American Civil War Museum

Virtual Book Talk 'Kidnapped At Sea: The Civil War Voyage of David Henry White' with Andrew Sillen
2025-01-30 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
David Henry White, a free Black teenage sailor from Lewes, Delaware, was kidnapped by Captain Raphael Semmes of the Confederate raider Alabama on October 9, 1862, from the Philadelphia-based packet ship Tonawanda. White remained captive on the Alabama for over 600 days, until he drowned during the Battle of Cherbourg on June 19, 1864.

Rosenwald Schools
2025-02-08 14:00 - 16:00 | ACWM Appomattox, 159 Horseshoe Rd, Appomattox, VA, 24522, United States
In partnership with Appomattox for Equality, Carver Price, and the Robert Russa Moton Museum, ACWM presents this special program with a presentation by Andrew Feiler about his book A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America, for which he photographed 105 schools and interviewed dozens of former students, teachers, preservationists, and community leaders in all fifteen of the program states. The event includes a panel discussion featuring area experts delving into the history and importance of education to Black Virginians.

Panelists: Leah Brown, Associate Director of Education & Collections, Robert Russa Moton Museum: Joetricia Humbles, Lead Agent, Appomattox for Equality; Lew Longenecker, CumberlandMiddle School Educator; Monroe Preston, Glade Spring (Rosenwald) School pupil 1957 – 1964; Darlene Reed, Vice President, Carver Price Alumni Association.

2025 Symposium: 'On the Battlefield' *this event is now only on Saturday 2/22/25
2025-02-22 09:00 - 17:00 | ACWM – Historic Tredegar, 480 Tredegar St., Richmond, Virginia, 23219, United States
2025 ACWM Symposium: On the Battlefield includes:

Saturday, February 22nd – Esteemed historians discussing the course of the Civil War

Find out more!

Virtual Book Talk 'Freedom Was in Sight!' with Dr. Kate Masur
2025-02-27 18:30 - 19:30
As part of the ACWM celebration of Black History Month, we present this virtual program with Dr. Kate Masur, a leading historian of Reconstruction and Pulitzer Prize-finalist, as she shares from her most recent book, Freedom Was in Sight! This graphic history, vividly drawn by award-winning artist Liz Clarke, uses the words and experiences of Black Americans in Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas to tell the story of the post-Civil War era, exploring how people worked to reunite their families, build communities, and claim rights long denied them.

register

Death & Mourning in the Civil War
2025-03-13 18:00 - 19:00 | American Civil War Museum – Appomattox, 159 Horseshoe Rd, Appomattox, Virginia, 24522, United States
The American Civil War brought a previously unimaginable level of carnage to the country. Modern scholarship puts the soldier death toll at 750,000 over the course of the four years of struggle. Join us as living historian Betty Shideler explores the way that women, both in the North and South, sought to cope with death during and after the Civil War.

Nature's Civil War: Common Soldiers & the Environment in 1862 Virginia
2025-03-24 18:00 - 19:15
In 1862 Virginia, Civil War soldiers endured punishing environmental conditions, which increased disease and harmed morale. In response to their natural enemies, they forged informal networks of health care and adopted self-care habits, from boiling water, to eradicating insects, to constructing elaborate shelters. As they fought to regain their health, they frequently struggled, testing the limits of army discipline.

With KT Shively, Associate Professor of Civil War history and Reconstruction at Virginia Commonwealth University. Their book, Nature’s Civil War, won the 2014 Wiley-Silver Prize for best first book on the Civil War. Shively is currently the Mark and Ann Persun Visiting Scholar at the Penn State Richards Civil War Era Center, while they complete their second monograph, History Wars: Jubal A. Early and the Confederate Origins of Modern American History. This month their co-edited volume, The Second Manassas Campaign, with Caroline Janney, will be released from UNC Press. Shively is also Co-PI with Paul Quigley (Virginia Tech University) of a digital battlefield and plantation site tour, “Experiencing Civil War History Through Augmented Reality: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Environment at Pamplin Historical Park.

