Virginia Museum of the Civil War - National Historic Landmark

Located in New Market, VA.  This museum features the entire American Civil War highlighting each phase and major battles and developments.  Mesmerizing.  The maps, visuals, explanations and story details are excellent.  The storytelling and artifacts are just amazing.  Explore the story of the civil war.

soldiers struggle

Walk into the main area and be greeted by this beautiful life sized detailed statue of three soldiers wrestling for control of a battle flag.  I stood for several minutes looking at the detail.  A union and confederate soldier fighting for a battle flag.  a third soldier coming in to aid his friend.  The soldier to the right confederate, the soldier on the left and the assisting soldier are union.  You can tell by the detail.  The caps or hats and the belt buckles inscribed as US or CSA.

In the background are 33 hanging state flags.  The succeeding state flags are slightly lowered.  Its a great visual of how many states existed in the US and how many succeeded. It also speaks to how states viewed themselves as independent "countries".  The detail in the state flags is impressive.

 

 

This display depicts the country as a "house divided". The seven deep south states separated from the northern states with the geographically central states, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas in the middle.  

It wasn't until the federal government announced its intention to use military force against the deep south states that the central states sided with the newly named confederate states. 

The land mass of the succeeding states was massive and immediately presented problems for the emerging confederacy it terms of defending all the borders with the now hostile union states. 

Choosing Richmond as the confederate capitol presented many challenges due to its proximity to the union capitol. 

Grants constant pressure campaign

The museum highlights each of the federal army's six attempts to sack the confederate capitol of Richmond.  Each attempt failed, until the last, which featured union General Grants master plan to apply pressure and resources as needed until the war was over.  

This approach differed from the previous where the union army of the Potomac would stop and lick its wounds and re-group after battlefield loses.  Grant changed the tune from take Richmond to destroy Lees army.  His army would go where Lees army went.  Richmond would wait.  Grant would take his larger army and apply constant pressure on Lee. 

In the battle of the wilderness, Grant continued after each engagement to apply pressure on Lees army.  No retreat, just a continual movement in an attempt to flank Lees army. 

 

 

US Grant

Grants Virginia Plan was to apply pressure throughout the south and in particular VA.  After five failed attempts to sack Richmond met in union failure, Grant was put in charge of the entire union army and devised the plan to apply pressure everywhere all at once and to never let up until Lees army was destroyed. 

 "Constant pressure, never retreating", the goal for the union Army of the Potomac shifted from Richmond to Lees army.  Grants motto was "where ever they go, we go, no retreat no regroup, we continuously apply pressure until Lees army is defeated".  

After weeks of non stop engagements know as the "battles in the Wilderness" or simply "The Wilderness Campaign", Grant thought one final direct assault would break Lees army.  Grants final direct assault took place at Cold Harbor, where thousands of union troops died after the direct assault failed.  From here, Grant changed tactics again and went into siege mode.  The union army focused on encircling the battered confederate army and cutting off its supply and escape routs. 

But, I digress.  This post highlights the museum. 

First, we watched a 45 minute award winning film called "The Field of Lost Shoes".  The film features a VMI military class of 1864 and its participation in the battle of New Market.   The larger context was part of Grants total pressure campaign that included union general Franz Siegal leading a core of about 6500 men down the Shenandoah valley.  When word arrived that a large union force was marching toward New Market, the confederates under general John Breckenridge massed an army of 4500, including the entire 1864 graduating class of cadets from VMI to oppose them.  The battle of New Market ensued which resulted in a confederate victory and inspired the movie.

Gracing the entrance way of the museum is a regal statue of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson with the stirring words engraved beneath "Today, the VMI will be heard from".  Thomas Jackson was an instructor at the VMI prior to the civil war.

The statue features Jackson looking yonder with spectacles in one hand and a saber in the other while his uniform billows in the wind.

The flag to the left was the original National Confederate Flag, which featured the Virginia State Flag and the United States Flag combining into a single flag.

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson - the heroic southern general who lead a smaller confederate army to battlefield victory after battlefield victory with his use of tactics. Chief among them surprise, daring and movement.  Stonewall earned his nickname after the first major conflict of the war at Manassas Junction when retreating confederate soldiers rallied behind Jacksons line on top of Henry Hill.   "Look, there is Jackson standing like a stone wall, rally behind the Virginian.  Jackson also merits greatness because morally, he was a devote man of God who never took credit for any success and was never in favor of succession.