Cumberland County Public Library and Museum of the Cape Fear

Cumberland County Public Library and Museum of the Cape Fear Will Display Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit in April

RALEIGH – Determination, commitment and pride are among many characteristics of North Carolinians depicted in the Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit (www.nccivilwar150.com). The exhibit commemorates the role our state played in the Civil War (1861-1865), a defining period in United States history. It will visit the Cumberland County Public Library in Fayetteville from April 1-13 and the Museum of the Cape Fear from April 16-28.


“The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography,” explains Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. “The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’ exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now.”

Images gathered from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org), and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org) will illustrate valiant members of the Confederacy, African Americans fighting for freedom, and daring women dedicated to the South. A total of 24 images will be exhibited by the N.C. Department of Culture Resources (www.ncculture.com) in 50 libraries throughout the state from April 2011 to spring 2013. A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further info rmation and a section for viewer comments.

Amidst the photos will be an image from a re-enactment of the Battle of Bentonville, Opposing Lines at Bentonville, which depicts the largest engagement to occur in North Carolina during the Civil War. The original battle took place March 19-21, 1865, involving more than 80,000 Union and Confederate soldiers. At its conclusion, the battle claimed more than 4,000 lives. Even today, soldiers from Fort Bragg visit the Bentonville Battlefield to study the strategies used during this critical assault.

For info rmation on the tour visit www.nccivilwar150.com or call (919) 807-7389. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.