Voices from the Front: New Hampshire and the American Civil War

Voices from the Front: New Hampshire and the American Civil War

This photograph, reproduced from a tintype mounted on the inside of a Civil War drum, is believed to be that of the drum’s owner, Charles S. Holmes (1838–1927). A farmer in Stewartstown, Holmes mustered into Company I, New Hampshire Heavy Artillery in 1864, serving as a company musician in Washington, D.C., until the end of the war in 1865. Unidentified photographer, c. 1864, gift of George W. Holmes.

More than any other event, the Civil War defines 19th-century America. The lives of soldiers who fought and the people who endured life on the home front are explored in a new exhibition on view at the Society’s museum through December 31, 2012. The exhibition, Voices from the Front: New Hampshire and the American Civil War, tells the compelling stories of people forever changed by the conflict.

The Civil War was fought on two fronts, one where soldiers faced the enemy in battle and another where civilians faced the uncertainties and tribulations of living through an armed conflict. Thirty-eight thousand men from New Hampshire served in either volunteer regiments or the U.S. Army. As battles raged in the South, men and women across New Hampshire continued to till fields, keep house, labor in factories, sell goods, and go to church, while witnessing on a daily basis the political and military upheaval of a divided nation. Their combined voices help tell the story of the Civil War.

Through photographs, letters, diaries, and objects, the exhibition Voices from the Front: New Hampshire and the American Civil War, tells the stories of the soldiers who fought the war and the people who endured on the home front.

Plan Your Visit Today

The Society's museum, located at 6 Eagle Square, Concord, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 noon to 5 p.m. The museum also is open Monday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from July 1 through October 15, and in the month of December.

Admission is $5.50 for adults; $4.50 for seniors; $3 for children 6-18, with a family maximum of $17. Children under 6 and members of the New Hampshire Historical Society are admitted free. Free admission is also offered to active duty military personnel.

Guided and self-guided group tours are available by advance reservation. For more information, and to arrange your visit, contact Education Services Coordinator Stephanie Fortin at 603/856-0604 or sfortin@nhhistory.org