A groundbreaking exhibit presents the Civil War through the eyes of artists uncertain of the conflict’s outcome, shedding fresh light on the events.

The Civil War Trust had the opportunity to meet with Eleanor J. Harvey, Senior Curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.   The museum's new exhibit, The Civil War and American Art , explores the impact of the war on American art.   Four videos accompany this article.

Civil War art prints by John Paul Strain and Mort Kunstler.   The owner, Rick Mullen, has donated several works in the past to help the Raleigh CWRT with our fundraisers and raffles.

701 N. Main Street, Fuquay-Varina, NC   27526

Phone:   (919) 552-7533

This major loan exhibition considers how American artists responded to the Civil War and its aftermath.

This exhibit examines how America’s artists represented the impact of the Civil War and its aftermath.   Includes 75 works — 57 paintings and 18 vintage photographs.   Winslow Homer, Eastman Johnson, Frederic Church, and Sanford Gifford — four of America’s finest artists of the era — anchor the exhibition.

Clara Barton was one of the most famous nurses of the Civil War.   Her actions at battlefields and field hospitals earned her the nickname "Angel of the Battlefield."   She is most recognized for establishing the American Red Cross.

This website covers the following Civil War medical topics:   hospitals, transportation, sanitation, anesthesia, amputations, and medications.   A number of links to related websites are provided.

This online collection provides access to about 7,000 different views and portraits made during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and its immediate aftermath.   The images represent the original glass plate negatives made under the supervision of Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner as well as the photographic prints in the Civil War photographs file in the Prints & Photographs Reading Room.   These negatives and prints are sometimes referred to as the Anthony-Taylor-Rand-Ordway-Eaton Collection to indicate the previous owners.   The Library purchased the negatives in 1943.

This website holds a searchable online catalog of digitized prints and photographs pertaining to the American Civil War.   The website states:   "Rights assessment is your responsibility.   If an image is displaying, you can download it yourself."

Images depict military personnel and facilities, primarily from a Union perspective.   Images includes the main Eastern theater, the federal navy and seaborne expeditions against the Atlantic Coast of the Confederacy, the war in the West, Washington, D.C., African Americans, fortifications, battlefields, preparations for battle and the aftermath of battle.   Also available are many portraits of officers and enlisted men, and of federal and confederate government members, including Abraham Lincoln and his assassins.

Using technology and community to rediscover lost identities in American Civil War-era photographs.

This is the facebook account of a Danish artist who colorizes historical photos, including American Civil War subjects.   This example is Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley of the C.S.A.

The War Between the States was the first large and prolonged conflict recorded by photography.   During the war, dozens of photographers, both as private individuals and as employees of the Confederate and Union Governments, photographed civilians and civilian activities; military personnel, equipment, and activities; and the locations and aftermaths of battles.

The photos on this website include photographs from the Matthew B. Brady collection, purchased for $27,840 by the War Department in 1874 and 1875, photographs from the Quartermaster's Department of the Corps of Engineers, and photographs private citizens donated to the War Department.

The mission of the Center for Civil War Photography is to educate the public about Civil War photography, its role in the conflict, and its rich variety of forms and formats; to digitally secure original images and preserve vintage prints; to enhance the accessibility of photographs to the public; and to present interpretive programs that use stereoscopic and standard images to their fullest potential.

Thousands of Civil War photographs are available online for free.   Many of these are scanned from the original glass plate negatives at ultra-high resolution.   All Civil War photographs are now in the public domain, and reproductions can be used in any fashion by anyone.   This guide provides links to a number of websites containing Civil War photography.

With the world’s largest collection of online records, Ancestry.com helps you understand your genealogy.   With precise geographic detail and clear-cut historical insights, AncestryDNA® informs you of the places in the world where your family tree began.   Combined, you get the best insight into your genealogy and origins.

Wake County Public Libraries has an extensive network of materials available to assist those conducting research into historical and genealogical topics.   These materials are located in the Olivia Raney Local History Library.

