EVENTS

The Unvanquished The Untold Story of Lincoln’s Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby’s Rangers, and the Shadow War That Forged America’s Special Operations Join Us for This Free Zoom Civil War Book Talk ~ Register here: A Civil War Book Talk with Patrick K. O'Donnell by Patrick K. O’Donnell From the bestselling author of The Indispensables, the unknown and dramatic story of irregular guerrilla warfare that altered the course of the Civil War and inspired the origins of America’s modern special operations forces The Civil War is most remembered for the grand battles that have come to define it: Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, among others. However, as bestselling author Patrick K. O’Donnell reveals in The Unvanquished, a vital shadow war raged amid and away from the major battlefields that was in many ways equally consequential to the conflict’s outcome. At the heart of this groundbreaking narrative is the epic story of Lincoln’s special forces, the Jessie Scouts, told in its entirety for the first time. In a contest fought between irregular units, the Scouts hunted John Singleton Mosby’s Confederate Rangers from the middle of 1863 up to war’s end at Appomattox. With both sides employing pioneering tradecraft, they engaged in dozens of raids and spy […]

Join us on Saturday, August 3, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm, as Dr. Scott Hippensteel presents Sand, Science, and the Civil War:  Sedimentary Geology and Combat. Admission to the Lessons in History Speaker Series is Free to the public. Guests can tour the Museum Galleries for an entrance fee of $16.00 for Adults, $15.00 for Seniors and AAA, and $14.00 for Students and Military. About the Book: The influence of sedimentary geology on the strategy, combat, and tactics of the American Civil War is a subject that has been neglected by military historians. Sedimentary geology influenced everything from the nature of the landscape (flat vs. rolling terrain) to the effectiveness of the weapons (a single grain of sand can render a rifle musket as useless as a club). Sand, Science, and the Civil War: Sedimentary Geology and Combat investigates the role of sedimentary geology on the campaigns and battles of the Civil War on multiple scales, with a special emphasis on the fighting along the coastlines. At the start of the Civil War the massive brick citadels guarding key coastal harbors and shipyards were thought to be invincible to artillery attack. The Union bombardment of Savannah’s key defensive fortification, Fort […]

On Thursday, September 12, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm, our newest Civil Conversation explores "Decade of Disunion." This discussion between NCWM CEO, Jeffrey Nichols, and author Robert W. Merry is free via ZOOM. Join us here via ZOOM: Civil War Book Talk with Robert W. Merry About the Book: Exploring a critical lesson about our nation that is as timely today as ever, Decade of Disunion shows how the country came apart during the enveloping slavery crisis of the 1850s. The Mexican War brought vast new territories to the United States, which precipitated a growing crisis over slavery. The new territories seemed unsuitable for the type of agriculture that depended on slave labor, but they lay south of the line where slavery was permitted by the 1820 Missouri Compromise. The subject of expanding slavery to the new territories became a flash point between North and South. First came the 1850 compromise legislation, which strengthened the fugitive slave law and outraged the North. Then in 1854, Congress repealed the Missouri Compromise altogether, unleashing a violent conflict in “Bleeding Kansas” over whether that territory would become free or slave. The 1857 Dred Scott decision—abrogating any rights of African Americans, enslaved or free—further […]

We are excited to announce our continued partnership with Midtown Scholar Bookstore for the upcoming book launch and interview featuring author David S. Brown. NCWM CEO Jeffrey Nichols will sit down with David S. Brown to discuss his latest book, Hell of a Storm: The Battle for Kansas, the End of Compromise, and the Coming of the Civil War. In this compelling new work, Brown delves into the pivotal events of 1854, when the Kansas-Nebraska Act unexpectedly triggered one of the most significant political miscalculations in American history. This act deepened the divide between North and South, gave rise to the Republican Party, and set the stage for the Civil War. The event will begin at 7:00 pm, followed by a Q&A session and a book signing. About David S. Brown  David S. Brown is a history professor at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania and the author of seven books. His notable works include The First Populist: The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson, The Last American Aristocrat: The Brilliant Life and Improbable Education of Henry Adams, Paradise Lost: A Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Richard Hofstadter: An Intellectual Biograph https://www.midtownscholar.com/calendar/2024/9/17/an-evening-with-david-s-brown-a-hell-of-a-storm  

Our largest fundraiser of the year is just around the corner - Join us on Friday, September 20, 2024, 6:00 pm - 8:30 p.m. Enjoy a rare evening at the National Civil War Museum! The National Civil War Museum is thrilled to announce the return of our highly anticipated fundraising event, Cocktails and Cannonballs. Please mark your calendars for Friday, September 20, 2024, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM, and join us for an evening of history, libations, and lively conversation at one of the nation’s premier Civil War museums. Building on the success of last year’s event, Cocktails and Cannonballs offers a unique blend of entertainment and education. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy specially crafted cocktails while exploring the museum’s extensive collection of Civil War artifacts. The evening will feature live music, exclusive access to exhibits, and a variety of delicious hors d'oeuvres. This event is not just about enjoying a great evening—it’s about supporting the museum’s mission to preserve and interpret the history of the American Civil War for future generations. Proceeds from the event will directly benefit the museum’s educational programs and preservation efforts. Event Details: Date: Friday, September 20, 2024 Time: 6:00 PM – […]

