Second Part of Civil War Exhibit Series Opens

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in North Carolina, the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh is presenting a three-part exhibit series titled North Carolina and the Civil War: 1861-1865. The series explores the four-year conflict that changed the state and nation. It also tells the story of North Carolinians who lived, served and sacrificed during the nation's bloodiest conflict. The exhibit is located within the museum's larger military history gallery A Call to Arms. Admission is free.


Part two of the series, North Carolina and the Civil War: The Raging Storm, 1863, opened Nov. 4 and will run through Oct. 27, 2013. The Raging Storm, 1863 focuses on a tumultuous year marked with intense battles and devastating loss of life. More than 10,000 Tar Heel soldiers were killed or wounded or died from disease in 1863. Exhibit artifacts include Civil War handguns, battle flags and uniforms, as well as surgical instruments used for amputations.


The Raging Storm, 1863 includes some artifacts that have never been exhibited or have not been on view for many years.


Weapons of War: Civil War Pistols and Revolvers showcases 23 handguns ranging from an M1851 .36-caliber Colt navy five-shot percussion revolver to a Belgian-made .40-caliber single-shot muzzle-loading percussion pocket pistol.


A Year of Carnage covers the Chancellorsville campaign, fought from April 27 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Va., where 3,000 North Carolina soldiers were injured or killed. Featured is a battle flag carried by the 18th Regiment North Carolina Troops, which accidentally shot Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson on May 2, 1863.


The last exhibit section, Gettysburg, tells the story of the 7,000 North Carolinians killed, wounded or captured at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania from July 1 to 3, 1863. Among the artifacts from the battle are several battle flags, including that of the 26th Regiment North Carolina Troops captured by Union troops during the Confederate attack on Cemetery Ridge on July 3. The flag is on loan from the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Va.


The third part of North Carolina and the Civil War: 1861-1865, debuting in 2014, will highlight the last engagements of 1864-1865 and postwar consequences.


The exhibit series is part of the N.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial, a statewide initiative organized by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in North Carolina. For more information go to www.nccivilwar150.com