GETTYSBURG MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
Dedicated To The Conflict That Divided--And United--America.
The Battle of Gettysburg lasted three days. But the events leading up to it go back more than a hundred years before, and predate the founding of the nation. The Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War puts America’s turning point in perspective, using exhibits, sound, video and setting to give visitors a deeper understanding of the war and its impact.
This inspiring museum will open in April 14, 2008. Appropriately, the themes of its 11 permanent galleries are based on phrases within Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Gallery 1 — "Impact of War: In a Larger Sense" presents the good and the bad consequences of the Civil War: Death and Destruction, Emancipation and Union. This gallery serves as a steppingstone to the overall museum experience.
Gallery 2 — "Causes of War 1776 – 1861: Conceived in Liberty?" features exhibits as well as the three-screen video presentation, Causes of War. In this gallery, you can begin to absorb the impressions of two conflicting realities: human freedom versus human bondage, from the birth of the nation to the brink of the Civil War.
Gallery 3 — "Approach to War: A New Nation" outlines the major issues and rifts that tore the country apart. You will also "meet" Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, and encounter their differences and similarities. An interactive display, Secession or Union, helps pinpoint the results of the country’s fragmentation.
Gallery 4 — "Civil War 1861 – 1863: Now We Are Engaged in a Great Civil War" covers the Civil War from 1861 to June 1863, the point where Lee began his Gettysburg Campaign. Recruitment, training, the life of a soldier, scenes from the war’s battlefields and other displays are accompanied by quotes from those who fought on both sides. Within this gallery, the first of two large projected maps illustrates the course of the war during its first years.
Gallery 5 — "Campaign to Pennsylvania: Testing Whether that Nation Can Long Endure" examines more closely Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and the Union’s Army of the Potomac. Here, a replica of an officer’s field camp includes Lee’s actual stove, cot, medical chest and field chest. An enlisted man’s field camp has also been recreated. Exhibits and panels explore the life of the soldier on campaign, and interactive experiences will teach you how to recognize bugle calls and pack their gear for a march.
Within the Voices of the Campaign Theater, you can hear readings of letters, diaries and newspaper articles, and get glimpses into the mindsets of men and women, white and black, young and old, Confederate and Union.
Gallery 6 — “Battle of Gettysburg: Now We Are Met on a Great Battlefield of That War" is the heart of the museum, as it focuses on the Battle of Gettysburg. The gallery is divided into five sections: Into the Battle, which covers troop movements at the end of June 1863; Days 1, 2 and 3 of the Battle; and Out of Battle. Using interactive computers in each section, you can pull up any regiment of interest and see where those men fought on that day. Films, interactive maps, exhibits and even the sound of cannon fire can be experienced throughout.
Gallery 7 — "The Aftermath of Battle: The Brave Men Living and Dead" discusses the aftermath of this enormous battle, its impact on the town of Gettysburg, the experience of the wounded men, Civil War medicine, what happened to the men who died, the task of burial and the fate of prisoners.
The Voices of the Aftermath Theater relates stirring accounts of the commanders, common soldiers, civilians and correspondents, as they survey the damage and describe their harrowing situations.
Gallery 8 — "The Gettysburg Address: A New Birth of Freedom" is solely focused on the monumental importance of the Gettysburg Address, as a two-minute audio presentation of the speech is presented in a dedicated listening space. An interactive computer will help you interpret the text of the Gettysburg Address.
Gallery 9 — "Civil War 1863 – 1865: The Great Task Remaining Before Us" covers the period between Gettysburg and Appomattox, with a large projected map showing troop movements and exhibits that detail the story of the final years of the war.
Gallery 10 — "Results of War: That These Dead Shall Not Have Died in Vain" includes a seven- to ten-minute film that gives you an understanding of what the war settled -- the end of slavery and the preservation of the Union -- and what it did not -- the full rights of citizenship for all Americans.
Gallery 11 — "Preservation of the Battlefield: Never Forget What They Did Here" focuses on the preservation of the battlefield, discussing how land was set aside almost immediately, and describing the journey toward designation as a National Military Park.
Gilder Lehrman Institute Special Exhibits Gallery — This space is filled with temporary and traveling exhibits, broadening the number and variety of topics that are covered in the museum.
