Remembering Gallery

[SI Homepage] The Civil War

A House Divided

The Civil War (1861-1865) was the bloodiest event in United States history. By 1860, slavery had become one of the great issues that threatened the Union. All efforts at compromise failed.

This terrible struggle cost the lives of more than 620,000 men in battle or from wounds and disease. Millions of families on both sides suffered direct effects from the drafting and enlistment of nearly 3 million men into the Union and Confederate armed forces.

This case study of Civil War artifacts demonstrates the manner in which different museums focus on the same event in different ways. Viewed together, they tell us a more complete story about the Civil War, allowing us to recall our collective past and draw lessons from its sometimes painful memories

[Photograph]
Abraham Lincoln		 [Abraham Lincoln]
Lincoln Mask
[Photograph]
Frederick Douglas

Appomattox Furniture

On April, 9, 1865, the Civil War effectively ended at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, when Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant signed the surrender terms. That morning, Lee concluded that victory was impossible and remarked, "there is nothing for me left to do but to go and see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths."

The end of the war ensured that the Union would be preserved. With the adoption of the 13th Amendment on December 2, 1865, all remaining slaves became free. But the degree of real freedom experienced by African Americans remained severely limited by racial prejudice.

Grant's Chair [Table]
Grant's Table		 Lee's Chair
[Sculpture]
Robert E. Lee

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