Smithsonian National Museum of American History
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I am a docent at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, so thought I would share some of the Civil War collection materials. Sorry for the poor camera work, but I couldn't avoid the glare on the glass cases in many cases.

20230811_120816.jpg


Color me skeptical, but this is supposedly a piece of fence rail split by Abraham Lincoln and his cousin John Hanks. The note was written by Dennis Hanks, but you can see John Hanks made his mark (x) next to his name.

20230811_115308.jpg

Coat McClellan wore during the Battle of Antietam, and his sidearm which was a present from Samuel Colt

[ATTACH...
Where is it Wednesday, Gettysburg? 8-9-2023
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Where is this site?
Question about the USS Cairo's signal board (for sending messages to the engine room)
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I'm doing research on the city-class ironclads such as the USS Cairo, which was raised with a trove of artifacts and is on display at Vicksburg.
One of the items raised was the pilothouse's signalboard, which rang a small bell in the engine room to indicate a new message from the captain.
I was under the impression that in Civil War times, this would have been accomplished manually via a long pull string, but looking at images of it on the National Park Service website, it clearly operated with two fixed copper wires, indicating electricity was involved instead.
How would this be possible on a gunboat back then?

My mind is turning to telegraph lines and such, but where would the...
The New Antietam Visitors Center
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I went to Antietam for the first time this past week and managed to time my trip to arrive on the second day the new visitors center opened. I know many folks are interested to see what the new center looks like so I took a lot of pictures. Since I had not seen the old center I can't compare the two - please comment if you knew the old one so we can all see what the changes are.

New Posts

 ★ ★   Buford, John

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John Buford Jr.
:us34stars:
Buford.jpg

Born: March 4, 1826
Birthplace: Woodford County, Kentucky
Father: Colonel John Buford Sr. 1778 – 1847
Mother: Ann B. Watson
Wife: Martha McDowell “Pattie” Duke 1830 – 1903

Children:
James Duke Buford 1855 – 1874​
(Buried: Georgetown Cemetery, Georgetown, Kentucky)​
Pattie McDowell Duke Buford 1857 – 1863​
(Buried: Georgetown Cemetery, Georgetown, Kentucky)​

Education:
1848: Graduated from West Point Military...​

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CivilWarTalk is a forum for students and fans of the American Civil War. Our online community of Historians, Skirmishers, Re-enactors, Educators, and Enthusiasts is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information related to the War Between the States. Our goal is to become the leading resource for every researcher seeking historical information and opinions relating to the American Civil War.

The American Civil War

The American Civil War, arguably the most traumatic event in the history of the United States, was fought from 1861 to 1865, and was the culmination of sectional issues which deeply divided the country between a pro-Federal government North and a pro-states rights, in the pro-slavery South, whose eleven states formed a breakaway government called the Confederate States of America. The costliest war in terms of human lives, the American Civil War claimed in excess of 620,000 battle or disease-related deaths - roughly two percent of the country's total population, and nearly more deaths than all other American wars combined.

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Who Would You Have Voted For (in 1860)

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