Treasures of American History, The Civil War

National Museum of American History
In April 1861, a decade of rising sectional tension over the expansion of slavery and the balance of power between slave and free states erupted into a full-scale civil war when Confederate forces attacked the federal garrison at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The ensuing four years tested the United States in ways never experienced before or since. The deadliest of all American wars, the Civil War cost more than 500,000 lives and left 400,000 wounded. In preserving the Union and ending slavery, the war expanded the meaning of freedom and equality. View an online gallery of the museum’s Civil War artifacts from Lincoln’s top hot to Jeb Stuart’s pistol.

 

Civil War Letters

National Postal Museum
As tensions in the United States rose to a fever pitch and civil war broke out in 1861, Union leaders began to develop ways to isolate the mutinous southern states. In addition to erecting a blockade meant to keep supplies from reaching the South, Postmaster General Montgomery Blair cut off mail service to states that had seceded. Confederate stamps were valueless in the North, and mail addressed to the Confederate states was taken to the Dead Letter Office and subsequently returned to the sender.

 

War Letters: Lost and Found, “Civil War”

National Postal Museum
On the battlefront and at home, letters provide a vital connection between military service members and their families, friends and loved ones. Motivated by the extraordinary circumstances of war, letter writers often reveal the priorities of life through vivid, heartfelt words and sentiments. View a selection of letters written by Civil War soldiers.

 

Binding the Nation: A Nation Divided

National Postal Museum
When the conflict between the northern and southern states finally exploded into war, tearing the country apart, the nation's communication system was also ripped in two. The system instituted to unify the country through the dissemination of information was instead used to solidify the break. In 1861, Postmaster General Montgomery Blair cut off mail service to the rebellious Southern states. Confederate postage was not recognized by U.S. post offices, and postmasters were instructed to forward mail to the Confederacy to the Dead Letter Office, where it was to be returned to senders. U.S. postage issued before the war was "demonetized," or stripped of its value to ensure that stockpiles of stamps in Confederate hands would be rendered valueless. Learn more about restoring postal service to a divided nation.

 

"Interruptions and Embarrassments": The Smithsonian Institution during the Civil War

Smithsonian Institution Archives
When the Civil War erupted in April 1861, the Smithsonian Institution suddenly found itself vulnerable. Located in the nation's capital between the Capitol Building and the White House, the Institution was not immune from the forces threatening to turn the city of Washington, D.C., into an armed camp. Read more from the editors of the Joseph Henry Papers, the Smithsonian Institution’s first secretary.

 

Mary Henry: Eyewitness to the Civil War in the City of Washington

Smithsonian Institution Archives
"We went up into the high tower to see the troops pass over into Virginia." Mary Anna Henry (1834-1903) wrote in her diary on July 16, 1861. She was living with her family in the Smithsonian Institution Building, on the Mall in the City of Washington, in the United States of America, but from her home, she could see the Confederate States of America. This was the world Mary Henry lived in for much of the Civil War, on the border between two countries at war. Learn more about Mary Henry’s unique and personal insights into life in Washington during the Civil War.

 

Civil War Field Printing

National Museum of American History
The ability to communicate quickly in wartime can profoundly affect military actions and outcomes. Communication in the field was assisted with the success of new portable tabletop printing presses at the beginning of the American Civil War (1861–65). Learn more about this important innovation.

 

Thaddeus Lowe, Chief Aeronaut of the Union Army
National Air and Space Museum

The millions of visitors who pass through the doors of the National Air and Space Museum each year come to see the real thing, the actual air and space craft that shaped history – from the world’s first airplane to the back-up hardware for the latest robot spacecraft on its way to explore another world. Few if any of our visitors, however, realize that aerospace history was made on the site of the National Air and Space Museum one hundred and forty eight years ago.

CivilWar@Smithsonian
National Portrait Gallery

CivilWar@Smithsonian is produced by the National Portrait Gallery and is dedicated to examining the Civil War through the Smithsonian Institution's extensive and manifold collections. Since the war itself, 1861–1865, the institution has been actively collecting, preserving, and remembering America’s most profound national experience. Now through the World Wide Web, this site will significantly expand that mission, giving the public increased access to Smithsonian collections and archives.

Civil War: 150 Years
National Postal Museum

2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. The National Postal Museum is proud to offer Civil War-related material and stories as seen through the lens of postal history and philately.

The Papers of Joseph Henry
Smithsonian Institution Archives

When the Civil War erupted in April 1861, the Smithsonian Institution suddenly found itself vulnerable. Located in the nation's capital between the Capitol Building and the White House, the institution was not immune from the forces threatening to turn the city of Washington, D.C., into an armed camp. In his first annual report to the governing board of the Smithsonian since the beginning of the national conflict, Joseph Henry suggested the war had not greatly affected the institution he managed. "The interruptions and embarrassments," he wrote, "although frequent, and in some cases perplexing, have not prevented the continuance of the general operations of the Institution." But Henry was evidently putting the best face on a bad situation, for the war's impact on the Smithsonian was considerable. Were it not for his steadfast leadership, the institution might have suffered permanent damage.

Solomon G. Brown: First African American Employee at the Smithsonian Institution 
Smithsonian Institution Archives

Solomon G. Brown (c. 1829-1906) was the first African American employee at the Smithsonian Institution. He joined the staff of the Smithsonian in 1852 and remained in continuous service to the Institution until he retired in 1906, after 54 years. Brown had many positions while at the Smithsonian, including working as a general laborer building exhibit cases and moving and cleaning furniture, assisting in preparing maps and drawings for Smithsonian lectures, and working in the International Exchange Service. Brown was also listed in Smithsonian Annual Reports with the title, "Clerk, In charge of Transportation.”

The Smithsonian Institution Presents: The Civil War 1861-1865

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Smithsonian Institution introduces a series of events and exhibitions.

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