Member Reception 5:15 – 6:00 PM

We Shall Conquer or Die: Partisan Warfare in 1862 Western Kentucky
2025-03-27 18:30
Virtual Book Talk with Derrick Lindow.

Join Derrick Lindow, an award-winning history teacher and Civil War expert, as he explores the little-known story of guerrilla warfare in Western Kentucky during 1862. This intense, personal conflict, fought behind the front lines, pitted neighbor against neighbor and had a devastating impact on both lives and Union efforts. Lindow, a Kentucky native and passionate historian, brings fresh insights into this crucial yet overlooked chapter of the Civil War.

Mornings at the Museum! (Mar 31st, Apr 2nd, Apr 4th)
2025-03-31 10:00 - 2025-04-04 12:00 | ACWM – Historic Tredegar, 480 Tredegar St., Richmond, Virginia, 23219, United States
Each day from 10 AM – 12 PM, we will focus on one person from the Civil War with an Artifact Investigation! This hands-on activity lets students explore artifact reproductions to learn about the person of the day.

Mon, March 31st: Elizabeth Van Lew

Wed, April 2nd: Johnny Clem

Fri, April 4th: Susie King Taylor

Kids will have a blast decoding secret messages, drumming to Civil War beats, and racing to unroll bandages in a fun-filled history adventure!

(Suggested age K-5)

Donations Appreciated

Donate and support our education department, so we can continue providing programming like this in the future!

Times Too Hard: Single African American Women in Post Civil War Virginia
2025-04-03 18:30 - 20:00 | The American Civil War Museum – Historic Tredegar, 480 Tredegar St., Richmond, Virginia, 23219, United States
In Richmond, Virginia, Emancipation Day arrived on April 3, 1865, marking a historic moment of freedom. We are pleased to partner with The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia to commemorate this historic event.

This presentation examines the experiences of single Black women in Virginia after the Civil War. Despite significant challenges, they actively sought agency through petitions for support and compensation. Their efforts influenced the responsibilities of federal and local agencies and played a key role in shaping concepts of freedom, welfare, citizenship, and womanhood in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Arlisha R. Norwood is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She earned her Ph.D. from Howard University, specializing in 19th-century African American history, gender, and the Civil War. Her research focuses on single Black women in Civil War and Reconstruction-era Virginia, and she is currently working on a manuscript titled To Never Truck with No Man: Single Black Women during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

A recipient of multiple fellowships, including from the Mellon Foundation, Virginia Humanities, and the National Archives Foundation, Norwood is committed to making history accessible. She has contributed to projects with the National Women’s History Museum, the National Park Service, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History, using innovative approaches to engage the public with the past.

Tredegar History Tour (11AM/3PM Sat/Sun)
2025-04-05 11:00 | The American Civil War Museum – Historic Tredegar, 480 Tredegar St., Richmond, Virginia, 23219, United States
Step into History at Tredegar!

Join us for a Tredegar History Tour—an engaging journey through the story of the former Tredegar Iron Works, right in the heart of downtown Richmond.

Tours take place every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, and are included with your museum admission.

Explore one of Richmond’s most iconic historical sites, discover how cannons were made during the Civil War, and check out our current exhibitions!

The Surrenders of the Confederacy
2025-04-10 18:00 - 19:00 | American Civil War Museum – Appomattox, 159 Horseshoe Rd, Appomattox, Virginia, 24522, United States
The Confederate surrender at Appomattox featured the stacking of arms, the surrender of colors, and the review of troops—a noble and orderly ceremony that has captured the American imagination for 160 years. But Appomattox was only the beginning of the end. Beyond Virginia, the Confederacy surrendered in bits and pieces, in a series of scattered events marked by confusion, chaos, and controversy lacking all of Appomattox’s romance and reconciliation. The last flag down wouldn’t even come until November. Join us for a trip to places American history has forgotten: Bennett Place, North Carolina; Citronelle, Alabama; Galveston, Texas; Doaksville, Oklahoma; and more.

