Smithsonian National Museum of American History Kenneth E. Behring Center
CONFEDERATE SWORD
Confederate officer’s saber and scabbard. The letters “CSA,” for Confederate States of America are cut out of the guard.
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Smithsonian National Museum of American History Kenneth E. Behring Center
At the start of the Civil War enlisted men in the U.S. Army were issued two coats. One was a frock coat used for dress which had a standing collar and reached almost to the knees. The other was the fatigue coat and was worn when performing regular duties. According to the 1861 regulations the trousers were to be dark blue just as the coats. This was changed to sky blue on 16 December 1861 and lasted to the end of the war.
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CONFEDERATE INFANTRY SHELL JACKET
This type of jacket was worn by Infantrymen in the Confederate Army. They became the standard uniform by virtue of being less expensive and easier to make than the regulation frock coat.
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ZOUAVE UNIFORM
The uniform of the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry (Duryée’s Zouaves), 1861, consisted of a distinctive jacket, vest, sash, baggy trousers, and fez. The Zouave uniform adopted on both sides by many volunteer units during the first year of the Civil War was based on that of the elite Zouave battalion of the French Army, whose dashing appearance matched its fighting abilities.
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PATCHED DRESS
Clothing was patched and altered to extend its usefulness. A woman performing nursing tasks would have chosen her least ornate frock and done away with hoops or layers of petticoats.
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SURGICAL KIT
Surgical kits like this one were used by both Confederate and Union surgeons. Surgeons amputated shattered limbs, probed wounds to extract bullets with their bare fingers, and stitched bowels together. They neglected to wash their hands or sterilize instruments. Thousands of soldiers died from subsequent infections; but thousands survived–maimed, but alive.
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CONFEDERATE BOWIE KNIFE AND SCABBARD
It is claimed that the Bowie knife was designed by Rezin Bowie, the brother of James Bowie. The blade, made of steel, was up to 14 inches long. It was made in a shape that enabled the cowboy or mountain man to skin or disembowel an animal. The bowie knife was popular from the 1840s through 1865 and was sometimes called an “Arkansas toothpick”.
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CONFEDERATE UNIFORM
This Private’s uniform is a gray wool frock coat with black facings and gold colored buttons. It includes sky blue trousers, black leather belt with brass “CS” belt plate, leather cartridge box, bayonet scabbard, and a buff slouch hat.
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CONFEDERATE DISPATCH BAG
This dispatch bag was a brief case or document bag generally containing orders or other sensitive information.
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NEW TESTAMENT
This copy of the New Testament of the Bible was owned by James H. Stetson who was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.
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CONFEDERATE OFFICER’S FROCK COAT
This jacket is double-breasted gray wool with gold braid trim on sleeves and gold colored buttons.
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EVERYDAY MAN’S SHIRT
This is a handmade, off-white cotton banded collar shirt with one button at collar. This was a typical man’s shirt of the 1860’s. This is the type of shirt men would have worn under a uniform jacket.
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CONFEDERATE OFFICER’S KEPI
The kepi is similar to the forage cap. It was copied from the French officer’s hat. The crown could be colored, usually for the branch of service of the wearer. The kepi was shorter than the forage cap, and was not very popular because it did not protect from the rain or sun.
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Smithsonian National Museum of American History Kenneth E. Behring Center
EVERYDAY DRESS
Brown and tan cotton background with red and white floral print. Narrow tan braid trim outlines cuffs of long set-in full sleeves. This is the type of dress that would have been used for shopping, to visit neighbors, and by pinning on an apron, a woman could have worn this for light chores. This dress was used by Sallie Mason Faulkner around 1862–1868. She was the wife of a federal soldier.
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FIRST CONFEDERATE NATIONAL FLAG
The Confederate States of America’s 1st National Flag was also known as the “Stars & Bars.” This flag flew from 1861 to 1863. Each of the eight stars represented a Confederate state in March, 1861 when the flag was adopted. The similar design of the Confederate and Union flags made it difficult to distinguish between the two in battle. The Confederate battle flag was adopted after the Battle of Bull Run to address this problem. http://historyexplorer.si.edu
Smithsonian National Museum of American History Kenneth E. Behring Center
British Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle- musket, .577 caliber also fired a .58 caliber bullet and was used by both the Union and the Confederacy.
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UNITED STATES NATIONAL 34 STAR FLAG
United States National 34 Star flag was adopted with the admission of Kansas as the 34th state in January 1861. It was used until 1863 when West Virginia became a state. At no time did the National flag lose stars. Since the United States believed that secession from the Union was illegal, the flag continued to bear the stars of all the states of the union, even the Southern states.
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SHARPS RIFLE
This United States Sharps rifle Model 1859, .52 caliber was carried by the 5th New York Zouaves. The Zouaves were one of the most renowned fighting regiments of the American Civil War. Their precise maneuvers, effectiveness in combat, and steady bearing under fire won them universal respect and recognition.
