National Civil War Museum facts for kids

The National Civil War Museum is a special place in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It helps us learn about the American Civil War and what happened after it. The museum also keeps important items and information from that time safe. It even serves as the main office for the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, a group that honors soldiers who fought for the Union.

Museum History

The idea for the museum was supported by Harrisburg's former mayor, Stephen R. Reed. It cost $32 million to build. The museum opened its doors to the public in 2001.

In 2009, the museum became connected with the Smithsonian Institution. This means it works with one of the biggest museum groups in the world! In 2015, the museum also published a book about a famous U.S. General named Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

Finding Your Way Around

The museum is in a two-story brick building inside Reservoir Park. When you visit, your self-guided tour starts on the second floor. This floor has the first ten exhibit rooms.

Then, you go down to the first floor for the last seven exhibit rooms and a theater. On the first floor, you'll also find a gift shop and a special area for temporary exhibits. Outside, there's a "Walk of Valor" with red bricks. Each brick has the name of a Civil War veteran, making the grounds feel like a memorial.

What You'll See: Exhibits

The museum's exhibits want to help everyone keep learning about the American Civil War. They show how people struggled and healed during this important time. The exhibits cover the years from 1850 to 1876, with a special focus on the war years, 1861 to 1865.

The museum has over 24,000 items, including old photos, documents, and other printed materials. About 3,500 of these are actual objects, like uniforms and weapons. Around 850 of these objects are on display for you to see. The rest are kept safe for future exhibits and for people who want to study them.

Exploring the Galleries

The museum has many different rooms, called galleries, each telling a part of the story:

• A House Divided, 1850–1860: This gallery looks at the events that led up to the Civil War. It highlights a speech by Abraham Lincoln in 1860, where he said a country divided could not stand.
• American Slavery: The Peculiar Institution, 1850–1860: This section explains how people in the 1800s viewed slavery. It shows how slavery was a system where people were forced to work without freedom.
• First Shots, April 1861: Learn about the very first battle of the war at Fort Sumter. This is where the fighting officially began.
• Making of Armies: See how both the Union and Confederate armies found, trained, and equipped their soldiers.
• Weapons and Equipment: This gallery displays many real weapons and tools from the war. It also explains that diseases caused most deaths, but new weapons made battles more deadly.
• Campaigns and Battles of 1861–1862: Discover the early battles and the plans and strategies used by both sides.
• Battle Map, 1861–1862: A large map shows how the land and its features affected where troops moved and fought.
• Camp Curtin: Learn about the biggest Union army camp during the Civil War, which was right in Harrisburg.
• Why Men Fought, 1861–1863: This gallery explores the different reasons why soldiers on both sides chose to fight.
• Civil War Music: Listen to music from the Civil War era and see musical instruments used by soldiers.
• Gettysburg, 1863: This exhibit focuses on the Battle of Gettysburg, a huge and very important battle. Nearly 50,000 soldiers were hurt or died, making it the largest battle ever in North America.
• Women in the War: Discover the many important roles women played during the war, both at home and closer to the fighting.
• Navy: This section looks at battles that happened on the water.
• Campaigns and Battles of 1864–1865: Learn about the final years of the Civil War.
• Battle Map, 1863–1865: Another battle map shows the movements from the Stones River to the Appomattox.
• Lincoln: War & Remembrance: This gallery helps us remember the Civil War, President Lincoln, and what veterans did after the war ended.

We the People Video

There's also a video called We the People. It tells the stories of ten different people and what happened to them before, during, and after the war. You can watch parts of it in galleries 1, 4, 9, and 14, and the final part in the museum's theater.

Amazing Artifacts

The museum has many real items from the Civil War. These include weapons, uniforms, things soldiers used in camp, and personal belongings. Here are just a few of the cool things you can see:

• The portable writing kit of Winfield Scott, a famous general.
• An 1852 Sharps carbine rifle and a pike head from the raid on Harper's Ferry.
• The last battle map used by General Robert E. Lee before he surrendered.
• The pen used to sign the death warrant for John Brown, an important abolitionist.
• President Lincoln's leather hat box, used during his first election campaign in 1860.
• Two of the three known swords belonging to J. E. B. Stuart, a Confederate general.
• A sleeve from George Pickett's coat, taken after he was wounded in battle.
• A special box with items that belonged to Stonewall Jackson, including hair from his horse, "Little Sorrel."
• George B. McClellan's saddle, which he used as a top general for the U.S. Army.
• Robert E. Lee's hat cord and his Bible, which he used for almost 20 years.
• A sword belt given to Ulysses S. Grant to celebrate his victory at Vicksburg.
• A gauntlet (a type of glove) worn by Stonewall Jackson.
• A Bowie knife captured from one of "Mosby's Rangers," a Confederate cavalry group.
• Doeskin riding gloves that belonged to Robert E. Lee.
• A chair from the captured White House of the Confederacy.
• A kepi (a military cap) belonging to George Pickett.
• A lock of hair and a painting of George Pickett, passed down through his family.
• A fence post from Gettysburg with bullet holes.
• Many other rifles, revolvers, officer's swords, and old ammunition found on battlefields.
• Rare chains, iron shackles, and bracelets used in the slave trade, including a slave collar.
• A wooden saddle and tack box used by Ulysses S. Grant.
• Souvenirs from Civil War veterans' reunions.
• A collection of items related to Lincoln's assassination, including a lock of his hair, a sash from his funeral train, the original telegram ordering the arrest of John Wilkes Booth, and a ticket to the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre that night.
• The key to Libby Prison, a prison for Federal officers.
• Lead bullets with teeth marks, given to patients to bite on during painful surgeries.
• A stateroom plaque inscribed "D.G. Farragut, USN," which he carried throughout his naval career.
• A china plate from the Lincoln administration and a lantern from Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois.

See also

• American Civil War Museum
• National Civil War Naval Museum
• African American Civil War Memorial Museum
• National Museum of Civil War Medicine
• Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center
• New England Civil War Museum