When visiting Gettysburg, Pa., make sure to visit the National Civil War Museum, just a short 40-mile drive to Harrisburg. 

The National Civil War Museum brings out the humanness of the war, with equal emphasis on both sides. From slavery to camp life to the turmoil of 19th-century politics, the museum will give you a better understanding of our country and its people during those tumultuous times.

The museum’s collections include more than 4,400 three-dimensional artifacts and 21,000 archival pieces. The collections include many artifacts of famous personalities of the war from General Robert E. Lee to President Abraham Lincoln. It includes “Stonewall” Jackson’s gauntlet, which was worn on the night he was wounded.

Its emphasis is on “the human side” of the conflict. You will see materials on the common soldiers, men and women on the home front, and the experiences of African Americans. The military artifacts encompass all aspects of soldiers’ experiences: from the personal equipage and weaponry of the war, to wounds, disease, prisoner-of-war experiences and the emotional drain of the conflict.

From the beginning of the tour when you view the original Confederate flag that flew over Fort Sumter, S.C., in 1861 to the last exhibit, a videotape of the 1938 reunion of Confederate and Union veterans in Vicksburg, Miss., you will see the war with more perspective. It is quite moving as you stand there and think “these folks shot at each other once upon a time,” but in the winter of their lives were united for one cause — peace.

Two of the most impressive exhibits were in the “Medicine” exhibit that tells the story of how doctors treated the wounded soldier and shows primitive medical instruments. You will see the last known surviving ambulance wagon that transported wounded soldiers from the battlefield to makeshift hospitals. You will learn that 700,000 troops died of sickness and wounds. Sadly, 400,000 survived wounds to be overcome by disease, just from the living conditions that are masterfully presented in “The Common Soldier’s” exhibit of a soldier’s campsite and their day-to-day life.

Other noteworthy exhibits that put a face on the war are the “Women in the War,” and the experiences of African-American soldiers who had a personal stake in the outcome of the war. 178,975 African-American men enlisted in the U.S. Army and over 9,000 enlisted in the Navy. They fought for their own freedom and the freedom of military slaves. They fought for equal citizenship and for recognition of their manhood and ultimately won the respect of their white counterparts.

The address is 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, Pa. For information, visit www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org or call 717-260-1861. Dial ext. 7304 for automated directions. It’s hard for some navigation systems to find it. 

Special Exhibit

Through Aug 30

Box Car War: Logistics of the Civil War 

This exhibit will examine the tremendous efforts on both sides to supply and maintain their armies in the field. The exhibit will follow the process of raising massive wartime armies from small peacetime militia, the administrative burden of mustering in soldiers, as well as the process of providing orders on each level of the armies and navies from companies to corps, and from ship to fleet.