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CANNON
The 12-pounder smoothbore cannon fired round 12 pound solid shot, explosive shells, or canister–tin cans packed with lead or iron balls, something like a giant shotgun shell. As the Civil War went on more and more rifled cannon came onto the scene which were capable of shooting farther and straighter than the smoothbore cannon. Sometimes rifling was added to older smoothbore guns like this one.
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CIVIL WAR SOLDIER’S MESS
A match safe, lantern, frying pan and cup would have been part of a soldier’s equipment. Hardtack is the name given to a thick cracker made of flour, water, and sometimes salt. When stored properly, hardtack would last for years. Because it could be prepared cheaply and would last so long, hardtack was the most convenient food for soldiers.
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COLLODION PHOTOGRAPHY KIT
The invention of the Collodion photographic process, also known as the wet-plate process, by British photographer Frederick Scott Archer in 1851 was an important breakthrough for photography, resulting in detailed images that could be produced more quickly and cheaply than ever before. Photographers took advantage of these new conveniences and set out to photograph in the field.
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AMBROTYPE OF A UNION SOLDIER
Soldiers often had their portraits made before going off to war so that loved ones would have a remem- brance of them in the event they did not return. Ambrotypes were most popular in the mid-1850s, and, therefore, are less common than other formats for portraits of Civil War soldiers. In this example, pink coloring has been applied to the subjects’ cheeks to make the portrait feel more warm and human.
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CARTRIDGES AND BULLETS
When the Civil War began both sides had a mixture of the standard .58-caliber rifle-musket and the old- er, .69-caliber smoothbore musket. On the left are a paper cartridge and several .58-caliber minié bullets. The minié bullet expands slightly gripping the spiral grooves of a rifled barrel which cause it to spin and fly straighter and farther than a bullet from a smoothbore gun. The cartridge and bullets on the right are for a .69-caliber musket.
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JAMES BOLT
The James bolt is a solid shot for rifled cannon. Originally it was wrapped in a sheet of lead that gripped the rifled grooves of the cannon barrel which cause it to spin and fly straighter and farther than shot from a smoothbore gun. The James bolt also made an eerie sound as it flew having a psychological effect against the enemy. The bolt required extreme accuracy and it wore out cannons faster than other types of projectiles.
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UNION BULL RUN BATTLE MAP
When the Civil War began there were few, if any, detailed maps of areas where the fighting would occur. Battlefield commanders often relied on hand drawn maps made by cavalry scouts or military engineers. This map was drawn after the First Battle of Bull Run by Captain Samuel P. Mitchell of the 1st Virginia Regiment. It shows roads, railroads, and the disposition of troops around Bull Run.
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12-POUNDER SHOT
This 12-pound iron shot was fired from smoothbore cannon. Solid shot was used to destroy enemy cannon and wagons. It was also effective against large columns of troops or cavalry. Artillerymen generally preferred to use explosive shells, case shot, or canister shot over solid shot. Solid shot required extreme accuracy and it wore out cannons faster than other types of projectiles.
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UNION SWORD
Model 1850 staff and field officer’s sword of the type carried by Union officers.
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RIFLE MUSKET
The .58-caliber U.S. Model 1861 Rifle-Musket was the standard musket in use during the Civil War. The Springfield Armory made over 200,000 in the first two years of the war. Private contractors also produced substantial numbers. By the war’s end approximately 1,000,000 Model 1861 type muskets were produced.
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ENLISTED MAN’S FORAGE CAP, MODEL 1858
Model 1858 forage cap, navy wool with black leather visor and chin strap, with gold colored buttons. This model forage cap was the most popular headgear worn by the Union army. The forage cap was adopted as standard army headgear. The visor can be flat or sloping. The forage cap was introduced just in time to become the signature headgear of the Civil War soldier. The forage cap was worn by officers and enlisted men alike. http://historyexplorer.si.edu
Smithsonian National Museum of American History Kenneth E. Behring Center
“UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN” BY MATHEW B. BRADY
During the Civil War, New York- born portrait photographer Mathew B. Brady organized a troupe of field photographers to capture images of the War right from the battlefield. Over the course of the War, Brady’s photographers compiled at least 7,000 negatives. Ever the innovative photographer, Brady quickly adopted the collodion process that became popular in the mid-1800s to produce portraits such as this one. http://historyexplorer.si.edu Smithsonian National Museum of American History Kenneth E. Behring Center
AMBROTYPE OF UNION OFFICER
The ambrotype (from the Greek word for “imperishable”) was a delicate image produced on glass that required a protective, folding cover called a Union Case to preserve the image. The case introduced a level of drama as the viewer encountered the image; what lay inside the Union Case remained a surprise until opened. This half- length portrait of a bearded man is an ambrotype of a Lieutenant in the Union Army-Artillery. http://historyexplorer.si.edu
Smithsonian National Museum of American History Kenneth E. Behring Center
CARTE DE VISITE
Made by the millions in the 1860s, these portable, handheld portraits frequently depicted celebrities and were often collected in albums. Durable and often sold for as little as twenty-five cents, the cart-de- visite became an important means of visual communication between soldiers and their families during the Civil War.
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