Presented by Dr. Chris Mackowski, co-founder of Emerging Civil War

Surrender Commemoration & Freedom Day Celebration
2025-04-12 09:00 - 2025-04-13 17:00 | American Civil War Museum – Appomattox, 159 Horseshoe Rd, Appomattox, Virginia, 24522, United States
The American Civil War Museum is hosting a series of activities and programs as part of the regional celebration of the Commemoration of the Surrender & Freedom Day. Visitors can look forward to a fun-filled day with cannon firings, interactive sessions with living historians, and informative sessions about the lives of soldiers, civilians on the homefront, and enslaved and free African Americans during the Civil War.

We hope you will join us on April 12th and 13th at ACWM – Appomattox!

Saturday:

9:00 AM – Federal and Confederate Encampments Open

10:00 AM – 5:00 PM – Cabin Open: (Interpretation provided by the Pallas Athena Ladies Aid Society)

11:00 AM – “In the nick of time”: U.S. Army of the James Arrives on the Field

Location: Cabin Field

2:00 PM – “Boys, get up, the rebs are on us”: The Fate of the 11th Maine Infantry

Location: Cabin Field

4:00 PM – Stacking of Arms

Location: The Garland Gray Terrace behind Museum

Sunday:

9:00 AM – Federal and Confederate Encampments Open

10:00AM – 3:00PM – Cabin Open: (Interpretation provided by the Pallas Athena Ladies Aid Society)

10:30 AM – Civil War Sunday Service with a USCT Chaplain

11:00 AM – Cannon Firing Demonstration

11:30 AM – “Hold the enemy in check”: Captain Wilson Jenkins Makes a Last Stand

Location: Cabin Field

12:30 PM – Life of a USCT Chaplain with Joseph Feaster

1:00 PM – Cannon Firing Demonstration

Location: Portico off the Robertson Family Education Center

1:30 PM – Stacking of Arms

Location: The Garland Gray Terrace behind Museum

2:00 PM – “A King’s Cure” Lecture with Michael Vorenberg, Ph.D.

Separate registration needed or included in Museum ticket!

Location: Robertson Family Education Center

3:00 PM – Cannon Firing Demonstration

Location: Portico off the Robertson Family Education Center Location: Cabin Field

3:30 PM – Life of a USCT Chaplain with Joseph Feaster

A King’s Cure: Abraham Lincoln and the Thirteenth Amendment
2025-04-13 14:00 - 15:00 | American Civil War Museum – Appomattox, 159 Horseshoe Rd, Appomattox, Virginia, 24522, United States
On February 1, 1865, the day after Congress passed the resolution for the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery, a group of celebrants urged President Lincoln to speak on the occasion. Calling the amendment “a King’s cure for all the evils,” Lincoln saw it as essential not just to ending slavery but to truly concluding the Civil War.

Michael Vorenberg is the author of Final Freedom: The Civil War, the Abolition of Slavery, and the Thirteenth Amendment—a finalist for the Lincoln Prize and a basis for Spielberg’s 2012 film, Lincoln. He has written extensively on legal and constitutional history and teaches at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

He has lectured widely on the Civil War, Lincoln, and the U.S. Constitution, with writings in major publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Virtual Book Talk – Hell by the Acre: A Narrative History of the Stones River Campaign with Dan A. Masters
2025-04-17 18:30 - 19:30
As 1862 drew to a close, the United States faced a low point in the Civil War, suffering major defeats at Fredericksburg and Chickasaw Bayou. With the Emancipation Proclamation set to take effect on January 1, 1863, Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans and the Army of the Cumberland were tasked with securing a decisive victory.

Join historian Dan Masters as he delves into the strategy, tactics, and key command decisions behind this crucial moment. Using archival and firsthand accounts—many previously unpublished—he brings to life the experiences of the soldiers who fought on the battlefield.

