Atlanta History Center hopes to make an emotional connection with patrons at immersive 'More Perfect Union' Civil War exhibit, opening in mid-July

Frock coat of  Benjamin Schumpert, a 17-year-old Georgia fatally shot in the head at Chickamauga in 1863; commemorative locket with a photograph of U.S.C.T. soldier; field hospital flag manufactured in Maine (AHC)

Prize artifacts and integrated technology will deeply engage those visiting “More Perfect Union: The American Civil War Era,” the Atlanta History Center says of its gallery opening on July 10.

The AHC this week provided more information and photos from “More Perfect Union,” the first of two Civil War exhibits debuting in coming months.

“Opening during the institution’s centennial year, the expansive new exhibition reimagines how this defining and contested period of American history is presented and understood,” a news release said.

“More Perfect Union” opens in the overhauled DuBose Gallery, which for years was home to “Turning Point: The American Civil War.” The second phase, “Hard Hand of War: Soldiers, Weapons, and Mass Production,” will open in the downstairs Goldstein Gallery some time this winter.

The AHC summarized “More Perfect Union” this way:

“Upon entering, visitors immediately step into an immersive media experience. This plunges them directly into the political storm that engulfed the nation just before the Civil War in 1861. Photographs, headlines, political cartoons, and other imagery flash across multiple screens, while period voices collide in a cacophony of political debate. These are the words of real Americans, revealing the deep divisions, conflicting opinions and uncertainty that defined the era.”

(Above, hand-painted bass drum carried by New York native William A. McKinzie of the 78th Illinois Infantry during the Atlanta Campaign.)

Digital maps and animated timelines will provide historical context and allow visitors to explore stories and connections at their own pace, “while keeping original artifacts and primary-source interpretation at the center of the experience.”

The remarkable array of artifacts -- many from the museum’s collection, while others were bought in recent years – include an original copy of Frederick Douglass’ speech (left, courtesy AHC), “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”, the Confederate flag that flew over Atlanta at the time of the city’s surrender in 1864, Major Gen. William T. Sherman’s personal copy of “Photographic Views of Sherman’s Campaign,” a field hospital flag and the battle flag of the 127th U.S. Colored Troops bearing the words “We Will Prove Ourselves Men.”

Also featured will be uniforms for Union and Confederate soldiers who fought at Chickamauga in 1863 and at Peachtree Creek a year later.

The Atlanta History Center last year closed “Turning Point” to make way for the new galleries that will feature artifacts and a broader discussion of issues that engage the republic to this day: our belief systems, victory, defeat, reconciliation and the evolving meaning of freedom.

Atlanta, museum officials say, is ideal to tell a bigger national story about the Civil War in a striking way. Beyond being the capital of the South and a melting pot, it’s recognized by historians as a crucial battleground for saving the presidency of Abraham Lincoln and the United States itself.

For 30 years, relics collected by an Atlanta father and son formed the core of “Turning Point: The American Civil War.”

The exhibit focused on the soldiers in blue and gray and how they did their deadly work, and visitors were awed by the incredible collection of uniforms, weapons, personal items -- and just about every conceivable type of artillery shell. I enjoyed my visits over the years, but toward the end the presentation seemed outdated and in need of new energy.

Shelter half carried by Cpl. Charles E. Smith of the 32nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry (AHC)

While “Turning Point” did address some big questions about the Civil War, there was limited discussion on technology, slavery and the home front. New, more diverse generations – distanced even more from the Civil War era – are asking deeper questions, the museum says, about why the war happened, how 4 million enslaved Americans gained their freedom, Reconstruction and what the conflict, which took at least 720,000 lives, means today.

The history center is investing $16 million and more than 15,000 square feet for the new exhibits.

Make no mistake, Confederate and Union bayonets, swords, flags, rifles and revolvers will still be a big part of the presentation. To that end, senior military historic and curator Gordon Jones and AHC CEO and president Sheffield Hale told the Picket they are excited about plans to include two large collection of dug relics.

But they are particularly excited about the artifacts related to U.S. Colored Troops. The impetus for that came about in 2019, when the history center bought a hand-painted flag made for the 127^th USCT infantry. It depicts a soldier waving farewell to Columbia, a symbol of the United States, with the words “We Will Prove Ourselves Men.” (AHC photo, click to enlarge)

“More Perfect Union” also incorporates personal stories drawn from the journals, letters, photographs, and everyday objects of the people who lived through the war, the center says.

