On April 21, 1861, Virginians claimed an abandoned navy yard at Norfolk, Virginia. There they found the sunken hull of the burned USS Merrimack. The Merrimack was raised and on June 23, 1861 the Honorable S. R. Mallory, Confederate secretary of the navy, ordered it to be converted to an ironclad.

A small yet effective weapon, the deringer is the type of weapon a woman spying for the Confederacy might have kept in the pocket of a dress or in a handbag.

The Confederate States of America’s first 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.

These two minie balls from opposing sides met head-on during fierce fighting at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, in December 1862.

During the Civil War, officers wore many types of hats, more often non-regulation than regulation. This example of a regulation army hat was worn by General William T. Sherman.  Although a native of Ohio, William Tecumseh Sherman remains inextricably linked with Georgia and the burning of At

General William T. Sherman wore this Model 1850 staff and field officer's sword during the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee, April 6–8, 1862.

Seal with an equestrian portrait of George Washington, surrounded by a wreath composed of the principal agricultural products of the Confederacy including cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, wheat, and rice. Embossed around the edge, "The Confederate States of America: 22 February, 1862" and the motto D

The Battle of Gettysburg was a critical turning point in the American Civil War. During the first three days of July 1863, over 172,000 men and 634 cannons were positioned in an area encompassing 25 square miles.

Civil War battle rattle used on smaller ships to call all hands to battle stations.

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.