Daniel A. Masters, a University of Toledo graduate, is a historian specializing in the Civil War’s Western Theater. Known for his blog Dan Masters’ Civil War Chronicles, he has authored ten books and numerous articles. His 2017 book, Sherman’s Praetorian Guard, won a local history award, and his latest, Echoes of Battle (2022), was co-written with Larry M. Strayer.

Tredegar History Tours every Saturday & Sunday at 11am and 3pm
2025-04-19 11:00 - 12:00
Take a guided tour of the former Tredegar Ironworks site with a museum historian! The tour is included with museum admission and available every Saturday & Sunday and 11am and 3pm. ACWM Tredegar – 490 Tredegar Street, Richmond VA. 23219

Jefferson Davis & Robert E. Lee
2025-04-24 18:00 - 19:30
Davis and Lee were two proud, contained, but otherwise very different personalities. In normal times it is unlikely they would have been friends. Yet somehow from 1862 through the end of the war they evolved a working relationship that produced almost a model commander-in-chief-general-in-chief team, achieving seemingly impossible things, even if ultimate victory eluded them.

Member Reception 5:15 – 6:00 PM

Virtual Book Talk with Paul Brueske
2025-05-15 18:30 - 19:30
After the brutal battles of Franklin and Nashville in late 1864, Union forces expected Mobile’s Confederate defenders to retreat without much resistance. But they were wrong. Despite being outnumbered, 33-year-old Brig. Gen. Randall Lee Gibson led a determined and skillful defense that shocked his Union adversaries.

Join Civil War historian and author Paul Brueske as he explores the dramatic siege and battle of Mobile, Alabama, in 1865. Discover the tactics, leadership, and resilience that defined this final stand on the rugged bluffs of Mobile Bay’s eastern shore.

Paul Brueske, a lifelong Gulf Coast resident, is the founder of the Mobile Area Civil War Round Table and author of The Last Siege: The Mobile Campaign, Alabama 1865. He regularly lectures on Gulf Coast Civil War history and brings deep insight into this often-overlooked chapter of the war.

Abraham Lincoln & George McClellan
2025-05-22 18:00 - 19:30
This lecture examines General McClellan’s reputation as a skilled organizer but hesitant commander, leading to his clash with President Lincoln. It will explore how their political rivalry shaped the course of the war. Supporters, critics, and the lasting debate over McClellan’s legacy will all be discussed.

George C. Rable is a renowned historian, former professor at the University of Alabama, and past president of the Society of Civil War Historians. He has authored several award-winning books on the Civil War, Southern history, and Reconstruction. His latest work, Conflict of Command, examines the relationship between George McClellan and Abraham Lincoln.

Member reception 5:15pm – 6pm

Tredegar History Tours every Saturday & Sunday at 11am and 3pm
2025-05-24 11:00 - 12:00
Take a guided tour of the former Tredegar Ironworks site with a museum historian! The tour is included with museum admission and available every Saturday & Sunday at 11am and 3pm. ACWM Tredegar – 480 Tredegar Street, Richmond VA. 23219

Wine Down Wednesday
2025-06-25 17:30 - 19:00
Unwind after a long workday with stunning views of the James River at Wine Down Wednesday! Join us for an evening of relaxation, live music, and light refreshments inside the American Civil War Museum – Tredegar.

Enjoy a drink in hand, great company, and a laid-back atmosphere surrounded by history – all exhibits will be open!

Museum Members receive a complimentary drink ticket — just our way of saying thank you!

What to Expect:

Wine and other beverages available for purchase

Live local music to set the mood

Light refreshments provided

A scenic and historic setting right by the James River

Perfect for history lovers, museum-goers, and anyone in need of a midweek break.

(Mark your calendar: Wine Down Wednesday returns July 30 & August 27!)