The National Civil War Museum is proud to announce its highly anticipated event, Civil War Saturday, which promises to take visitors on a journey through the turbulent era of the American Civil War. This event will take place on Saturday, September 21, 2023, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at The National Civil War Museum, located at 1 Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg, PA. Civil War Saturday is an educational and engaging experience for visitors of all ages. It offers a unique opportunity to step back and gain a deeper understanding of one of the most pivotal periods in American history. With a wide range of activities and exhibits, attendees can explore the complexities of the Civil War era from various perspectives. Admission to Civil War Saturday is as follows: Adults: $10.00 Children under 18: Free Members of The National Civil War Museum receive free admission,

Join the staff of The National Civil War Museum on a unique tour of the Antietam Battlefield. This tour includes a guided tour of the battlefield and will feature artifacts and items from our collection that help to tell the story of the soldiers who fought in the struggle. Tour participants can hold historical treasures used or associated with the Union and Confederate Army engaged at Antietam. The cost includes transportation, lunch, and a guided tour with artifacts from The National Civil War Museum collection. Cost:  NCWM Members $175.00 Non-members $200.00 Schedule for the Day 7:15 am Registration at NCWM 7:30 am Bus departs from NCWM. 9:45 am Registration for attendees meeting the bus at the Antietam Battlefield Visitors Center. 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Battlefield tour with Licensed Battlefield Guide and NCWM Artifacts 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Box lunches provided by Battleview Market & Deli at Antietam Creek Winery pavilion. Each guest will receive a complimentary glass of wine or soft drink with lunch. Additional wine may be purchased at this time. 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Complete our battlefield tour. 3:00 pm Bus departs Antietam NMP VC and returns to Harrisburg. Anticipated Arrival back to the NCWM at […]

Our Civil Conversation features Court Carney and NCWM CEO Jeffrey Nichols discussing Mr. Carney's new release Reckoning with the Devil: Nathan Bedford Forrest in Myth and Memory, free via ZOOM. Join us on Thursday, October 17, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm by using this link to register:

We are honored to host a Civil War Book Talk featuring Smithsonian historian, Dr. Jon Grinspan, as he discusses his book Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force That Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War. A book signing will follow his lecture.  Make your plans now for Friday, November 15, 2024, at 5:30 pm to join us for this free, in-person event. About the book: Wide Awake: The Movement That Elected Lincoln and Ignited the Civil War  At the start of the 1860 presidential campaign, a handful of fired-up young Northerners appeared as bodyguards to defend anti-slavery stump speakers from frequent attacks. The group called themselves the Wide Awakes. Soon, hundreds of thousands of young White and Black men, and several women, were organizing boisterous, uniformed, torch-bearing brigades of their own. These Wide Awakes--mostly working-class Americans in their twenties--became one of the largest, most spectacular, and most influential political movements in our history. To some, it demonstrated the power of a rising majority to push back against slavery. To others, it looked like a paramilitary force training to invade the South. Within a year, the nation would be at war with itself, and many on both sides would point to the […]

Our Civil Conversation featuring Dr. Justene Hill Edwards is a must-see! Dr. Edwards and Jeffrey Nichols explore the rise and fall of the Freedman's Bank and how it shaped economic inequality in America. Join us on November 20, 2024 at 7:00 pm. Follow the link to register- It's Free! A Civil Conversation with Dr. Justene Hill Edwards About the book: In the years immediately after the Civil War, tens of thousands of former slaves deposited millions of dollars into the Freedman’s Bank. African Americans envisioned this new bank as a launching pad for economic growth and self-determination. But only nine years after it opened, their trust was betrayed and the Freedman’s Bank collapsed. Fully informed by new archival findings, historian Justene Hill Edwards unearths a major turning point in American history in this comprehensive account of the Freedman’s Bank and its depositors. She illuminates the hope with which the bank was first envisioned and demonstrates the significant setback that the sabotage of the bank caused in the fight for economic autonomy. Hill Edwards argues for a new interpretation of its tragic failure: the bank’s white financiers drove the bank into the ground, not Fredrick Douglass, its final president, or its Black depositors […]

Join us for the Lessons in History Speaker Series on December 7, 2024, 1:00 - 2:00 pm, as Andrew Sillen presents the Blockbuster book Kidnapped at Sea. About the book: KIDNAPPED AT SEA: The Civil War Voyage of David Henry White: On the anniversary of his kidnapping, the recovered story of David Henry White – a free Black teenager who was enslaved on a Confederate warship for over 600 days before dying in the 1864 Battle of Cherbourg and whose life has been misrepresented and unjustly appropriated for 150 years. For over 150 years, historians have recycled the fable that David Henry White – a free Black teenage sailor from Delaware who was kidnapped by the Confederate raider Alabama on October 9, 1862 – remained on the ship for 600 days of his own volition, working for reduced wages and embracing the master-servant relationship under the controversial and racist figure of Captain Raphael Semmes. This version of White’s life, primarily based on Semmes’s self-serving post-war Memoirs of Service Afloat During the War Between the States, strips White of his humanity and advances a false Lost Cause narrative. It is also absolutely false, according to a new blockbuster histo ry: Kidnapped […]