4016 Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC   27610

Phone:   (919) 250-1196

Email to Library Manager:   Saundra Cropps

The American Civil War Museum is one museum, three locations:   Appomattox, Historic Tredegar, and The White House of the Confederacy.

Appomattox

The American Civil War Museum at Appomattox is located 1.7 miles west of the Wilmer McLean House, which is located within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park and the site of the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant.

The American Civil War Museum at Appomattox’s permanent exhibit explores the surrender of General Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia using more than 400 artifacts, photographs, and documents.   Included in the exhibit is the uniform coat and sword that Lee wore to the surrender, the Appomattox parole lists, and a dozen audiovisual stations that bring rich human stories to life.

159 Horseshoe Rd, Appomattox, VA   24522

Phone:   (434) 352-5791   Submit Online Inquiry

Historic Tredegar

Historic Tredegar is the site of the Confederacy's largest ironworks.   This plant manufactured iron locomotives, train wheels, spikes, cables, ships, boilers, naval hardware, machinery and brass items.

The plant employed skilled domestic and foreign workers as well as slaves and free blacks.   One of the nation’s most significant Civil War Sites, Tredegar is now a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

Designated Richmond’s Official Gateway to the Civil War, Historic Tredegar offers a visitor experience and learning center that includes the Richmond National Battlefield Park Visitor Center, operated by the National Park Service, and an exciting exhibit, In the Cause of Liberty , that explores the causes, course, and legacies of the war from Union, Confederate, and African American Perspectives.

500 Tredegar Street, Richmond, VA   23219

Phone:   (804) 649 1861   Submit Online Inquiry

White House of the Confederacy

The White House of the Confederacy was the residence of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, and his family from August, 1861, until the evacuation of Richmond on April 2, 1865.

It served as the political and social epicenter of wartime Richmond.   A Civil War museum was located next door but has now been moved to a new facility in Historic Tredegar.

1201 E. Clay Street, Richmond, VA   23219

Phone:   (804) 649 1861   Submit Online Inquiry

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Select a month from the row above to see what Museum- and Park-related events are upcoming — lectures, exhibits, tours and more.   Plan a trip!

Events are grouped by month.   Within each month, events are listed day-by-day.

The National Civil War Museum incorporates collections of artifacts, manuscripts, documents, photographs, and other printed matter that exceed 24,000 items.

This is the only museum in the United States that portrays the entire story of the American Civil War.   History is preserved in equally balanced presentations that are humanistic in nature without bias to Union or Confederate causes.

One Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA 17103

Phone:   (717) 260-1861   Submit Inquiry

The Fayetteville, NC Arsenal was an important site for the Confederacy as it was a major manufacturer of rifles and ammunition during the Civil War.   As Sherman and his army proceeded northward through the Carolinas and approached Fayetteville, the Arsenal was stripped of its arms, munitions, and useful machinery by the retreating Confederates.   When Sherman entered Fayetteville on March 11, 1865, he took possession of the Arsenal and had it razed to the ground.   Today very little remains at the actual site (Arsenal Park).

It is on this site at Arsenal Park that the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center is being built.   Phase 1 groundbreaking of this $65M project took place on April 18th, 2018 with hopes of completion in Spring 2019.   A Phase 2 of the project is planned to begin in 2020 and finish several years later.

The North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center, will be the first State museum in the nation to provide an interpretation of the Civil War and its aftermath from the perspective of an entire State.   It is affiliated with the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex, a branch of the North Carolina Division of History Museums.

824 Branson Street, Fayetteville, NC   28305

Phone:   (910) 491-0602   Submit Online Inquiry

Email:   info@nccivilwarcenter.org

A primary research resource and educational institution, the North Carolina Museum of History has a research library, a variety of classroom spaces, and a large and well-equipped, 315-seat auditorium.   The Raleigh Civil War Round Table meets most months in this auditorium.   Large gallery spaces total 55,000 square feet.   Design shops, storage areas for over 250,000 items, and conservation labs are all under one roof.

