
• - the pen used by Governor Wise to sign John Brown’s death warrant
• - sabers belonging to General J.E.B. Stuart, including one presented by his cousin as a gift at Stuart’s wedding
• - a sleeve from General George Pickett’s coat, removed after he was wounded at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, with visible traces of blood
• - relics belonging to “Stonewall” Jackson, including hair from his horse, “Little Sorell”
• - sword belt presented to General Ulysses S. Grant in commemoration of the capture of Vicksburg
• - Lee’s Bible, inscribed in his hand, which he used for almost 20 years.

While the National Civil War Museum may hold the most varied and balanced collections of Civil War artifacts, several other Civil War museums hold items that are as interesting.

One is the Graffiti House, located at Brandy Station near Gettysburg. Graffiti House was used by both Union and Confederate troops during Gettysburg and afterward, and the walls are covered in graffiti left by the soldiers who used it. Among those who left their mark on Graffiti House include General J.E.B. Stuart.

Another unusual Civil War museum is the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum. “Cyclorama” refers both to the building itself and to the cyclorama (a large cylindrical painting that rotates around viewers) of the Battle of Atlanta that has been on display in since 1893, when it was sold to pay off the debts of the traveling circus it was a part of. The Atlanta Cyclorama is the longest running show in the United States.