(This is a 21+ event)

Resistance and Freedom in Richmond’s Court End (June 6, 13, 20, 27)
2025-06-27 10:00 - 11:30
Every Friday in June! 10am-11:30am

Step into Richmond’s Court End and uncover the powerful stories of urban slavery, resistance, and resilience. This guided tour begins at the John Marshall House and continues to the White House of the Confederacy, offering a glimpse into 19th-century life and the fight for emancipation. A first floor exploration of both houses will be included.

Tour starts at The John Marshall House:818 East Marshall Street Richmond, VA 23219

Mornings at the Museum
2025-07-07 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-07-14 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-07-28 10:00 - 12:00
Join us Mondays & Wednesdays in July at 10am–12pm for summer fun packed with history, hands-on activities, and stories from the Civil War! $10 PER PERSON – includes program plus full access to all museum exhibits.

Each week has a new theme—from musket blasts and spy codes to Civil War kids and medicine mysteries. Investigate artifacts, tour our galleries, and do unique craft projects!

Week 1: Kaboom! (historical explosions)Start July off with a bang with these engaging programs. Walk with an interpreter to nearby Brown’s Island to learn about the women and girls who worked there during the Civil War and the fateful 1863 explosion. Create a painting with bursts of watercolor. Take a family-friendly tour of our main gallery, A People’s Contest.

Brown’s Island Tour: 10:00, 11:00

Gallery Tour: 10:30, 11:30

Week 2: Children of the Civil WarChildren were not only affected by the Civil War–they were a part of it. Touch artifacts from our handling collection that tell the story of a young soldier. Learn how to tap out a beat, or make your own beat, like a drummer boy. Take a tour highlighting the stories of children in the Civil War in our main gallery, A People’s Contest.

Gallery Tour: 10:30, 11:30

Week 3: Spies of the Civil WarRichmond was an active site for spies during the Civil War. Touch artifacts from our handling collection that tell the story of a Richmond spy. Make a cipher and decode secret messages. Take a family-friendly tour of our main gallery, A People’s Contest.

Gallery Tour: 10:30, 11:30

Week 4: Medicine in the Civil WarParticipate in an interactive program about surgery and medicine during the Civil War. Touch artifacts from our handling collection that tell the story of a Civil War nurse. Take a tour highlighting the stories of children in the Civil War in our main gallery, A People’s Contest.

Gallery Tour: 10:30, 11:30

Week 5: Tredegar History WeekThe American Civil War Museum is built around the ruins of Tredegar Ironworks. Learn more about the site and how it was powered with a guided walking tour. Touch artifacts from our handling collection that tell the story of a Tredegar worker. Create a paper cannon and test your aim.

Tredegar Tour: 10:30, 11:30

Come explore, discover, and have fun with history all July long! 🚂📚

Perfect for grades K–8

Free with membership code — use your code at checkout.

Virtual Book Talk with Bradley Gottfried
2025-07-17 18:30 - 19:30
On August 28, 1862, Major General John Pope’s Army of Virginia clashed with “Stonewall” Jackson at Brawner Farm—setting the stage for a critical moment in Civil War history. Just days later, the arrival of Lt. General James Longstreet changed everything.

Join Dr. Bradley Gottfried for a detailed, map-based exploration of the Battle of Second Bull Run and its dramatic shift in momentum.

About the Author:

Bradley M. Gottfried is a retired college educator and administrator with over 40 years in higher education, including 17 years as a college president. A lifelong Civil War enthusiast from the Philadelphia area, he has authored 19 books on the subject—a number of them focused on Gettysburg and campaign map studies. Now based in the Chambersburg/Gettysburg area, Brad is a licensed battlefield guide at Antietam and a licensed town guide in Gettysburg.

Wine Down Wednesday
2025-07-30 17:30 - 19:00
First drink is on us! Courtesy of Virago Spirits!

Unwind after a long workday with stunning views of the James River at Wine Down Wednesday! Join us for an evening of relaxation, live music, and light refreshments inside the American Civil War Museum – Tredegar.