5 E. Edenton St., Raleigh, NC   27601

Phone (General Information):   (919) 814-7000

Civil War Info.:   Charles Knight, Military Curator/Curation

Phone:   (919) 814-7049

Email:   charles.knight@ncdcr.gov

Working to save America's battlefields.   You can help save the many acres of hallowed ground still at risk.   Your donations count!

The American Civil War was the greatest war in American history.   Despite any contemporaneous or subsequent protest to the contrary, the reason it was fought was over the question of slavery.   More specifically, did the doctrine of State's Rights give a State the right to own slaves?   Three million soldiers, the vast percentage of which were non-professionals, fought to resolve this question on the battlefield, all political attempts at compromise having played out and failed.   Of these many soldiers, at least 600,000 of them paid the ultimate price for their beliefs.

The CivilWar.com website is a key resource for any student of the American Civil War.   It contains hundreds of thousands of webpages of information, including the Official Record of the Civil War, summaries of the 382 largest engagements, orders of battle, battle maps, and the largest collection of Civil War photos available.

On this site you will find information related to the U.S. Civil War including Union and Confederate Regimental Histories, Union Corps Histories, Soldier’s Letters, Diaries, Battle Reports, a listing of Civil War Round Tables by State, and a variety of other information including helpful links.

In addition to information currently available through published sources, this site adds new and unpublished materials as they become available.   These will include diary and letter excerpts, key reports, etc.

The CWRT Congress is a group of professionals who are dedicated to helping Civil War Round Tables to increase membership and develop proven marketing methods.

The CWRT Congress is a non-profit organization founded in July 2016 by Mike Movius.   He can be reached at mike@cwrtcongress.org and is located at 2502 Caitlin Court SE, Olympia, Washington   98501.

This website, created and curated by David L. Bright, USN Lt. Commander (retired), presents in-depth details behind the Confederate railroads.   Here you will find each railroad, its location and length, its type and size of rail, the number of cars and locomotives it had when the war started, and the names and technical data of each locomotive.   Also provided are lists of stations on each road and comments about most Confederate cities, taken from a Confederate railroad guide.   Finally, the website includes over 22,000 transcriptions of railroad issues-related documents, e.g., pictures, maps, essays, and period documents.   The number of transcriptions continue to grow as more are found.

This site was created specifically because it is so hard to locate CSA railroad information.   The curator is anxious to hear from any of you who have data or sources to share to make this listing more complete and accurate.   He is particularly looking for photographs of Confederate locomotives that he can post.   Contact David L. Bright at   ConfederateRRs@AOL.com.

This website has links to scores of Civil-War related websites covering the following topics:   Battle Summaries, Studies and Reports, Web Features, Online Museum Exhibits, National Parks with Civil War Battles or Themes, and Civil War Trails.    This is truly a gold mine of information for any student of the American Civil War.

For example, produced by the U.S. National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program's Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (CWSAC), one can find metadata and a brief description of each of the 382 major American Civil War battles sorted by State or by Campaign.

The agencies of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History celebrate history from pre-colonial times to the present.   They collectively safeguard documentary and material evidence of earlier generations and provide leadership and assistance to government agencies, individuals, businesses and organizations to further the stewardship of the state's historic resources.

There are four divisions within the Office of Archives and History:

Whether you're interested in taking a hike at a state park, researching your family history, or stepping onto the hallowed ground where Civil War soldiers once fought, North Carolina has a place for you to visit and enjoy.   This webpage is your jumping off point — happy exploring!

A group of eight unique Civil War-related NC State historic sites, inviting you to open doors into the past and more fully understand the world we live in today.

A simple farmhouse site, located in what is now Durham, NC, where surrender papers were signed in April 1865 on behalf of the Southern armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida.

4409 Bennett Memorial Road, Durham, NC   27705

Phone:   (919) 383-4345   Email:   bennett@ncdcr.gov

In mid-July 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign in Georgia, Jefferson Davis had become furious with Joseph E. Johnston and fired him for constantly retreating his Army of Tennessee before Sherman instead of engaging him in a decisive battle.   Johnston's replacement, John Bell Hood did no better.   As a result, Sherman captured Atlanta and followed that by making his famous march to the sea.

