National Civil War Museum

National Civil War Museum

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is home to one of the best museums on the American Civil War to be found anywhere. Located in beautiful Reservoir Park, the National Civil War Museum is the only museum that covers the entire American Civil War, with equally balanced portrayals of both the Union and Confederate causes.

The museum is housed in a handsome two story multi-winged brick building with a beautiful Grand Rotunda. Outside, a statue titled Moment of Mercy honors 19 year old Confederate army Sergeant Richard R. Kirkland of South Carolina and his amazing act of courage and compassion. During the horrific Battle of Fredericksburg on December 14, 1862, over 6,000 Union soldiers lay wounded and dying on the battlefield as darkness fell. With nightfall, snow began to fall and the temperature dropped far below freezing.

Their pitiful cries and moans for help echoed throughout the night. Listening to their suffering was a terrible ordeal for the troops on both sides. By the next morning, young Sergeant Kirkland could not listen any longer. He collected as many canteens he could carry and climbed over the low stone wall protecting him from the battlefield. Yankee shots rang out, but when Kirkland ’s task became apparent, the Union commander ordered his men to cease firing, saying “Don’t shoot that man, he’s too brave to die.”

For the next ninety minutes the battlefield was silent as the young Rebel sergeant moved from one wounded soldier to another, giving them water and comforting them as best he could. On both sides the guns were stilled as dirty, battle weary soldiers watched this incredible act of mercy in awe.

With his supply of water exhausted, Kirkland covered one dying soldier with his own overcoat before returning to the Confederate lines, with men from both sides cheering for his deeds. Sergeant Kirkland was killed in action on September 20, 1863 at the Battle of Chickamauga, but his brave deed that terrible day at Fredericksburg will be remembered forever.

Displays inside the museum start with the economic and political differences that led up to the Confederate secession, and take visitors through the escalation of emotions to the first shots fired at Fort Sumter, through the long war years and finally, the South’s surrender. Exhibits are not just static collections of artifacts, but rather incorporate life-sized dioramas, multimedia presentations, and personal remembrances of the people who took part in the war, both civilians and soldiers. A series of video presentations follow several men and women from the pre-war days when talk of secession was everywhere; through the start of hostilities, the long war years, and the aftermath. It is interesting and heart wrenching to listen as their optimistic dreams of glory and a quick end to the war turn to despair and misery when reality sets in and they learn that war is not about brass bands and parades, but rather about suffering and dying.

To anyone looking back from a distance of nearly 150 years, the outcome of the Civil War was obvious before the first cannons roared. The South was outnumbered, outgunned, and totally unprepared for war. In 1860, the northern states had a population of 22 million people, while the southern states had only 12 million, and a third of them were slaves. The North had approximately 4 million men between the ages of 18 and 35 to field an army, while the South had just 1.1 million men of combat age. There were over 100,000 factories in the North, employing over a million people, while the South had only 20,000 factories, employing 100,000 workers. Railroads were vital in a time of war, providing quick transportation of troops and supplies. The North boasted a network of 20,000 miles of railroad tracks linking major cities and manufacturing centers, while the South had only 9,000 miles of track, much of it in need of repair and upgrading. The State of Ohio alone had more miles of railroad track than Alabama , Arkansas , Florida , Louisiana , Mississippi , and Texas combined! Northern banks held 81 percent of the nation’s deposits and $56 million in gold bullion. Northern states produced the bulk of the country’s staple crops - 67 percent of the nation’s corn, 81 percent of its wheat, and 88 percent of its oats. Northern farmers raised 70 percent of the nation’s horses, 55 percent of its cattle, and over half of its hogs. The South’s two main agricultural crops were cotton and tobacco, both cash crops that needed a market. Northern blockades and embargos would quickly eliminate access to most of the markets for southern crops.

Slavery was the major dividing issue between North and South, but the causes for the war went deeper than slavery. The South believed that by trying to limit their right to hold slaves, northern states were attempting to control their economic destinies and keep southern states dependant on the crops and goods produced by northern farms and factories.

Between 1830 and 1860, a loose network of escaped slaves, free African-Americans, and northern sympathizers known as the Underground Railroad helped an estimated 50,000 slaves escape to freedom in the North. Southern states were angered when northern states refused to return escaped slaves to their owners.

The plight of slaves differed from area to area and master to master. Some worked in the homes of their masters, while others labored in fields. Surprisingly, a great number of slaves were rented out to work in factories, shops, and mills. Most slaves lived in rural areas on plantations and farms, and most were kept illiterate since southern laws prohibited teaching slaves to read and write.

While the popular northern image of slave owners was of an abusive master cracking a whip over some poor starving soul in chains, most slave owners were fairly benevolent. Slaves were a major investment, and an injured or ill slave could not work and earn a return on that investment. Still, even the kindest master was part of a terrible institution in which enslaved human beings had no rights and a master could sell a slave’s family off on a whim, as punishment, or just as a matter of commerce, as simply as he would sell a horse or mule.

Exhibits at the museum explore the causes leading up to the Civil War, from the perspective of both the North and South, before taking visitors through the opening battles and the long campaigns that raged back and forth across the contested landscape.

War is not all about fighting – most of a soldier’s time is spent in camp performing routine chores, training, and waiting for the next call to action. During the Civil War, the living conditions for troops on both sides were usually primitive and rife with hardship. Displays cover camp life, including the ways the soldiers coped with food and equipment shortages, amused themselves, and the civilian entrepreneurs who were always around to sell them the necessities the army often could not provide, usually at an inflated price.

The museum’s exhibits of equipment range from uniforms and sidearms to artillery pieces and innovations such as the Gatling Gun, a formidable weapon with ten barrels that could deliver a rapid rate of fire that was devastating to enemy troops. One memorable exhibit is an impressive collection of battle flags used during the Civil War.

In addition to its impressive collections and exhibits, the National Civil War Museum hosts Living History weekends where costumed re-enactors demonstrate military skills such as marching in formation, firing cannon and muskets, and camp life. Throughout the year, the museum features dinner lectures with famous historians, and the museum’s reference library is an important resource for historians and scholars.

The next time you visit the Harrisburg area, plan a day at the National Civil War Museum. You will come away with a greater understanding of the conflict that divided our nation, and new compassion for the men and women caught in the middle.

The National Civil War Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays and holidays from noon to 5 p.m. The museum is closed on federal holidays, except for Memorial Day and July 4^th. From January 1 to March 31, the museum observes winter hours and is closed on Mondays. Admission to the museum is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for students, and a family pass is $25. Though the museum’s brochure says there is plenty of free parking for buses and RVs, when we visited, the parking areas did not look sufficient for larger RVs during busy time periods. Visitors would be advised to call ahead to be sure enough parking is available. For more information on the National Civil War Museum, call 717-260-1861, or visit their website at www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org