ECW Weekender: More Civil War Exhibits At The Smithsonian (Virtually)
A couple weeks ago, the weekender post highlighted some online exhibits from the Smithsonian American History Museum related to Lincoln’s life and legacy. Here are a few more virtual exhibits related to the Civil War to explore new technology for the military, the Armory Square Hospital, and NYC during the conflict. As usual, lots of interactive features in this virtual museum galleries with documents and photos to explore!
This exhibit focuses on communication and how faster printing affected military actions and outcomes. Take a closer look at portable printing presses used by both Union and Confederate armies which ensured the quick distribution of orders, record-keeping documents, or unit newsletters.
So Much In Need Of Service: The Diary of a Civil War Nurse
Amanda Akin’s diary was the basis for this gallery. Her letters, diaries, and post-war memoir recorded her fifteen months at Armory Square Hospital, caring for sick and wounded soldiers.
A Gateway to the 19th Century: The William Steinway Diary, 1861–1896
William Steinway started writing his journal eight days after the first shots of the Civil War had been fired and just three days before he got married. Reflecting his personal life and detailed observations about the 1860’s conflict, his diary gives valuable insight into New York City during the Civil War and beyond. According to the exhibition creators, the virtual experience “follows Steinway’s growth from witness to participant in history through select diary passages, Steinway family photographs, maps, and advertisements that bring alive the fear and chaos of the 1863 Civil War Draft Riots and his hands-on role in the creation of the New York City subway and the company town of Steinway in modern-day Astoria, Queens.”