In early 1865 as Sherman and his army began moving north out of Georgia, Lee, as general-in-chief, made an urgent request to Davis to have Johnston reinstated.   Reluctantly, Davis acquiesced on February 22, 1865.

Over the next three weeks, Johnston cobbled together an army to oppose Sherman as Sherman's army advanced into North Carolina.   This resulted in the Battle of Bentonville, which was fought March 19-21, 1865.   It was the last full-scale action of the Civil War in which a Confederate army was able to mount a tactical offensive.   This major battle, the largest ever fought in North Carolina, was the only significant attempt to defeat Sherman's large army during its march through the Carolinas in the spring of 1865.

5466 Harper House Road, Four Oaks, NC   27524

Phone:     (910) 594-0789 Email:    bentonville@ncdcr.gov

Brunswick was a major pre-Revolutionary port on North Carolina's Cape Fear River.   It was razed by British troops in 1776 and never rebuilt.

After decades of calm, the site once again entered the forefront of history during the Civil War.   In 1861 the Confederate States of America decided to build a large fort at the site as part of the river defense of Wilmington.   This was needed because the Cape Fear was an essential route for supplies moving by rail from Wilmington to Petersburg and Richmond for General Lee's army.

8884 St. Philips Road SE, Winnabow, NC   28479

Phone:   (910) 371-6613   Email:   brunswick@ncdcr.gov

Here you will see up close the remnants of the ironclad gunboat CSS Neuse, a product of the Confederate navy's ill-fated attempt to regain control of the lower Neuse River and retake the city of New Bern during the Civil War.

100 N. Queen Street, Kinston, NC   28501

Phone:   (252) 522-2107   Email:   cssneuse@ncdcr.gov

Until the last few months of the Civil War, Ft. Fisher kept North Carolina's port of Wilmington open to blockade runners supplying necessary goods to Confederate armies inland.   By 1865, the supply line through Wilmington was the last remaining supply route open to Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.   When Ft. Fisher fell after a massive Federal amphibious assault on January 15, 1865, its defeat helped seal the fate of the Confederacy.

Approximately ten percent of Fort Fisher still stands along with a restored palisade fence.   All tours of the grounds begin in the visitor center.   This recently renovated facility contains an audiovisual program that presents the history of the fort.   New exhibits are currently being designed for the visitor center.

1610 Ft. Fisher Blvd. South, Kure Beach, NC   28449

Phone:     (910) 251-7340   Email:    fisher@ncdcr.gov

Historic Stagville is a state historic site that includes the remnants of the one of the largest plantations in North Carolina.   The Bennehan-Cameron family owned approximately 30,000 acres of land, and claimed ownership over about 900 people who were enslaved on this property.   Stagville protects a fraction of the land from that plantation, including original slave quarters (1851), a massive barn (1860), and a Bennehan family house (1787-1799).   Stagville is dedicated to teaching about the lives and work of enslaved people on the plantation.

5828 Old Oxford Highway, Durham, NC   27712

Phone:     (919) 620-0120   Email:    stagville@ncdcr.gov

The Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace, also known as the Vance Birthplace is a historic home in Buncombe County, North Carolina.   The property, purchased in 1795 by Col. David and Priscilla Vance, was the birthplace of their grandson Zebulon Baird Vance in 1830.

Zebulon Baird Vance (May 13, 1830 – April 14, 1894) was a Confederate military officer in the American Civil War, the 37th and 43rd Governor of North Carolina, and U.S. Senator.   A prolific writer, Vance became one of the most influential Southern leaders of the Civil War and postbellum periods.

The two-story cabin has been reconstructed around the original 1790s brick fireplace.   The house, five outbuildings, and relocated 1790s slave cabin tell the story of life in the North Carolina mountains in the early 1800s.   A visitor center houses exhibits and a film highlighting the life of Governor Vance.

911 Reems Creek Road, Weaverville, NC   28787

Phone:     (828) 645-6706   Email:    vance@ncdcr.gov

A writer revisits the personal challenges, successes, and doubts in discovering and documenting North Carolina’s role in the Civil War.