"Best ACW Museum?" Topic

Which ACW museum is your favorite?

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland.

Is the renovation of the New Orleans museum completed? Anyone seen it yet?

Steve
cavalcadewargames.com
nycjadie.wordpress.com

Isn't the New Orleans museum War of 1812 rather than Civil War? Or maybe it covers both …

"Is the renovation of the New Orleans museum completed? Anyone seen it yet?"

According to their website it is. It looks really nice. They have changed the name to "Louisiana's Civil War Museum at Confederate Memorial Hall."

I'd have to agree with Wolverine. Not because his adamantium claws could cut me to ribbons, but because that museum, while small, is absolutely fascinating. The visitors center in Gettysburg is very good now as well, and if I were taking kids on a trip to see civil war stuff I would go there over the medical museum, but the medical museum is much more interesting to one who at least knows the basics already.

The redone museum at Kennesaw is very fine. It's always had the GENERAL from the great Locomotive Chase, but now has an excellent section on Southern industrialism after the war. I've taken groups of students there several times and it is worth half a day.

A more unusual mueum is in Columbus georgia. It is dedicated to the Confederate navy. A very good and easy to find museum.

They've moved the NEUCE because of flooding, not sure where it is now, but ten years ago I spent a fascinating half day as the only visitor, with the historian/curator showing me exactly how it was built, and rebuilt after being raised -- they had to import pitch from New England because nobody in N Carolina makes it today.

Or is it NEUSE? sister ship to the ALBEMARLE, anyway.

The Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Va., holds many treasures. Among other sites in and around Richmond are the Tredegar Iron Works (the National Park Servce Battlefields museum), the adjacent Civil War Museum, The Historical Society of Virginia museum, the Valentine Museum (history of Richmond) and numerous battlefields.

My favorite ACW museum in the state is the Pamplin Park museum in Petersburg.

The one at Shiloh is very good for the weapons on display.

I like the one in Harrisburg PA, but that may have been more for the company (visited it with a group of old friends)

I visited the New Oreleans Confederate museum this past spring and I would recommend it. It is rather small, but there was a ton of uniforms, weapons, pictures, etc. The hall where it is located is pretty nice, too.

The plus side is that is only 1-2 blocks from the National D-Day museum.

I have to second the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland. I've been there a couple times and it's very well presented, and interesting to see.

More here:

civilwarmed.org

Chickamauga (other than the worst informational movie) hands down. Best gun collection in the Southeast and an above average book store (Stones River has the best).

Yes, the fire arms collection at Chickamauga is very impressive. And the movie is dreadful.

Washington Navy Yard museum in Washiington DC. Well worth seeing. It covers more than ACW, but from a naval perspective is good, also the CS Naval museum in Columbus GA.

In order of preference: Confederate Memorial Hall, Museum of the Confederacy, ACW Naval Museum in Columbus, and the CW Medicine Museum. I had the priviledge of handling the crown of thorns sent to Jeff Davis by the Pope while he was inprisoned. Lets just say it was one of those moments. And while I thought the actual gallery space at the Atlanta Civil War museum was dreadful, the cyclorama they have blows Gettysburg's away.

Frederick on 06 Oct 2009 9:48 a.m. PST said:

"I like the one in Harrisburg PA, but that may have been more for the company (visited it with a group of old friends)"

I've been to the Harrisburg museum, but coming from the medical side of ACW reenacting, I had a major complaint about the "Gone With The Wind"-esque montage of a wounded soldier being operated on, biting on a stick. Sigh. One of the few constants in Civil War medicine was the general availability and widespread, nay, universal usage of anaesthetics and pain killers, be it ether, chloroform, morphia sulphate, laudanum, raw opium, or some form of pain control. The lack of such provisions was notable, and only in the most extreme cases was there a total lack. The South even had adequate supplies of this material throughout most of the war.
****soapbox mode OF*

soapbox mode of bleep?????

capncarp – That irks me too. Also, the high number of "pain bullets" that you see on the relic market today.

If you like ship models, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum in Norfolk, VA, has some excellent 1/4" professional ACW models. CSS FLORIDA, CSS VIRGINIA, CSS VIRGINIA II, CSS NANSAMOND, and USS ONANADOGA, to name just five.

Across the Hampton Roads at Newport News, the Mariner's Museum has the turret of USS MONITOR.

Mark

The Confederate Naval Museum is a must:

portcolumbus.org

If you like the war afloat.

I've visited most of the sites mentioned in our topic, the Petersburg, VA., museum, video productions, and battlefield tours, are first-rate!

Living in Richmond, Virginia continues to open excellent opportunities to explore many aspects of America's "trial by fire".

It is regrettable that a first rate tour of Lee's "Defence of Richmond" Campaign of 1862, does not exist, presently!

Sincerely,
Wayne

This place…

picture

…because it is also full of toy soldiers, and you can touch everything, including the original Confederate and Federal jackets and kepis and everything.

:)

I think that the arms and uniforms exhibits at the "old" Gettysburg visitors center were much better than what they have on display at the "new" center. It seems like they had more of the collection on display at the old museum. Is that correct, or is my perception off a bit?