In a new video from the AHC, Jones detailed the “reimagined” signature Civil War exhibit.

“Atlanta is the home of so many pivotal events that have determined the outcome of American history, starting with the American Civil War. Everywhere you walk in Atlanta, you are on a battlefield. And on those battlefields, that was where the fate of the country was determined. It’s a story of a struggle and had it not been for what happened here, the outcome of the war for Union and emancipation may very well have turned out differently.”

USCT ladder badge worn by veteran; uniform of 1st Lt. George Young of the 143rd New York (AHC)

There will be stories of Confederate and Union soldiers. "This is about people -- men, women, free, enslaved," Jones says in the video.

The renovated Goldstein Gallery – which opens in the winter -- will focus on technology and the Civil War. In part, it will feature the singular collection of the late George W. Wray Jr., showcasing some of the rarest Confederate firearms, swords, uniforms, flags and other items. Some were one of a kind.

When it went on temporary display in 2015, the theme was the weapons were an attempt by a slave-based society to fight an industrial war. The South was hampered by limited manufacturing and the Union blockade of foreign goods.

At the AHC, Civil War aficionados can also see the giant Cyclorama painting of the Battle of Atlanta, related exhibits and the locomotive Texas, one half of the famous “Great Locomotive Chase” in 1862.

Return to 1863: Gettysburg will restore grassland, biodiversity and historic views to a portion of Cemetery Ridge, the powerful attraction in the center of the battlefield

An older view of grasslands on the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania (NPS photo)

Gettysburg National Military Park has launched its latest effort to restore endangered grassland, with the goal of restoring 160 acres of Cemetery Ridge to their 1863 appearance and providing improved habitat for birds and native grasses and wildflowers.

The project, which is expected to last three to five years, was launched in early May.

“Herbicide will be the main strategy for removal due to project scale and cost-effectiveness,” park spokesman Jason Martz told the Picket in an email. “There may be potential for some mechanical removal of invasive trees via chainsaws as well.”

A news release said the restoration project near Hancock Avenue will maintain “open views” that define the 1863 battlefield and reflect the appearance of the agricultural landscape present during the Battle of Gettysburg. "Visitors may experience temporary trail closures or see areas that appear sparse during early stages of restoration." 

Restoration area along Hancock Avenue and west of the Pennsylvania memorial  (NPS)

The work is concentrated around the Pennsylvania Monument and the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, located in the area of Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863. I asked Martz to describe how those monuments would benefit.

Eternal Light Peace Memorial: As visitors drive north toward Oak Hill, the monument dominates the landscape. Once the native warm season grasses and wildflower mix take hold and replace the non-native cool season grasses, visitors will notice more color from the flowers and will have the opportunity to bird watch as native ground nesting birds return.

North and west of the Pennsylvania Memorial: These areas of heavy fighting on July 2 and 3 are dominated by non-native cool season grasses that ground nesting birds can't take advantage of. “Once the native warm season grasses and wildflowers take hold within the next three to five years, this area will pop with color and will become a haven for ground-nesting birds,” Martz added.

Officials told Fox 43 visitors will notice the enhanced landscape. (At left, file NPS photo of grasslands at Gettysburg)

"The battlefield is what tells the stories," Martz said. "You can read all the books you want. You can watch all the documentaries that you want, but none of them compare to the place.”

The National Park Service’s Eastern Grasslands Initiative is restoring grasslands across 39 sites in the East.

A 2011 article on the park’s blog discussed the importance of such efforts.

“Abundant in the 1800s when settlers had cleared much land for hay fields and pastures, today grasslands face danger from fires, human development, and changes in agriculture technology. Grasslands are important because they protect large amounts of open space and provide wildlife and nesting habitat for specialized species.”

The habitat is especially important to birds such as the Bobolink, Savannah sparrow and the Eastern Meadowlark. 

Kevin Levin, in his Civil War Memory Substack blog, noted the Gettysburg landscape “has been continuously shaped, interpreted and reimagined since the guns fell silent in July 1863.”

Another section of the restoration project (NPS)

Visitors in recent decades have gravitated to Cemetery Ridge and the open fields traversed by Confederate troops during Pickett’s Charge, he wrote last month.

“Every decision about what to clear and what to plant, what to make visible and what to allow to disappear, shapes the story that future visitors will encounter,” Levin wrote. “The rehabilitation of Cemetery Ridge is not simply horticultural. It is an act of historical argument, one that will influence how millions of people understand what remains the most popular Civil War battle and Civil War battlefield.”