Summer of 19 - #30 - Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History-Part 1 of 3

Wednesday October 9th, 2019-Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History, Part 1 of 3
We went to the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia.  It was an impressive looking building.

This old caboose was sitting outside.

Inside of caboose

We went into the museum and got a reduced military rate fee of $5 each.  The gentleman there was very friendly and explained the museum and how we should go around it.  He had a brother who had served in the Air Force at Andrews Air Force Base when JFK's body was returned there, after his assassination.

The first section was:
"Railroads: Lifelines of the Civil War - In addition to the role of railroads, the comprehensive James A. Liesendahl Civil War Collection gives visitors a glimpse into the lives of soldiers and citizens during the Civil War era, with a wide variety of weapons and personal items including uniforms, leather goods, Bibles, musical instruments, and more."

As we entered we looked at each other and Bryan said, "This is your sort of museum, lots of reading".
It was exactly what I was thinking.  The displays were very detailed and interesting.  

The railroad played quite a part in the Civil War.  Here's a LINK explaining how.

The artifacts intermingled with the displays were well done.

Early in the conflict, military brass bands played at rallies to encourage young men to enlist in the bands.

Cotton Scale, Counterweight & Locomotive Bell

"Woman's Day Dress.  This dress was worn during daily activities.  it consists of two pieces; the simple decoration suggests it was made in the South. What you do not see, are the layers of clothing underneath; a chemise(slip), petticoat, corset, cage crinoline (hoop skirt), and stockings.  Imagine the amount of time it took to get dressed."  

Yes, it would have taken a while to get that all on and I'll bet it was hot in the south as well!!!!  I would never have survived.   Heck, I even complain about wearing a bra in the heat!!  I did wear a hoop skirt under my wedding dress though and survived.

Soldier's "Housewife" Sewing kit, carried by soldiers and made by their mothers, wives or girlfriends.    These reminded the soldiers of home and their loved ones, and enabled them to make their own repairs.

Cartridge Box

Here's a LINK detailing Atlanta Falls.  From my understanding this was the beginning of the end for the Confederates.

This caught my eye and I thought it might interest Ryan.  8 inch torpedos were used to destroy wooden bridges.

Railroad worker assembling a torpedo

Look at the wooden trestles supporting this bridge, eeeekkkk!!!  The torpedoes shown above were used to destroy these bridges.  Doesn't look as though it would take much, but maybe looks are deceiving!!!

There was a display mentioning the Battle of Chickamauga, which you might remember was the battlefield we visited last year on the 155th anniversary of the battle.  Here's the BLOG that I wrote about that.

Here's the HISTORY of the 65th Georgia Battle Flag pictured below.  This 1864 flag was carried in the Atlanta Campaign and has 41 bullet holes and blood stains.  Private John Davis rolled it up, tucked it in his boot and brought it home at the end of the Civil War.

Post Civil war, old industries were renewed including the logging industry.

The cotton industry benefited from new inventions as well.

The Cotton Baler, shown on the left bottom of the picture below, was a new design for packing cotton into 400-500 pound bundles.  This standard measurement for cotton allowed fair competition for manufacturers and enabled railroad companies to build standardized cars to carry cotton that had been grown anywhere.

The Cotton Gin model, shown on the right bottom of the picture below, is a miniature reproduction of a full sized cotton gin.  These are use to remove seeds from the cotton lint, making it easier for picked cotton be "cleaned" of seeds and pressed into large bales for shipment.

The railroads were rebuilt.

This sign caught my eye as the property for sale was in Isle of Wight County.  As a child I went to another Isle of Wight, in England, with my family, for our summer holidays.  We had many fun times there.  After I met Bryan, we took Ian to the Isle of Wight for a summer holiday.  While it was still beautiful and we had a great time, unfortunately some of my childhood places had changed.  Blackgang Chine did not have the same "magic" it had held in my heart as a child.  Probably something to do with becoming an adult!!! Shucks!!

National Postal Museum Display (Temporary Exhibit) - "The National Postal Museum Display includes materials from both the Civil War and the Railway Mail Service after the war. These items, along with photographs and interpretive panels, are designed to supplement our Railroads: Lifelines of the Civil War and Glover Machine Works: Casting a New South galleries. The National Postal Museum display serves to demonstrate the importance of mail to a changing America and the vital role that railroads played in providing these mail services."

The railroad was an integral way of transporting mail.

That was a lot of reading.........but Bryan was about to be rewarded as we stepped into the next section.  Now that is more Bryan's type of thing......See Part 2 to follow.......