Virginia: The Museum of the Confederacy Richmond

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The Museum of the Confederacy is next door to the White House of the Confederacy in Richmond, Va. You will want to buy a combination ticket which is $15 for adults. Be sure to check on the times of the White House Tour to coordinate it with your visit to the museum, you can do this when you buy your ticket.

What a different perspective on the War between the States you get here. Being from the North, the Confederates are usually regarded as traitors. At this museum, the southerners are patriots doing what their forefathers did before them, leading to a second revolution to protect their rights and liberties. In the South, 900,000 men served the glorious cause, that is three out of four white males of the age to serve.

The display of tintypes and ambrotypes is particularly poignant, it puts a face on the war and the face is very young. It is gut-wrenching. Another exhibit shows the jacket of a young man killed in the conflict. The hole is quite visible where the bullet went through the material and into his body.



Stonewall Jackson is well represented. They have his cap, his scabbard, his field officer sword and even a handkerchief with bloodstains that was used to bind his wound. They do a great job of making all the exhibits easy to follow and visually appealing.

The entry-level floor introduces you to some of the main players in the War. There is an excellent display of Robert E. Lee memorabilia. Everything in the display is original. You see the sword of General Johnston that was worn by his father during the Revolutionary War. You also see the epitaph written by a young soldier and hung on his tomb as well as that soldier's jacket.

Fans of JEB Stuart will enjoy seeing his boots, his gauntlets his saddle and that jauntily rakish hat. The display brings him very much to life. 

The exhibits are spread over three floors. The upper floor has a lot of maritime information. This was a sea war as well as a land war.


On the lower floor, there is a short video about flag conservation. You will understand the importance of this work when you see how many flags they have been able to preserve. On this lower level, you meet the average soldier. There are letters written to mothers and sweethearts back home from the battlefield. These offer an insight into what was going on in their heads and what was going on in the battlefield. They are sad, touching and occasionally humorous.


There is a lot to see and read here. Depending on what your level of interest is, allow about three hours for the visit to both the Museum and the White House of the Confederacy. A small gift shop is located on the lobby level.