Enjoy a drink in hand, great company, and a laid-back atmosphere surrounded by history – all exhibits will be open!

Museum Members receive a complimentary drink ticket — just our way of saying thank you!

What to Expect:

Drinks by Virago Spirits: wine, cocktails, & more available for purchase (first drink is free)

Live local music to set the mood

Light refreshments provided

A scenic and historic setting right by the James River

Perfect for history lovers, museum-goers, and anyone in need of a midweek break.

(Mark your calendar: Wine Down Wednesday returns July 30 & August 27!)

(This is a 21+ event)

Daily Programs!
2025-08-01 11:00 - 2025-09-02 16:00
Have a blast this summer with special events and guided tours included with museum admission!

Ever wonder what the life of the everyday soldier was like during the Civil War? How do cannons work? Why was the Tredegar site so important during the Civil War? Join museum historians as they demonstrate a musket firing, how cannons work and the incredible history of the iconic Tredegar Ironworks!

Our special daily events:

Tredegar History Tour / daily at 11 am and 3 pm:

Guided tour with a museum historian around the former Tredegar Ironworks site.

The Common Soldier program with musket firing demonstration/ daily at 12:30 pm:

History interpreters present a hands-on demonstration of the life of a regular enlisted Civil War soldier.

Cannon Ball! / Saturdays & Sundays at 2 pm:

History interpreter presentation on the process of loading and firing a cannon.

Don’t worry, though we have authentic cannons, none will be fired during the demonstration!

These programs are included with museum admission – enjoy one or come for all. We hope to see you at Tredegar this summer!

"Yankees In the Hill City" Book Talk at ACWM-Appomattox
2025-08-14 18:00 - 19:30
With three railroads and the James River Canal passing through the city, Lynchburg, Virginia, was a major confederate hospital center and supply hub during the American Civil War. However, a much less explored aspect of the city’s history is its transit prisoner of war camp that was located at the Fair Ground between 1862 to 1865.

Join us on Thursday, August 14th, as Dr. Clifton W. Potter, author and Professor of History, Emeritus from the University of Lynchburg, presents on his most recent book, “Yankees in the Hill City: The Union Prisoner of War Camp in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1862-1865.” The lecture begins at 6:00 pm, followed by a question-and-answer session and book signing by Dr. Potter. Copies of “Yankees in the Hill City” will be available for purchase in the museum shop.

Virtual Book Talk
2025-08-21 18:30 - 19:30
While largely overlooked or treated as a footnote to Gen. Jubal A. Early’s raid on Washington in the summer of 1864, the fight at Cool Spring—characterized by one soldier as “a sharp and obstinate affair”—proved critical to Washington’s immediate safety. It became a transformative moment for those who fought along the banks of the Shenandoah River. Join us as Jonathan A. Noyalas analyzes the decisions of leaders on both sides, explores the environment’s impact on the battle, and investigates how the combat impacted the soldiers and their families

Jonathan A. Noyalas is a history professor at Shenandoah University and director of its McCormick Civil War Institute. He is the author or editor of fifteen books. Noyalas is the recipient of numerous awards for his teaching and scholarship including the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Award.

Wine Down Wednesday
2025-08-27 17:30 - 19:00
One free drink on us! Courtesy of J. Emerson, Inc.

Unwind after a long workday with stunning views of the James River at Wine Down Wednesday! Join us for an evening of relaxation, live music, and light refreshments inside the American Civil War Museum – Tredegar.

Enjoy a drink in hand, great company, and a laid-back atmosphere surrounded by history – all exhibits will be open!

Museum Members receive a complimentary drink ticket — just our way of saying thank you!

What to Expect:

Drinks by J. Emerson, Inc. available for purchase (first drink is free)

Live local music to set the mood

Light refreshments provided

I Spy scavenger hunt to win prizes!

A scenic and historic setting right by the James River

Perfect for history lovers, museum-goers, and anyone in need of a midweek break.

(This is a 21+ event)
